Big4 Advisory exit options

Hello to all,

can anyone give me a viable insight (own personal experience or near to this) on exit opportunities for an advisory manager from PwC/KPMG & thelike (2 years, age 31, 7 years management consulting experience in performance improvement) to switch to industry?

Is it harder to receive an offer, being compared to a peer group with broad operative and branch experience or does it look quite well under normal economic conditions to switch the chairs?

Are these consulting people in advantage or disadvantage?

Your insights would be very helpful and I would like to get to know the recruiters view as well.

Have a nice day!

Front door - pass reception on way out - back door, denoted by Fire Exit sign, or side doors. Plenty of exit options depending on which Big 4 office you are in.

Hi Anon,

funny one...

any helpful, content rich comments left to be stated?

I've been there and done it in the last 18 months.

If you have some sort of industry specialism it should be pretty easy as you will bring new skills and experiences compared to the people from a more 'operative' (operational?) background.

That said, your post makes little sense and if someone walked into my office asking for 'viable insight' on 'exit opportunities' and wanting to discuss if it was 'harder to receive an offer' (what does that even mean by the way?!) I'd probably feel that you'd spent too long selling your soul and using bullshit to baffle brains to be of any use, or to fit in on the shop floor, so to speak.

Your chances 'to switch the chairs' (again, I'm lost but I'll go with 'move to industry') is limited by your experience and credibility in your chosen field.

Finally, if you've worked in consulting for seven years and you don't have an industry contact pestering you to work for them you've probably not been having much of an impact. It amazes me that people can spend years working with CEOs, MDs and Directors and then have to look for work when they finally come to their senses.

Thx for your answer. It is not my current situation but I only want to work in consulting for 7-8 years.

To clarify things to get a more proper answer:

I am not at this position today. But might considering to move to KPMG,EY,PwC thelike.

One picture came into my mind before posting this question:

Being a consultant (and later a manager) for too many years with no operational skills (but very good conceptional and project skills) could become a disadvantage when you compete with senior industry employees to be considered for a management role in an industry. Ergo it could be harder to get off the consulting game when you step up the consulting-ladder.

In my opinion you need three major skillsets to get into management roles in industry:

1. Operational experience (lagging/not existent being a consultant)

2. Conceptional (should develop quite quick and good within the first 5 years)

3. Leadership (managerial responsibility for staff)

2 and 3 will be possible, but 1 can´t be fulfilled compared to people who make their way in industry from the very beginning.

I agree, that my prospects are limited by my experience and credibility.

And your grammar.

English isn´t my mother tongue...I hope you understood what I tried to point out anyway.

I moved from Big 4 Advisory into industry myself within the last 2 years and I would say that the consulting "toolkit" is very useful and well indeed some companies actively look for consulting experience.

That said, I think you'd need to either bring the industry insight moentioned previously or a specific specialism that the company values such as Supply Chain, Customer, Strategy, HR etc etc. Performance Improvement is probably to broad a skill but if it's something specific within that or if it is in a particular industry then I think you'll be in good shape.

Hope that helps.

ps - don't worry about the spelling comments. Says more about them than it does you

Hi K,

thank you for your useful insights and help. I think, I would have an industry and as well functional focus when I prepare the move into industry.

Is your note for the UK-market in specific or can it be true for other countries like France, Germany, Austria as well? I suggest, it might be very similar.

Some companies are searching for former ex-consultants, others won´t.

Comment on item 3) Leadership.

That is something you would be lacking in compared to your industry peers. On manager level in PwC/KPMG/etc you would have on the average led (very) small teams, as a supervisor or a project manager. If you are subject matter expert it is possible to have zero subordinates and no real project mangemement experience.

I'd suggest removing all the cliches from your written English before submitting any CVs or covering letters. Your first post is so riddled with them as to make it virtually incomprehensible.