Vault’s Verdict

FTI Consulting often demands that its employees are always on, ready to meet client demands whenever they arise. However, insiders don’t seem to mind—many say that it’s the nature of the job and the firm does a great job of balancing its demanding work with flexible hours and a generous remote work policy.

The firm’s staff, especially at junior levels, enjoy strong on-the-job career development from working on challenging projects where they have a sense of autonomy but still feel supported by a collaborative leadership team. However, some insiders say that the firm has room to improve its formal training opportunities and how it trains people to sell—a critical skill for promotions to the highest levels of the organization.

In terms of business prospects, FTI Consulting insiders are bullish on the company’s leadership. They point to the company’s continued growth during the economic downturns of the early 2020s, as well as how its core practice areas are designed to thrive across different business cycles as positive examples. Add this to the firm’s strong brand in its core business areas, and you’ll find a great place to grow your career.

Employee Reviews:

Firm Culture

• “The work environment and culture are professional but not restrictive. I feel I can be my ‘whole self’ at FTI, which I did not feel at previous consulting firms.”
• “Different offices work very well together, which is important for clients but also those of us working here.”
• “The company places a lot of trust in its consultants from the very start.”
• “Our project leaders are respectful of your personal commitments and support the boundaries between your personal and professional life. That said, client demands vary based on the project and can require contributions that detract from your personal life.”

Quality of Life

• “FTI Consulting is very flexible on work hours and locations. The firm’s office environments are welcoming, it fully accepts remote work, and it supports you through personal life events with empathy.”
• “FTI monitors how many hours you work, and if you hit too many hours, a senior leader will come and check if you’re doing OK. However, if you can qualify for overtime if you work beyond a certain threshold, which can make for a very lucrative year.”
• “Leadership encourages you to take PTO and respects staff time out of the office, but when they’re on PTO they still respond to emails and take calls. This creates an unsaid expectation that junior staff are also on-call when out of the office.”
• “The nature of the job sometimes requires an intense schedule to meet tight deadlines and client demands, but leadership recognizes this and puts in extra effort to highlight the hard work and allow downtime to compensate for it.”

Career Development

• “One of FTI Consulting’s best strengths regarding career development are its informal training opportunities. It has a strong network of internal mentors and coaches that help guide your learning and support your growth.”
• “The promotion process is transparent and consistent. It’s easy to move within the firm or try new areas of work in lieu of a formal change.”
• “Promotion to the highest levels of the organization is limited by your personal sales ability, and this results in some highly talented technical staff feeling constrained and unable to progress beyond specific levels.”
• “The firm has taken steps to improve its formal training by partnering with LinkedIn and developing in-house courses on specific topics. I expect this to continue to improve over time.”

Compensation

• “We have a great 401(k) match and a competitive salary, but no stock options even though we are a public company.”
• “One unique benefit at FTI Consulting is the chargeable hour incentive plan (CHIP), which provides full-time employees with a replacement for overtime pay. The firm sets billable hour targets for each month, and if you exceed that number, it pays you extra for each additional hour that you work.”
• “The firm is very ‘pay for performance,’ so it takes compensation seriously based on your individual results. There is less room for differentiation in the first few years, but after that you start to see the results.”
• “My salary growth has been more than satisfactory, but my bonus has remained at the same amount for several years. Therefore, my bonus has decreased as a percentage of my salary. When I’ve asked about this, the explanations I’ve received have changed from year to year.”

Community Engagement/DEI

• “I feel all of FTI Consulting’s consultants have equal access to high-quality projects and promotion opportunities.”
• “We’ve made a clear effort to increase our number of diverse candidates by proactively reaching out to them and attending job fairs on new campuses that were traditionally considered ‘non-target’ universities to increase the breadth of our talent pool.”
• “The firm has a number of diversity groups that provide a sense of belonging to all types of individuals. FTI Consulting appreciates diversity and encourages people to be authentic.”
• “Wellness programs such as gym membership allowances may exist at FTI, but they are not visible or promoted.”

Business Outlook

• “The firm is structured to withstand various business cycles in its five core segments, which gives it a strong outlook and high staff morale with low turnover.”
• “The firm has continued to grow while other consulting firms have had to pull back. This is driven by our expert model and the level of specialized knowledge we provide to clients.”
• “Our CEO is an excellent leader. He got us through the pandemic and the highs and lows of the past few years with positivity and leadership."
• “The company was successful in innovating in the cybersecurity space and is now focused on AI, which I also believe will be successful.”

Hiring Process

• “The interview process for new hires is three-pronged, with two behavioral interviews and one technical interview.”
• “The interview and callback process is very streamlined and efficient. The ideal candidate should have strong quantitative skills, demonstrate critical thinking, and work well with others.”
• “You’re interviewed by the team you’d be working with, so you get a good sense of who your potential colleagues are. We’re mostly looking for someone who would be a cultural fit and is also searching for a place to prove themselves.”
• “Campus and lateral recruiting with multiple interviews by staff and management. The idea candidate should have the education, skills and a willingness to succeed and grow as they progress through the various levels.”

Interview Questions

• “The questions in my interview delved into my previous experience, and the interviewers often drilled down and asked for specific areas by following up whenever they wanted additional information. Be prepared to answer questions with detailed examples of your work.”
• “Can you provide an example of when you successfully used your conflict resolution skills to create a positive outcome for your team or client?”
• “How would you work through a situation in which you do not have an ideal dataset or are dealing with incomplete data?”
• “What's the thing you think you'll struggle with the most? Could you walk me through a research project you've conducted? What is your favorite part of your resume? Tell me about a time you worked in a team.”