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😞 please try not to take it personally - I had very similar experiences with 12 years of experience in consulting at Deloitte and Accenture and making it all the way to SM at Deloitte, PwC and EY ghosted me lol 😂 I moved on, and now get paid way better than those jobs! I mean a lot of these companies hire unqualified people, I used to manage very incompetent analysts and consultants and wok with SMs and Partners who were very clueless in some of my projects, and I know how recruitment works, in this market, it’s not about you - sometimes they do freezes or have very limited positions. You will find something better. Please don’t let this get to you or in your head that you are not qualified…a door closes, another better door will open! Chin up! These companies are not the end of the world
I agree with D1—many of these companies hire unqualified people and let go of strong ones. Don’t take it personally.
Rising Star
Yes. Been there. Stings worse when a) you make it all the way to the final round. b) you got multiple potential options and think one of them should definitely work out.
Keep your head up! 🙏
It’s not you. It’s not. It’s the job market. There are no jobs. You were one of very many applicants. And don’t take it personally you were rejected. They have to choose someone doesn’t make that person “better” the job market is non existent.
I can certainly relate. The problem isnt you, though.
It’s horrible out there. Hang in there
Don't take it personally, they rejected me too as a consultant, even with a prestigious MBA and niche industry experience. Less than a year later, I found a job that pays more than their director and has a better work-life balance, and now they're after me every now and then for AD roles.
One time I had an interview with EY, made it to the final round and had the SM tell me she would personally follow up with email on next steps to make sure it moved fast.
Never heard back and a few months later the listing was closed due to market conditions or something. Sometimes it’s just not in anyone’s control.
Forget big 4, you can x3 your comp in tech. I also started in big 4, then did MBB, moved to tech now. Making 500k$
I outlined tech salaries you can get here
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/what-level-and-comp-can-i-get-in
Last week, I was rejected by Accenture for a Senior Manager role after interviewing with the Executive Director or Lead of the Life Science Strategy group. My last position was with a global consulting firm (not a Big4), and I own my own consulting firm for 11 years. I was also a scientist for 10 years, with an MBA. So, I thought I was definitely a shoe-in for a SM position. Well, I was rejected and it was hinted that they wanted an alumn from one of the Big4 firms. I've scanned multiple LinkedIn profiles of Senior Managers and MDs at Accenture who are in the LS Strategy group and many of them started at Accenture as a consultant and grew through the ranks, but few had any scientific and technical background, much less worked in a lab. I even saw one who was hired as a Senior Manager after a 6 months stint as an Business Development intern and 3 years as a consultant. She is now a Managing Director. So, if they aren't hiring folks with actual Life Science experience, technical experience with an MBA, and also who knows how to actually provide strategy support to clients, who are they hiring? I was feeling down afterwards, but after learning that they only do pedigree-shopping for their hires, I am no longer interested. I'm more qualified for the role than they want to admit, and that may be their problem. I've moved on.
Damn. And here I am complaining about SM roles. Maybe try going for a boutique, they provide greater autonomy and may even bring you in as Partner.
Consulting favors junior who come in early career and build relationships. It’s more about account management and less about scientific know how. It’s also about who knows how to work the firm network.
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and support. Much appreciated... To be honest, I wouldn't be feeling as devastated if it was after 2 rounds or even 3. I completely understand business decisions. By 4th round you should have a fairly safe place unless you butcher it. So that part is dawning on me. I feel like the Blue Jays from the last world series. As professionals you want to be of service and work in a collaborative environment. The part that frustrates me is that these big four firms promote this myth but it's never consistent. I am definitely bitter at the moment. Unfortunately for me I've only seen cliques, internal "friendships" or nepotism. You never last long, let alone get hired, if you can't convert from an "outsider".
Many companies do this; (not saying what happened here...). This is especially for "multiple round" interviews. They will iften ask you a lot of questions "how would you handle X, Y, Z? Maybe throw in a "hypothetical" that is not really hypothetical, and they are using your years of experience to solve some sort of internal issue, and guess what, they are using you as a consultant. So what i HAVE done, is after denial, I send a nice email thanking them and lettiing them know that I charge $500/ hr for consulting, and you took 8 hrs of my timec so I'm sending you a bill due upon receipt, sent certified mail, and threw in a few random UCC codes I googled that didn't really matter, but made it seem I would sue or have a lien attached until payment. Once I did out of anger in the moment and othibg came of it, once they offered to pay half what I asked I took it. What's the worst that can happen, get fired? lol. It also tells the next company that does their research that you are not messing around (if it goes on the record).. It's not much, but at the time of desperation, I really never intended to get paid, and that helped me strectch 2 more months and landed a decent job 7 yrs before moving back to consulting full time.
also, it is very u likely that u get through 3 rounds and then all of a sudden one thing you say, or one person there will have that much of an impact; at that point in the game, you should be negotiating over salary and benefits, not solving their problems. Again, maybe not, but I see it a lot, it has happened to me a lot. and it actually (I believe) not legal if you can prove it (theft of service under false pretense or something like that).
And I know someone at Deloitte who received an outstanding performance award last year but was laid off this year for “low performance.” It’s pretty ironic. Things can feel inconsistent and unfair in these firms—though to some extent, it might be for the best.
Sometimes random things happen. In my Accenture final round, the female partner did not hire me because I was from PwC. She had briefly gone to PwC and looks like PwC laid her off. The recruiter was nice and very surprised she rejected me. I am a woman btw. Sometimes weird shit happens.
Time to get into another field
Got rejected by a tier 2 firm after 6th and final interview, not including the very first recruiter pre-screen. I know how it feels.
That happened to me 3 years ago. I felt safe after making it to the end, which I was advised was just a casual conversation with the Senior Lead of the group. The next day, I received a call from the recruiter that the position has changed. After 5 separate interviews and speaking with multiple folks at the same level for which I was applying, as well as thumbs up from two MDs, I was then rejected? I wish I knew what that final interviewer saw that the others didn't and made the final call. The position changed was not realistic. That didn't make sense.
The job market has more to do with hiring right now than anything you did - especially for more senior positions.
Hang in there. You’ll find the best fit for you. Ask for feedback if possible and expand your network. So long as you keep trying and keep learning you have a chance. Best of luck!
Yes economy plays a big role. Too many desperate candidates ready to take low pay due to lack of jobs on the market. Salaries also going backwards. It is not you!!!
I’m really sorry to hear this. I hope you land on your feet. It’s not you, it’s a terrible market. You’re not incompetent, just bad timing.