Vault’s Verdict

Kearney insiders love their firm’s unique blend of professional growth opportunities and a closely-knit culture. The firm’s strength lies in its ability to balance challenging, high-quality projects with a supportive and inclusive environment, where colleagues often become friends—although that may also be a by-product of spending long hours together (yes: those are just as much of a feature of life at Kearney as they are across much of the rest of the industry).

Most insiders seem satisfied with compensation and benefits, but the true driver of satisfaction at the  firm is its focus on care and trust in its employees. As an international mid-size, the firm is seen as small enough to maintain personal connections yet large enough to undertake significant projects, providing a sense of extended family among colleagues. This balance makes Kearney an attractive place for those looking to grow their careers in a dynamic yet supportive setting.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “A constant learning journey, whilst surrounded by great people.”
• “Caring about its employees, as well as the clients. This means that we always have the best interest at heart for our clients and will speak to them honestly rather than what is good for us, or them in the short-term.”
• “Freedom and hard-working entrepreneurship combined with team play and max intellectual challenge.”
• “Steep learning curve keeps you busy, so the job is always exciting and doesn’t let you get bored.”
• “The best culture I have experienced vs. other 3 companies I’ve been part of - friendship, fun, and learning.”

Quality of Life

• “Firm is making efforts to improve WLB, but consulting in general has a difficult culture to contradict.”
• “Kearney Amsterdam definitely has a good work/life balance.”
• “Outstanding programs for all levels of consultants for good quality of life.”
• “Paris allows almost zero travel since it’s the unique business place at scale in France.”
• “Work trips are frequent but well-organized, and travel reimbursements are good.”

Career Development

• “A lot of training and promotion opportunities.”
• “Great MBA opportunities, good support for parents/mothers.”
• “Kearney gives you opportunity to grow, gives you the opportunity to work on complex and exciting topics with driven people. Promotions are fair, there is reward for great performers.”
• “Overall, career development is amazing at the firm. Promotion is based on merit and potential (quickly promoting when I started). Mentoring is awesome (really helping me work through the tougher times). During my last engagement there was sooo much swimming for me (in client relationships, in the topic, the deadlines, etc). But now looking back, those were massive learning moments for me and the difference between me now and me several months ago is almost incomparable.”
• “Since you do not have to select an industry practice team in the first six months of your employment anymore, you have more freedom to peek into different practices as a generalist. While some Partners still hold onto the idea of ‘their’ practice teams, there are ongoing efforts focused on changing their mindset to avoid potentially preferential treatment of employees with an official industry allocation.”

Compensation

• “Competitive and with a significant long-term value creation dimension.”
• “Kearney is usually rather a follower rather than a first mover when it comes to compensation increase.”
• “One of the highest salaries in our country from entry level to top management. Frequent double-digit salary increases once or even twice per year. 100% equal pay for same rank.”
• “The best part of the compensation package is the full medical insurance.”
• “Very good package overall, although slightly inferior to some competitors.”

Community Engagement

• “At Kearney all people with high potential and willingness to face challenging, but rewarding projects are welcomed no matter of the sex, race or sexual orientation.”
• “Firm actively puts efforts on diversity hiring, mentoring, and promoting. Firm has in place support groups for women, LGBTQ+ and people of color.”
• “Multiple D&E efforts: Special female support program; PROUD academy - LGBTQ+-focus recruiting effort; PROUD network; Black @ Kearney initiative - fantastic efforts, but overall is hard to achieve quick wins.”
• “On all of these diversity aspects, there are internal initiatives, internal networks, internal and external events, specific recruiting targets, recruiting events where possible, sponsorship programs, dedicated communication, ….”
• “There are many initiatives in place to promote and support diversity. You are free to join as many as you wish. We participate in the CSD and foster a community and culture were everybody is welcomed and accepted as a real member of the team.”

Business Outlook

• “Best: Strongly above average outlook.”
• “Business still in good shape compared to competitors. Good positioning and reactivity from leaders regarding market evolution and client needs.”
• “Recent acquisitions make the company even more competitive and future-proof.”
• “Very good leadership and confidence in the ambitious growth plans.”
• “Very strong outlook with many opportunities. The recent acquisition of complementary capabilities will enable even further impact.”

Hiring Process

• “2 rounds of 3 interviews usually, with some variations.”
• “Fast process; transparent feedback.”
• “Interview process is standardized with 3 interviews by 3 interviewers, each 1 hour. Callback process usually takes less than 1 week. And there is no ideal candidate, as we are looking for smart individuals who can structure the given inputs and identify potential challenges, to develop a solution-oriented approach and if necessary know how to calculate some part of the solution.”
• “The firm’s process seems fast. The ideal candidate the firm’s looking for is an intelligent consultant who has a firm set of values that align with those of the firm.”
• “The recruiting process is very personal and quick, so feedback is given directly after the interviews in most cases. People are very friendly and it is a calm atmosphere, which makes it easy to be in the process.”

Interview Questions

• “Case study for market entry, challenges in performance.”
• “CV questions to provide examples on e.g., leadership.”
• “Do you see yourself working with the potential future colleagues you met so far, do you feel at home/comfortable?”
• “Typical management consulting case.”
• “Why is Kearney the right fit for you?”