Stupid and vulnerable question here. Been in this 7 years and I’ve constantly been told I’m some sort of all star and yes I’ve done quite well for myself. I’m not exaggerating either - constantly told I have a ton of potential. I know, cringe. But here’s the thing-I’ve worked mid tier and boutique but not big 5 or mbb. I haven’t passed interviews and have a hard time getting interviews at these places other than recruiters reaching out. Am I a failure if I never get in one of those places?

Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Tbh you’re better off unpacking this in therapy. You’ll have to figure out what’s causing you to feel your self-worth is tied to work/title/position/ others perception etc.

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Therapy for the why. Career coach for the how.

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I'm in a similar position. Consistently great reviews, top raises, early promotions, "Rockstar" on all of my feedback, but interviewed with 25-30 different companies during the hiring rush in 2020/2021 and didn't get a single offer. Interviewing is a completely different skillset than actual job performance, they're hiring for people who know how to play the game. I actually paid for an interview coach and spent a ton of time practicing before finally getting an offer to switch to another consulting job earlier this year

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My .02 - you need to better market yourself. Don’t question your skills. It’s just a positioning thing. Just curious are you from a different part of the world? Sometimes people expect to see experience in a certain way. :)

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Plus lots of unqualified people BS with their skills and come as “experts”. That just makes it harder to find the real qualified people. Feel free to DM. Happy to connect directly to provide guidance

I mean what does that really say about me? I see on here all the time that these firms will hire anyone with a pulse but for whatever reason I haven’t landed a position yet. My question is, is it worth continuing to try? My current job is good. I make 126 base and have a ton of responsibility reporting directly to a CISO. My responsibilities seem higher than friends I know that work at the big 4 yet I can’t seem to get in. It just makes me feel really stupid sometimes.

Do you want a lifelong career in consulting? I recently got a disappointing year-end raise (still doing very well for my age and pay), but I’ve been feeling the drive to get out and work on passive income / side hustles because no matter how much I make or how good I am, I don’t feel like I’ll ever be passionate about consulting

Big 5?🧐

classic PwC tomfoolery

If you want to work for big 4, then I can help you see where you can improve but it varies so much by group. If it’s just an ego thing, I can tell you that interviews are a hit or miss with a ton of factors in play. I can do great at these consulting interviews but I can barely get an interview from industry, let alone an offer.

Don’t be hard on yourself for this. Interviews are a different test then pleasing your coworkers

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