Vault’s Verdict

Working at hy puts consultants in an entrepreneurial, flat organization, with lots of opportunities to make an impact on client-facing and internal projects. The firm offers a clear path from junior employee to partner, with a skill matrix highlighting what capabilities to develop to unlock each promotion and structured mentorship to help you get there. 

Culturally, the firm emphasizes respect for family time and psychological safety. Consultants and partners alike regularly block time on their calendars during the day to spend time with their children, and the firm offers flexibility on work location and hours as long as you complete your deadlines. Insiders often organize sports activities after work and host biweekly yoga sessions, and the firm hosts regular lunch-and-learns on topics such as emotional intelligence and managing stress.

The firm’s compensation package includes stock options and generous sabbaticals for tenured employees, plus financial support for joining a local sports club. However, some staff are concerned about their base salaries, which they feel have stagnated when compared against inflation. Overall, though, hy offers a unique consulting experience in one of Europe’s most dynamic cities.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Flat hierarchies, loads of opportunities to make an impact (internally and client-facing) due to small size, entrepreneurial, no nonsense, low ego and no elbowing, positive promotion philosophy, and a high level of trust from top management.”
• “Clear focus on output (results) and not input (time). Most important to me: all partners have families and openly demonstrate their ability to also take care of thar part of their lives.”
• “Empathetic leadership and psychological safety are core aspects of hy’s culture. Across all levels, including partners and managing directors, transparent calendars and private time blocks ensure that care responsibilities (such as childcare) can be integrated into the workday. After intense project weeks, consultants are encouraged to take additional time off, and there is no culture of toxic heroism around long hours.”
• “We call it the hy spirit. Basically, it is trust in the people and the corporate culture.”

Quality of Life

• “High level of trust and understanding for young parents, flexible work location, remote work and sabbatical rules are great, kids blockers for calendars are widely accepted and respected. Biggest downside: no financial support for parental leave.”
• “Trust in people, freedom to work wherever you are, and dedicated kids time is blocked in calendar. However, sometimes crunchy hours with high workload.”
• “Consulting itself can be hard enough, so I’m happy our firm doesn’t add another layer of complexity with unnecessary rules.”

Career Development

• “A highly transparent process based on clear criteria, with execution twice a year. Open communication and structured mentoring support career progression toward the next level. Promotions are rarely a surprise, as they are prepared throughout each employee’s career. A clear skill matrix for every level is reviewed annually to reflect both the customer perspective and the evolving market environment, including developments such as AI.”
• “Very structured and openly communicated skill matrix from junior to partner.”
• “Clear feedback structure, transparent skill matrix per level, and a lot of time spent for personal reviews and individual mentoring.”
• “Best: Promotion processes. Worst: International opportunities”

Compensation

• “Competitive salary, stock option opportunities, and generous sabbatical options. However, 28 days of vacation is relatively low for Germany.”
• “Best aspect is that we get promoted quite frequently. But the salaries became bad after three years of stagnation combined with high inflation.”
• “Financial support for gym membership (Urban Sports Club).”
• “Access to a diverse range of sports offerings, including Urban Sports Club, an internal hyenergy group hosting team workouts, beach volleyball, and a biweekly internal yoga class. In addition, regular learning lunches focus on mental well-being topics such as breathwork, emotional intelligence, and stress reduction. Leadership actively supports these health initiatives, leading by example and fostering a culture of well-being across the company.”

Inclusion

• “hy has a women’s initiative, but equality topics are not such a big topic in the company. Leadership could put more effort in finding female partners and supporting parents financially, especially during parental leave.”
• “All employees are equal. We treat all people with the same respect.”
• “Strong focus on diversity regarding women. We also have LGBTQ+ people working at hy.”

Business Outlook

• “hy tries to redefine consulting and makes a lot of things differently, especially due to its entrepreneurial approach, creating immediate ROI for our clients with every project. That’s my number one plus.”
• “Large key customers, strong backing from investor, and excellent new hires. However, we have higher fluctuation and a reluctance to invest in growth and growth opportunities.”
• “The company’s size allows for agile responses to evolving customer demands and the challenges facing the consulting business today, including AI as a disruptive force. All employees are committed, proactive, and contribute actively to the company’s growth. The customer base is diverse and not limited to a certain industry. Revenue is well-diversified, with no concentration risk.”

Hiring Process

• “Five-step process with clear responsibilities of a hiring manager and strong HR support (e.g., technical applicant interview and case study). The application process usually takes four weeks until the contract offer. The ideal candidate has consulting experience, has worked in a corporate environment, and has successfully founded their own company. They are also eloquent, analytical, methodically strong, solution-oriented, curious, and service-oriented.”
• “We are looking for critical thinkers and bold makers. We don’t hire any university graduates but always look for people who have either founded their own businesses or worked in a corporate, so they know the client’s side of the table.”

Interview Questions

• “Motivation to apply to hy. Explanation of a structured validation process. Indicators of a data-driven competitive analysis. If you were a shoe, which one would you be? Show a corresponding picture.”
• “If you think about the future of consulting, what needs to change? We are constantly trying to develop new offerings for our clients. One offering could be the application or automation of venture validation processes through AI. What opportunity would you have for an offering within the validation process? How would you outline and set up the new offering? How would you bring the new AI offering designed for the validation process to potential clients?”
• “Identify key trends in a specific industry sector.”
• “Business case related to real project examples. Excel case.”