Vault’s Verdict

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Vault Verdict: It's impossible to talk about Dean & Co. without mentioning the firm's size: with around 50 consultants, the firm is not going to be matching McKinsey or PwC for intake. However, its boutique size does provide for a very personalized career experience for employees—access to senior firm members is pretty much a given, as is the ability to take on stretch assignments and learn new skills. All of that, plus a genuinely strong in-office culture, where employees have a real opportunity to get to know—and even like—each other, makes the firm a truly enjoyable place for consultants to work. For those seeking the boutique lifestyle in the D.C. area—and who aren't afraid of the quantitative side of the consulting business—Dean may just be the right place to look.

Firm Culture

"Good mix of consultants, young and engaging colleagues."

"Great growth experience—especially starting out from college."

"Great place to load up on your analytic skills in preparation for any career."

"Far more quantitative than most other management consulting firms."

"Quality of client work is amazing."

"The small firm environment forces you to take on considerable responsibility early on, which means you learn analytic techniques faster than at other firms."

"Constant contact with firm senior management."

"Dean has no name brand, but the caliber of work is very high, and analysts generally have good exit opportunities."

"If you have a strong math/science/engineering background and you're looking for a taste of the strategy consulting field but aren't really looking to make a career out of it, Dean is a good place for you."

"If you're bright, smart, analytical, and want to be challenged, come."

Quality of Life

"There is a supportive culture and the other analysts are some of the nicest and brightest people I've met. Analysts need more client interaction, which goes hand in hand with travel opportunities which are certainly on the light end."

"Upper management is understanding of highly variable work schedule and takes steps to provide a semblance of balance."

"Could be better at providing time-off following a project."

"Managers are willing to take steps to help reduce burn-out during heavy work periods [ but …] work flow can be very unpredictable and small size means busy periods are very stressful."

"As a small firm, there is definitely a roller coaster of high-intensity work during intensive cases and low-intensity work during marketing periods. Sometimes the firm does a great job of cycling people between these periods so that everyone gets a recuperation period (which still isn't great because predictably of hours is low). However, some people manage to slip through the cracks if they're not vocal enough about their workload."

"Firm is understanding of the fact that consultants have lives outside of work, and also offers a substantial social budget."

"Like all consulting firms, hours can be unpredictable, making scheduling weeknight activities difficult."

"Outstanding culture, great people, engaging and challenging projects."

Career Development

"Dean is a great place to gain tremendous experience in a short amount of time."

"Motivated people willing to give advice on career development."

"As a small company the number of available projects is limited."

"There is no room for growth in the company."

"High level of responsibility and autonomy. Fast skill growth and development—feel as though far ahead of peers at comparable firms."

"Smaller firm means limited breadth of cases. However, high degree of flexibility and nature of certain practices provides ample opportunity for interesting work."

"Dean & Company is a true meritocracy. Quality is rewarded and there exists de minimis political activity."

"Day one training is pretty minimal. The firm definitely espouses a 'learn on the job' philosophy, which is odd for an analytically intensive firm. However, the experienced analysts are thankfully extremely friendly and willing to help new analysts, so you do learn what you need to."

"Working for a relatively small company means high level contact both within firm and with clients."

Compensation

"The base salary increased this year which is a good thing."

"Entry level compensation and compensation growth is above industry average [but] Mid-level/pre-management compensation growth is below industry average."

"Compensation is slightly lower than you might find elsewhere, but I'm not the sort of person to complain about a few thousand dollars."

Outlook

"Dean's small size allows it to be very versatile in terms of its clients. However, this creates a lot of peaks and troughs that change relatively rapidly—you never quite know how much work the firm will have. Despite this, the company manages to remain stable."

"Extremely bright people, relationships with clients have been in place for decades."

"Could be more innovative with regards to technology, practices, and approach. However, core values—i.e. underlying analytical ability and strategic approach—are solid.

"New organizational changes have been very welcome—top drawer COO and CMO have been installed."

"Recent organizational changes will help drive growth and other positive operational changes."

"Number and variety of projects has been on the rise."

"The firm is happy to be a small firm, and I wouldn't approach [it] expecting a startup-like environment."

"Firm is very busy, with a good mix of flexible long term clients and new ones."

Hiring Process

"Dean & Company is looking for people with: High GPA from Ivy League or other top-ranked school (e.g. UVA); Quantitative major in math/science/economics/engineering; Challenging coursework with no red flags on individual grades; Demonstrated interest in consulting/business."

"In-cycle recruiting is organized and well-structured; ad-hoc recruiting can seem chaotic as an applicant. Persistence helps."

"Candidates should have a background in analytic work. We often attract science majors because of this, but we also look closely at anyone with analytic experience in economics, history, or any other background. If you're not comfortable working in Excel, though, this may not be the place for you."

"Typically first and second rounds on campus, totaling three interviews, followed by an office visit with more informal discussions and a group practice case. Ideal candidate is highly analytical, a good fit for the firm culture and comfortable in front of clients."

Interview Tips and Questions

"Case questions are always derived from real case work. As such they will vary enormously by the interviewer."

"Series of case interviews looking for an ability to analyze complex problems. Need to be able to structure thoughts clearly and provide a logical approach."

Diversity and Social Responsibility

"I have not noticed an explicit effort towards diversity, environmental friendliness or philanthropy programs, but I also do not see anyone being opposed to either of the above. General there is a great openness towards everyone."

"The non-discrimination clause is the first and last time that minorities will be mentioned at the firm, although the company is diverse racially as well as internationally."

"They are open to supporting any diversity practices that are proposed and there has been no discrimination I am aware of."

"There is no significant central effort to promote diversity practices."

"The firm wants to attract more women, but the current analyst pool is definitely skewed towards men. I think that they just don't know how to cast a wider net."

"Community involvement is largely at your own direction, and can be difficult to make long term engagements to because of highly variable workloads."

"Hiring committees make substantial effort to bring in a diverse set of candidates. Small size of company means that large scale hiring programs for underrepresented groups is not practical."