Vault’s Verdict

FTI Consulting operates along the classic consulting model: wherever the client requires assistance, that's where you'll find the firm's consultants, for as long as is necessary to get the job done. While that might not translate to great scores for insiders on hours or travel requirements, most accept this as the tradeoff for getting to do the kind of work they enjoy. 

That feeds directly into one of the key benefits for consultants at the firm: exposure to tough, often high-profile cases, particularly in finance and economic consulting. These create opportunities to learn new skills on the job, and are sometimes cited by employees as being superior to the firm's formal development offerings. Add that to the firm's strong brand in its core areas, and you have a firm where it's entirely possible to build a fulfilling, rewarding career. 

Firm Culture 

• "FTI is a relatively large firm. Individuals that are self-motivated and willing to actively manage their career will do well at FTI."

• "FTI is uniquely positioned as a firm, within the notoriously demanding professional services industry, that truly values your career development and well-being. You never feel like just a cog in the machine at FTI, and your worth (no matter what level) goes way beyond the billable hour. Working at FTI for a first job has spoiled me in the realm of professional services: I feel like my ideas are valued through all levels of the organization, and I am never made to feel less important because of my level. FTI is a great place to work, with challenging and interesting work, intelligent people, and a culture that truly cares about you."

• "The quality of the staff members is the best I've encountered. No corporate drones here. Hard work and innovation are rewarded."

• "There is a clear long term investment in our people at FTI whereas most other firms grind their new hires down to their bones to the point of being miserable. The turnover here in terms of headcount is far less than other firms I interviewed with."

• "While FTI's brand may not be the most well known, we work with the most high profile, biggest companies in the world on a daily basis. Our culture is fantastic and the firm is loaded with talent and a long-term focus on developing our people. Compensation is competitive and highly merit based. Speaking with any senior manager at the firm will show that the firm is going places and the outlook is extremely positive from our CEO." 

Career Development 

• "FTI places a huge emphasis on training and development at all levels. As an entry-level hire to the firm, I have gotten opportunities to take training on a wide variety of topics, both directly related to my job performance and not. Additionally, FTI encourages employees to get involved in planning and executing trainings, so we have the opportunity to shape what career development opportunities are open to us. FTI also has a great 'coaching' culture as opposed to performance management. FTI's promotion process is extremely transparent and merit-based, and the process is very streamlined. FTI also does a great job of recognizing promotions within the firm. Finally, FTI tends to promote from within and makes this desire very apparent, so management's investment in the careers of even entry and intern-level hires is evident."

• "Lots of support and collaboration to help you get where you want to go, although external factors such as overall company performance and economic factors have adversely affected promotion rates over the years."

• "My transition to the firm was seamless. The infrastructure and administrative (IT, HR, training programs) support has been solid, having well thought out processes and available resources to address issues. The annual review process was easy to understand and I've been satisfied with the results."

• "The best aspect of my firm's office in Boston is that the small case teams and office size enables analysts to contribute more to and own more of the work. Unfortunately, my firm's office does not offer training or mentoring beyond the first two weeks of joining the firm and it is easy to coast to a promotion to senior analyst without doing much work."

• "The promotion and compensation process is very well done. Formal training is a bit lacking in direction and substance, but informal training/mentoring has been extensive for me."

• "This is very much a 'learn through doing' company rather than one that sets up stringent training programs. It's entrepreneurial; there are plenty of opportunities if you ask questions and have a clear idea of what you want out of your career." 

Quality of Life 

• "FTI encourages work-life balance. I get the impression that leadership believes that the sacrifices that come with working hard should be balanced by offering flexible time off. While I understand the rationale for this, I wish the firm did not have a 'use it or lose it' PTO policy. If I don't use my PTO, once I reach the maximum hours, I don't accumulate PTO anymore. The way I look at it, I earned it, so I should get it, even if it's in the form of money."

• "Professional services, as an industry, entails that employees at all levels work some crazy hours, but FTI definitely exceeds industry standards as it relates to work-life balance. Leadership at the firm is very aware that employees have outside lives and, when possible, they encourage unplugging and taking time off. Taking vacation time is easy, as long as it is far in advance. Account teams are very flexible about taking over work, and managers encourage taking time off. When late night or weekend work is necessary, it is usually because of a pre-planned project or immediate client need, and everyone on the account team chips in to help. As it relates to travel, there is always some level of travel necessary, but managers at FTI take the personal lives and career goals of employees into consideration when staffing travel-heavy projects. I would say that FTI recognizes and promotes a work-life balance, to the extent that it's possible for any professional services firm."

• "PTO is well protected here as long as you've scheduled it in advance and communicated with your manager. Travel is flexible as some consultants travel constantly and others almost never. Hours fluctuate greatly but average out to around 45-50 hours a week."

• "Quality of life shifts depending on which client accounts you are on, which is likely the same for any professional at a consulting firm. My experience is that I have the ability to choose how busy I want to be."

• "The work is very demand based, and one should expect to work weekends. This is true of many economic consulting firms. At my firm, it is easy enough to take time off if given enough advance notice, but if one wanted evenings off to study for an exam for example, then there will be more pressure for you to stay at work and push off studying." 

Outlook 

• "FTI is still figuring out how to combine all of its different segments (FLC, Econ, etc) under the umbrella of one firm, so we are quite disjointed currently and do not know much about each other. One of the biggest challenges going forward is how to streamline all of its segments as one firm."

• "My segment is struggling and doesn't really fit that well with all the other segments. Real innovation will be required to keep the segment relevant to the overall company."

• "Our CEO is committed to bringing us to the next level, which is good."

• "The firm's strength comes from the ability to adapt the strategy to a changing market but this can also be perceived as, and sometimes feels like, inability to stick to a strategy."

• "This firm has gone through a lot of change over the years, but I think it's finally leveling out and beginning to develop a real character. We have smart leaders here who I trust." 

Compensation 

• "Compensation is generous, but need to get the best possible starting salary as year to year increments may be small."

• "Compensation is somewhat complicated. Besides salary and the year-end bonus, there is also a bonus program, where you are awarded bonus money for every hour you work in a month for above 85% utilization (based on a standard work week). This money is then paid out quarterly, which is nice and cuts the politics out of that aspect of the bonus. It can also be volatile, since it is directly tied to how busy you are, which is spotty, since Turnaround/Restructuring is a 'feast or famine' business."

• "FTI's compensation policies are both fair by industry standards and very transparent. I was extremely happy with my starting salary as an entry-level hire right out of school, while my peers at other firms were making considerably less money with less potential for upward mobility within their companies. FTI's salary progression is very fair and lines up by levels and promotions. The firm offers some bonuses, like free snacks and drinks, 401(K) matching, flexible spending accounts for transportation and flex time after a long project, among others. While I wish that the firm would offer benefits related to health/lifestyle like a free or discounted membership to the office gym, reimbursements for outside gym memberships, or standing desk options, overall I am very happy with my compensation and benefits package."

• "The best aspects have been a steady salary progression year after year. Bonuses for high performers have always been held at industry standards even in times of low annual sales cycles."

• "The payment of bonuses at the more junior level is generally very small, however since becoming a senior member of the firm, the bonuses are much better." 

Hiring Process 

• "I am not familiar with the call back process, just that we are very good at following up with a 'yes' or a 'no'. The ideal candidates are those that can leverage past experience and expertise, depending on level, in order to contribute to the diverse portfolio of project that we work on."

• "My office's interview and callback process is pretty straightforward, quick, and relatively easy. Our office tends to like quirky people who aren't too well polished (to appear insincere) and can interact with different types of case managers well."

• "The interview process is different for whatever level a candidate is interviewing for, but my process as an entry-level (but not intern-level) hire was very thorough. I interviewed with almost every member of my ~20 person team, and the process ended with an in-person interview and tour of the office. I appreciated the thoroughness of the process, as I felt I talked to different personality types and got a good feel for who I would be working with. Additionally, the firm was extremely flexible with start dates and locations, choosing to work with me throughout the process. The ideal candidate that FTI is seeking at the entry level is someone who is smart, good at writing, hungry for new information, and has a love of learning."

• "This depends on the practice area but generally our internal recruiting people are organized and make sure the candidates are moving through the system."

• "We seek someone who will roll up their sleeves and get the work done. Mental horsepower is important but FTI seeks candidates that will do whatever it takes to achieve an aim." 

Interview Tips & Questions 

• "Classic behavioral questions like 'Tell me about a time when you worked on a successful/unsuccessful team.'"

• "Interviews are largely behavioral with some technical questions on data analysis included."

• "My practice at FTI has a number of questions related to previous work experience and work style, but one of my favorite interview tactics is the writing test. I appreciate how FTI takes the time to tactically check the skills of intern and entry level hires."

• "Tell me about a challenge you had on a previous team project, and how did you work to resolve that?"

• "Why are you interested in restructuring' is the most important question here. You will also be asked questions about accounting and finance, which are covered by investment banking prep. guides, though the questions are generally less intense."