Hi all! I currently have offers from EY-Parthenon and Oliver Wyman, and I would appreciate any thoughts/advice on the two. They're both great firms, but I'm still trying to understand the differences.
For context, I am a college senior and would be joining their general, entry-level programs. I'm curious about the following:
career trajectory (moving up within the firm, how quickly, future comp)
type of work
exit opportunities
culture
work/life balance
travel
Thanks in advance!
Chief
I can’t speak for OW but at EYP you’ll be making post MBA salary in 3 years (right now, $175K base and 18-28% bonus for a TC of $200-$224K. It’ll likely be higher by the time you’re at that point.)
We do, in order of abundance of work: commercial diligences for PE, transaction strategy and execution (integrations and divestitures), corporate strategy, PE value creation, and restructuring.
WLB - depends on group as with every consulting firm. More variability within firms than between them. In general though I’ve heard that EYP has better WLB for each group compared to similar groups at other firms.
Exit Ops - probably similar to OW in the S&O space but we likely have better PE deal and PE ops exits because Parthenon is a PE brand name
Chief
Ay ay no need to challenge me, I didn’t say one was better than the other with no info like the others in this thread are doing. I provided what I know about my own firm. Maybe y’all should do that instead of looking to devalue EYP
Ow
OW every single time.
Can't speak from experience, but have heard from numerous sources that OW's work life balance is pretty bad
Have friends at both places and have heard EYP is significantly worse
Chief
I would go EYP between the two - better brand recognition, which means more when you’re just starting out. B4 is great for development.
I worked at OW before and now at EYP. I would suggest you to go OW for Financial Services Practice. But if you are more interested in M&A side, EYP is better.
I believe OW is not as well know in tech, while techies also think EYP is standard EY. Here is my 2 cents
Rising Star
I can’t speak to WLB at EYP or know what type of traveling you are looking for but OW is better on all other metrics
Thanks for sharing! I was speaking to a few folks at EY-P and OW, and I also did find a trend of individuals going from EY-P to OW (but not the other way around). That was interesting to observe.
Oliver wyman for sure
Any difference between the two on “prestige” or exit ops is marginal at best. Both are solid firms and exits will more likely come down to networking, interview performance, and project experience.
WLB will depend more on the type of work that you’re doing (CDDs at EYP and OW Private Capital will have similarly tough hours relative to general strategy work).
It may also be prudent to think about the potential impact of the EY consulting split on the P brand, although that can be a guessing game.
Got it. Thanks for sharing those insights!
Top thing I love about OW is all the support you have. There is so much investment to help others grow. Project leads are focused on it too. I’m only 10 months in, but I have enjoyed my experience so far. Feel free to DM me if you want more details.
You can advance quickly. It is truly up to you. I have leaned in and sought out challenging opportunities to develop. It is paying off. Don’t need an MBA to get to the Partner level either. OW focuses more on gaining experience that will lead to you being an expert in the field.
That's awesome to hear. Thanks! I'll let you know if I have any questions.
OW!
I worked at OW then came to EY-P. For my practice and what i do, EY-P is wayyy better, but as an undergrad hire, esp if sector agnostic, OW all day. Just steer clear of FS risk work and you’ll be fine.
Career Trajectory: Roughly the same, maybe a smidge faster at OW
Type of work: More FS-oriented at OW, CDD/transactions-oriented at EYP
Exit Opportunities: Similar - likely better FS exits at OW, and better PE exits from EYP
Culture: Both have good reputations surrounding culture; this one's up to you to decide
WLB: Similar, may be slightly better at EYP depending on what project you get staffed on
Travel: Entirely project-dependent at EYP, I would guess the same for OW.
Thanks for breaking it down!
I've heard wlb on avg might be better at EYP, with anecdotes of working<45 hrs a week which basically never happens on a project at OW.
But overall really liked my time at OW and the culture/flexibility offered makes the experience much more sustainable!
Good to know. Thank you!
Go Oliver wyman brodie
Chief
EYP is also way more chill depending on group
Depends on your interests and career aspirations. For me, was interested in Transportation (aviation, rail) and PE (diligence) work. OW fit this well and aligned with my profile.
EYP has strong PE practice too, lots of DDs, but not as strong in transportation.
Figure out your interests and talk to people at both firms. OW strengths include — Financial Services (no one is better than us), Transportation (rail, aviation, etc), Healthcare (payer, provider, but not so much Life Sciences even post Huron acquisition), Education