Wavestone

Vault’s Verdict

If you’re looking to build a career leading change management efforts, Wavestone is worth considering. Insiders at this transformation-focused firm love its autonomous culture with minimal micromanagement, its flexible hybrid work model that lets employees work where they feel most productive, and how it lets them take on major responsibilities early in their careers.

Wavestone employees also agree that the firm is generally a good place to build a career. Every consultant receives a career development manager on their first day on the job, who helps them navigate life at the company. The firm also provides flexibility to build a career that fits your individual interests. However, its promotion policies are controversial. While some employees see them as fair and transparent, others say the process is not applied correctly and tends toward favoritism.

One aspect of the firm that everyone seems to enjoy is the international opportunity it provides. In addition to working across borders, it often holds corporate events on its home continent of Europe, including ski trips in the French alps. Altogether, the firm offers a good combination of autonomy, career development, and international opportunity. 

Firm Culture

“Management does not micromanage, and work is results-driven vs. hours-driven.”

“Management and the executive team seem genuinely invested in the wellness and work-life balance of the team.”

“We have an annual ski trip in the French Alps, plus periodic other major corporate events in Europe, which always makes for a great trip.”

Quality of Life

“We have a generous PTO policy that we’re encouraged to use, along with a flexible remote work policy. Our travel requirements are variable, and the company takes travel preferences into account for project staffing.”

“We have a very flexible hybrid hub model that allows employees to work where they feel they can be most productive, whether in the office hub or remote. Our cultural events also help bring everyone together and build community.”

“The firm is very flexible in responding to employee's needs. It’s very easy to take time off”

“Certain senior employees are overworked while others do not pull their weight, which can impact your quality of life.”

Career Development

“Each employee can carve a unique career path based on their strengths and interests. There is a lot of flexibility to explore different areas of expertise, internal functions, global opportunities, and industries.”

“Promotion decisions are transparent, and promotions can occur at any time of the year. They’re not limited to annual or midyear cycles. Also, the formal assignment of a career development manager on your first day at the company facilitates continuous coaching and support. However, formal training is irregular and not evenly distributed across topics”

“The promotion process is not well applied, leading to unfairness in promotions.”

“We have excellent client-facing opportunities, with great support from senior leadership all around.”

Compensation

“Salary progression is on a smooth trajectory instead of steep staircase at each promotion. I like that this feels like it corresponds to actual incremental growth with each year of experience. Our model also makes me feel comfortable with diversity and pay equality since there are fairly standard ranges and benchmarks that all employees reach as they progress, which helps ensure employees are compensated equally regardless of protected attributes or even personality differences, such as being inclined to negotiate vs. not.”

“Linear salary progression offers yearly increases rather than one larger irregular or periodic increase. The firm also holds international global events, allowing offices to congregate in locations such as Paris or the Alps. However, the target max bonus percentage is below 10 percent, which sometimes results in even smaller actual percentages”

“The firm has average salary progression, with no up-or-out policy.”

“I do not think the bonus scheme reflects personal excellence very well.”

Community Engagement/DEI

“I feel like we are improving on DEI. There is clear HR support for the topic and diverse individuals, but we don’t yet have an even distribution of gender, race, or ethnicity at the leadership level. This will likely take time to change.”

“It’s a very inclusive work environment.”

“We have strong DEI and corporate social responsibility programs, with strong awareness of efforts and initiatives.”

“We have meditation and yoga seminars, health and wellness seminars, and informational seminars on how to maximize the use of your benefits package.”

Business Outlook

“Our business outlook is heavily tied to our prospective clients’ consulting budgets, which has been challenging in recent years but seems to be slowly picking up.”

“We have strong growth potential in the U.S. We have an exciting journey ahead.”

“The market outlook has been challenging, but leadership seems confident that we are flexible enough to adjust to market demands and tailor our approach and expertise focus areas to match what clients are looking for.”

“The firm needs broader visibility to drive sales.”

Hiring Process

“Candidates go through a phone screening, behavioral interviews, and case interviews. Those who move to the final round are often paired with a recruitment buddy to help answer questions and provide support during the process. The ideal candidate should demonstrate intellectual curiosity, the ability to learn quickly, and interest in topics associated with a practice area.”

“The process is very transparent, direct, and engaging for the candidate. The firm looks for people who are engaging, curious, and willing to be challenged and learn.”

“Wavestone looks for smart individuals. The interview and callback process is short and sweet, unlike many other firms that take pride in long interview processes.”

“We’re looking for someone who is autonomous, organized, and a well-structured thinker. You should have strong analytical skills, plus foundational knowledge of relevant expertise to the firm.”

Interview Questions

“Expect to see typical cases, such as breakeven point calculations. There are also some technical cases with real-life project examples from Wavestone.”

“How would you go about determining the financial attractiveness of an outsourcing opportunity? What are some of the challenges in offshoring services? What are some of the expected use cases for generative AI?”

“Expect to see vertical-specific cases.”

“Our behavioral interview questions are standard and nothing revolutionary.”

Uppers

“Work-life balance and freedom.”

“The autonomy and level of responsibility.”

“Early responsibility in a supportive learning environment.”

“The type of work, career opportunities, compensation, colleagues, culture, and international events.”

Downers

“The path to promotion is sometimes unclear.”

“Career progression isn’t as fast as elsewhere, even though the responsibilities are high.”

“Compensation is maybe below market.”

“Favoritism.”