Vault’s Verdict

A firm with a well-known name and global reach, Mercer is a solid choice with great career progression opportunities for anyone interested in the HR and benefits consulting space. A strong culture makes the day-to-day experience at the firm enjoyable for most insiders, while client-facing opportunities and a high degree of brand recognition ensure that exit opportunities will not be hard to find for those who decide to use their time at the firm as a stepping stone to an industry role.

Firm Culture

• “If you are interested in HR consulting, Mercer is your best choice in the world.”
• “The work culture is very good.”
• “The immediate office team [is a highlight].”

Quality of Life

• “Great flexibility, but because we are in a client services profession, it does require some sacrifice at times.”
• “The quality of life of the firm is very good. They allow us flexibility in how to manage our own time.”
• “I am very satisfied with the time allocated for my annual/holiday leave and it is not difficult for us to get approval for holiday leave.”
• “Nobody would interrupt you when you are taking time off.”

Career Development

• “Informal training and mentoring are very good but the firm needs to improve informal training, especially with those who don't have prior background in the industry.”
• “The tasks are challenging but can be a bit unorganized as to the extent of someone's roles/responsibilities as some duties overlap with different teams.”
• “Lack of formal training or networking opportunities and lack of investment into the people.”
• “Lots of client-facing opportunities through project work which boosts on-the-job training score.”
• “Great brand recognition in the marketplace which allows for lots of interesting projects and clients within the human resources strategy arena.”

Compensation

• “Best - parental medical
  Worst - low compensation and bonuses.”
• “I wish that they could offer us more company discounts and transportation allowance.”
• “Terrible promotion raises and overall hard to get market competitive pay without lots of complaints. The bonus plan is a black box and payouts are rarely understood or aligned to personal achievements at the end of the year against individual goals.”

Outlook

• “We just got new leadership and we're hopefully optimistic about it. I'd say the morale has gone up since the change.”

Hiring Process

• “Well-organized and fast processes.”
• “If you are a team player and have a passion for learning innovative and updated information.”

Interview Questions

• “Why would you like to join a consulting firm instead of being an in-house HR?”