Vault’s Verdict

Emerton insiders laud their firm’s quality of life and career development. The firm is flexible on when and where they work, as long as the results are there, and the partners and managers strive to create an environment where Emerton’s consultants can live full lives outside of work. Also, as a flat organization that provides great access to senior leadership, the firm offers strong mentorship and on-the-job learning opportunities. Insiders also say it doesn’t hurt that they can be promoted at any time, as long as they’re ready for the challenge.

The positive feedback from Emerton’s employees extends to its culture, too. They love the firm’s international diversity, with consultants coming from a variety of countries. They also love the firm’s organized activities, such as sporting events, that help them connect with each other and deepen their bonds.

Data and AI—two of its specialties—are at the forefront, making Emerton an excellent choice if you’re looking to position yourself at the cutting edge of the field.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “We are a flexible organization, including with remote work. It’s a flat organization with strong proximity to management. Sometimes, the hours are long, but overall, it’s a very livable work-life balance. We also have a friendly and collective-oriented culture.”
• “We have a great firm culture, with an excellent team spirit, great interpersonal interactions among consultants, and many different activities organized by HR for team bonding, leisure time, and making friends.”
• “Many consultants play sports, and we often do so together.”
• “We have a very international culture, with more than 15 nationalities represented in the office, international clients, and global projects.”

Quality of Life

• “The best aspect of Emerton's quality of life is that partners make a genuine and concerted effort to balance high-intensity projects, such as short-timeline due diligences, with lower-intensity projects. Although weekends are not always protected, any work outside of regular working hours is compensated in the form of an extra day off.”
• “They are flexible on your work location as your work is high quality. The offices are pleasant, and so are interactions with colleagues. Work-life balance can be challenging on a small team, but the work is interesting.”
• “Firm management is very careful to achieve work-life balance at all levels of the firm. Hours can be heavy at crunch time, but they systematically offer comp days.”
• “We have top-notch managers who are accessible, supportive, and open-minded. They tend to be positive, excellent mentors and great role models. The partners are relatively accessible but could learn from the managers on being more open and receptive to upward feedback.”

Career Development

• “The promotion path and progress along this path are transparent and actionable. You get promoted whenever you are ready. If you are ahead of your role on certain skills, you may go beyond your role to practice them. There is a lot of flexibility between roles and opportunities to get exposed to the next level before you get promoted.”
• “The best aspect of Emerton's career development opportunities is that promotions are not tied to promotion cycles and are not based on being in a certain position for a certain amount of time. At Emerton, you're promoted as soon as you demonstrate that you can handle the responsibilities associated with the position you'd be promoted to.”
• “At Emerton, partners conduct training and information-sharing sessions throughout the year.”
• “The firm offers excellent development opportunities, with senior management listening to consultants’ desires and offering international, sectorial, and functional growth opportunities.”

Compensation

• “The firm offers excellent compensation packages in line with the sector, with fast progression and high bonuses rewarding high performance. We have strong pay equality by grade, plus amazing team offsites every two years.”
• “Consultants are compensated fairly, in line with market figures. Given the hours flexibility and work-life balance achieved at Emerton, compensation is de facto more attractive than at competitors.”
• “Emerton offers and pays for 100 percent of your health insurance with excellent coverage. It includes reimbursement of the cost of alternative medicine, rehabilitation, smoking cessation, and personalized advice.”

Community Engagement

• “Overall, the firm is making a strong effort on DEI. We have set up a dedicated internal committee and take on pro bono projects for associations that support integrating people with disabilities into the workplace.”
• “Diversity is a strength in some respects but could be improved in others. Diversity of race, ethnicity, and gender exists, with all consultants having equal access to interesting and high-quality work and promotion opportunities. However, the firm is still largely male-dominated, with no explicit diversity initiatives for specific groups of historically underserved individuals.”
• “Emerton puts a lot of effort and attention into DEI, including in our office life, communication, and team integration.”
• “The firm organizes internal sporting events, such as trail running, which drives a strong commitment to health and wellness. They have free healthy and organic food in the office.”

Business Outlook

• “Emerton is well-positioned on two topics with strong business traction: environmental transition and the ever-increasing shift to AI and digital-based solutions. Emerton has gathered an expert team on both topics and combines deep business knowledge with advanced technical expertise and skills, including multiple PhDs.”
• “The best aspects of Emerton's business outlook are the large proportion of work that comes from existing clients and the number of first-time clients that bring us back for additional projects. As such, the pipeline of projects in the short and mid-term feels secure, particularly considering that partners continue to pursue business development opportunities.”
• “We have excellent, visionary leaders. We’re differentiated through our mix of strategy experts plus data and AI experts. Our highly selective recruitment of consultants and clients creates an edge, and our strong investment in R&D allows for innovation.”
• “The firm has an edge on data, AI, and related subjects. We enjoy a unique position within that landscape thanks to the specificity of the dual-track position we offer, which combines a technical and strategic role.”

Hiring Process

• “After shortlisting top resumes, the first round is a behavioral interview and an analytical assessment. Further rounds include behavioral interviews and case method scenarios with partners. There are three rounds in total, over four to six weeks.”
• “The ideal candidate mixes coding and strategy thinking to deliver effective insights using both skillsets.”
• “The firm looks for curious and attentive candidates that reflect on their logic and justify their answers.”
• “The interview process is purposefully long and intense to select the strongest candidates it can. The ideal candidate demonstrates coachability, independence, curiosity, and strong hard skills.”

Interview Questions

• “The firm provides a very thorough recruitment booklet to candidates that gives examples of the different tests and case interviews we provide candidates, with examples of the expected rationale and structure.”
• “The behavioral interview discusses your personal, academic, and professional background, your motivation to work in consulting, and your interest in the firm. Case interviews include an analytical assessment and typical case method scenarios.”
• “There’s a digital test, with multiple case interviews, and last, a longer written case interview.”
• “Some example cases use sales and marketing channels for insurance companies.”