Vault’s Verdict

Insiders at The Cambridge Group love the firm’s combination of strong career development processes, flat and flexible organizational culture, and flexible work-life balance and travel policies. The firm may not be for everyone with its figure-it-out culture, where you’re expected to be able to solve problems on your own, but people will always be willing to help those colleagues ask for it.

Also, while TCG has traditionally ranked among the top consultancies in our rankings, it’s still undergoing a period of transition after its acquisition by PA Consulting in 2022. Following the acquisition employees who started at TCG before the acquisition shared concerns about added bureaucracy, new leadership, and a slower promotion cycle, but it’s likely that much of this comes from the fact that change is always difficult.

However, based on TCG insiders’ comments about the firm’s business outlook, it seems the firm’s reputation as a high-quality growth strategy firm remains intact. If you’re comfortable with change and interested in the excellent plusses that TCG offers, the firm is worth checking out.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Since we are a smaller firm, people at all levels are accessible, and in my experience, everyone is more than happy to support you if you ask for help or advice.”
• “There is a stiff ‘figure it out’ culture where, if you are asked to complete a task, the expectation is you figure it out yourself. If you aren't able to figure it out, you will not be successful”
• “Firm leadership is very intentional about creating an outstanding, supportive culture where people know and care about each other. I genuinely believe anyone at the firm would have my back if I needed it.”
• “We are a tight group of rather brilliant people. We get hands-on experience at every stage of our careers due to our flat culture and ability to flex into different roles depending on the project needs.”

Quality of Life

• “We are very flexible in terms of hybrid work and travel. Project teams are rarely required to travel to client sites and have the option to flex remote and in-person work as they see fit. However, we do not work a nine-to-five. The expectation is that we work until the work is done.”
• “I appreciate the flexibility, including the ability to work from home, ramp-up time when returning to work from maternity leave, and the option to take sabbaticals. The expense process is cumbersome, but you can submit expenses as soon as you incur them, so it is nice to be reimbursed quickly.”
• “TCG places a strong internal emphasis on work-life balance and having manageable working hours. There’s also a firm-wide emphasis on mental, physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Projects tend to be shorter (e.g., two to three months), so it's harder to forecast when you might be able to take vacation (but you are expected to take your allotted annual vacation days).”
• “So long as you are doing quality work and communicating proactively with your team, most people are very understanding about the when, where, and how. It is easy to take time off, and hours are very reasonable for consulting.”

Career Development

• “TCG has a comprehensive onboarding program to help new hires learn about the firm, available tools, and the types of projects they’ll be typically staffed on. The firm offers access to plenty of training resources, across multiple platforms, plus opportunities to interact with and learn from senior employees in the organization. However, we have moved from a twice-a-year promotion evaluation cycle to a once-a-year promotion evaluation cycle.”
• “The training is excellent and offered in many modes: in-person, virtual, group, individual, and so on. There's annual mandatory training on some key topics related to running the business and building a supportive, high-performing culture. The promotion process is very detailed and thoughtful but can be challenging to navigate the first time through as a line manager.”
• “We work on geographically diverse teams, which allows us flexibility to work with clients around the world and a global perspective to complement it. We are also given more responsibility at less tenured levels, allowing us more stretch opportunities, ownership, and development in our roles.”
• “Before acquisition, we had greater flexibility in our career development. The acquisition added regulations to timing of the promotion process.”

Compensation

• “Compensation and salary progression seems competitive for a boutique strategy consulting firm.”
• “The firm offers a competitive compensation package, especially for entry-level roles. The base salary could be a bit higher, but the bonus structure is great. If you perform well, your bonus reflects that.”
• “The pay is fair with raises mostly geared towards promotion (and not just increases for inflation). It is a meritocratic approach that rewards employees for taking on more responsibility.”
• “The compensation plan offers lots of flexibility, 401(k) matching, and a strong maternity leave. However, salary progression typically doesn't happen unless you’re promoted.”

Community Engagement

• “We have a strong DEI committee that plans fun events for the office and has a direct line to leadership to raise concerns. Leadership takes DEI seriously and is proactive in its efforts. I also love that we have an internship program through Chicago Scholars, which is a good way for the firm to stay connected to the local community.”
• “The firm has a high percentage of female staff in consulting roles, both senior and junior. This helps provide a balanced perspective. The firm does not have a high percentage of underrepresented minorities, but as an African American I believe my opportunities are the same as anyone else at the firm—based on my abilities and expertise”
• “The firm’s overall culture and attitude related to DEI is excellent, with widespread engagement and buy-in from leadership plus concerted efforts to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all. However, as a small firm, the reality is that with just a few spots to fill in each class of new hires, hiring classes are not always as diverse as one would hope.”
• “There's active effort throughout the firm to support health and wellness initiatives, ranging from offering all employees partial reimbursement for exercise classes and memberships to supplying counseling sessions and a membership to the Calm app. The firm could probably offer more support, but the resources are there if you're looking for them.”

Business Outlook

• “It has been a tough year for consulting in general, but the firm has seen an incredibly strong summer where everyone was busy with project work. It seems like that momentum from the summer has carried into the fall.”
• “The U.S. is a growth market for our firm, and we have an updated strategy that is showing signs of success already. This is encouraging the firm to keep investing behind that strategy, so I'm optimistic our performance will continue to accelerate.”
• “As a smaller player, there is some concern about how we will weather various ebbs and flows in the industry.  At the same time, we have several marquee accounts with industry leaders, indicating potential for future work and expansion. One challenge is most of our cases are shorter, which means a constant churn to generate new business”
• “The firm has a clear focus on its market position, core industries and clients, and how its services are differentiated from other firms. TCG builds and maintains strong client relationships that result in repeat work.”

Hiring Process

• “The hiring process felt thorough and comprehensive. It included two standard consulting-type case interviews in the first round. The second round included a behavioral interview with a partner and a presentation. For the presentation, you had to create and present slides to two partners. You were given data on slides with no headlines, had to develop a narrative and headlines, and choose what slides to include in your presentation. It felt like it did a good job emulating what you would do as a consultant.”
• “For analysts, we have a group case, followed by an Excel assessment. After this initial round, we have final-round interviews that consist of two case interviews and one behavioral interview.  We are seeking data-oriented and analytical minds that have a knack for creative problem solving and are self-starters.”
• “An ideal candidate has all the necessary credentials (a high GPA, work experience, involvement in student clubs with leadership positions, and hard skills in Excel and PowerPoint). They should also have critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to make connections and build relationships.”
• “The ideal candidate is a strong analytically driven problem solver, a team player who is intellectually curious about what motivates people and market behavior, and is excited about helping clients achieve their business objectives.”

Interview Questions

• “We have a typical behavioral interview process, but our cases are centered around the growth and innovation strategy work we do. At the analyst level, data analysis is a big part of the job, so our case interviews are a bit more data intensive than a typical consulting case.”
• “Our cases are based off recent projects. Interviewees should ask for the information they need, then size the market or opportunity, analyze the segmentations and data, and make recommendations. There are math questions about sizing the market and participants are given an Excel exercise that involves writing formulas and analyzing the resulting data.”
• “Expect to see a group case interview, a presentation case interview, and an individual case interview.”
• “The fit interview includes typical questions, such as asking for an example of when you needed to use your analytical skills to solve a problem.”