Vault’s Verdict

Roland Berger presents a dynamic and challenging environment that rewards entrepreneurial spirit and hard work. The firm’s culture is highlighted by its emphasis on skill growth, challenging projects, and a family-like atmosphere, fostering both personal and professional growth. Despite the high expectations and long hours typical of the consulting industry, the firm makes significant efforts to balance work and life, offering flexibility and supportive policies.

Insiders note that compensation and benefits are competitive, with clear pathways for career progression coupled with regular opportunities for skill enhancement through comprehensive training programs. The firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, although still evolving, shows promise with initiatives aimed at increasing representation and creating an inclusive environment.

Looking ahead, the firm’s business outlook seems positive, with a focus on innovation and a broad spectrum of projects across various industries. As such, the firm represents a very solid option for those seeking to make rapid career progress in a firm that has both a boutique feel and a substantial global footprint.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “A closely connected community of smart individuals who are respectful of each other.”
• “Empowering success through expertise.”
• “Mutual respect and an open culture to share and voice opinions and concerns and willingness to continuously improve.”
• “Roland Berger has extensive experience across multiple vertical industries coupled with a sterling reputation in Europe. This blend of diverse industry expertise and strong European presence empowers it to deliver superior, nuanced solutions to the clients, thereby standing out in the competitive landscape.”
• “Strong emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking: Roland Berger values and encourages an entrepreneurial mindset. If you thrive on creative problem-solving, taking initiative, and exploring innovative solutions, you’ll likely find the firm’s approach to consulting appealing.”

Quality of Life

• “Best: Firm trying the best to promote work/life balance. Worst: Wish to have more travel opportunity.”
• “Flexibility in work timings to accommodate personal requirements.”
• “Overall work life balance is good. Also, Roland Berger takes a regular employee engagement survey as an important thing to track work/life balance satisfaction of consultant, and management team will take respective measures.”
• “Roland Berger prioritizes the well-being of its consultants by encouraging remote work.”
• “There is a conscious effort to ensure a good work-life balance with flexibility on working time.”

Career Development

• “Best aspects: flexibility in business development, therefore autonomy for my current level.”
• “Good balance of freedom and responsibility.”
• “Good promotion speed for high performers, strong commitment to work internationally.”
• “Roland Berger has a transparent promotion policy and intensive global training program.”
• “The best part is when it comes to the projects that Roland Berger undertakes, there’s a clear emphasis on quality and impact.”

Compensation

• “As for the salary and compensation packages, it’s on par with other firms.”
• “Best part: competitive base salary. Roland Berger offers a competitive base salary that is in line with, or in some cases even exceeding, industry standards, especially for entry-level roles and for consultants based in China. 
  Worst part: opportunity cost. While the compensation at Roland Berger is competitive, the demanding nature of consulting might mean longer working hours compared to other industries. On a per-hour basis, some might argue the compensation could be better, given the intensity of the job.”
• “Compensation at Roland Berger is designed to be highly competitive.”
• “Salary progression: clear and transparent mechanisms for salary progression.”
• “Satisfied about salary and the compensation, especially bonus potential is quite good.”

Community Engagement

• “As a premise, our office eagerly addresses DE&I. This year, we have mandatory on-site training/events to deepen our understanding of LGBTQ+, and it was very informative and meaningful. As of now, the ratio of female consultants is limited, and there are no LGBTQ+ or disabled consultants in my office (as far as I know), but it will improve shortly. Our office (and executives) treat all consultants equally and have zero tolerance for any types of discrimination or unreasonable actions against them.”
• “Our firm is highly diversified. We support all people, including women, LGBTQ+, disabilities.”
• “Race and ethnicity: Roland Berger is committed to fostering a workplace where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are welcomed.”
• “Roland Berger aims to create a workforce that reflects a wide range of backgrounds.”
• “The overall diversity within Roland Berger is good. We have local female networking meetings.”

Business Outlook

• “Best: double-digit growth during past years, very competitive expansion.”
• “Good point: The company is rapidly growing globally and has a lot of momentum overall.
  Downside: In Japan, partially due to an economic slowdown, business growth seems to be stagnating.”
• “I think we have the strongest internal connections of any consulting firm in Japan.”
• “Over the first six months of 2023 we have been on a consistent growth track globally, with net revenues increasing by 18% over the same period 2022.”
• “We are driving innovation across four critical areas: water resource management; AI cross-industry adoptions; software products; new energy technologies.”

Hiring Process

• “1. Problem-Solving Skills: Consulting firms value candidates who can think critically and analytically to solve complex business problems.
  2. Analytical Abilities: Strong quantitative and data analysis skills are often highly desirable, as consultants frequently work with data-driven solutions.
  3. Communication Skills: Effective communication, both verbal and written, is crucial for presenting findings and recommendations to clients and team members.”
• “Interview and callback process: once HR starts to contact you, I would say they are quite responsive.”
• “Roland Berger is actively seeking candidates who embody the entrepreneurial spirit, possess a strong academic background, and have a track record of getting things done. The firm values individuals with a forward-thinking mindset, the ability to identify opportunities, and the drive to turn ideas into action.” 
• “The hiring process is quite swift and when I was hired, there was constant communication with the HR team on the next steps.”
• “We review candidates from all aspects, and the entire process is very efficient. We are looking for candidates with empathy, entrepreneurship, and energy.”

Interview Questions

• “Case questions in the first interview round would be diverse across different candidates in terms of types e.g., business profitability, strategic, and industries. In the deeper rounds, case tends to be focused on market sizing.”
• “I often handle the initial interviews. Generally, I assess the candidate’s logical thinking, hypothesis-driven thinking, and innate intelligence through Fermi estimation cases.”
• “Market sizing, strategy, brainteasers, socio-economic knowledge.”
• “The interview process at Roland Berger (for normal candidate - (junior/senior) consultant), is designed to thoroughly assess candidates’ skills and fit for the firm. It typically consists of three rounds:
  
  1. Test Round: In the initial round, candidates are typically evaluated through a series of tests covering areas such as math, verbal reasoning, and integrated reasoning. This stage is essential for assessing your analytical and cognitive abilities
  
  2. First Round Interview: Successful candidates from the test round proceed to the first interview round. This round typically involves interviews with two professionals, often Project Managers or Principals. During these interviews, candidates are evaluated on their problem-solving skills, business acumen, and fit for the consulting role
  
  3. Second Round Interview: The final round of interviews is more comprehensive and typically involves interviews with three senior professionals, including Partners or Managing Partners. This stage aims to assess a candidate’s ability to work at a strategic level and contribute to the firm’s high-level decision-making processes. It also assesses their fit for the culture and values of Roland Berger.”
• “Typical case interviews are used, general knowledge and sense checking is also used to gauge a candidates logic and general sense of numbers and the world.”