Booz Allen Hamilton reviews

I started here before they went public. That was the best time to be a "boozer." You had a lot of client work, and the company was growing rapidly. Most employees were able to move up fairly quickly from level 1 to level 3 in about 4-5 years. Today now that its public, that has all changed. Good people are passed over for promotion because of the bottom line. Perks like lunch on BAH have been curtailed so much that it just doesn't happen (unless you are a partner). Christmas parties are lackluster and boring. A lot of chest pumping to the remaining folks who were not laid off. Before they were public the push was to grow, mold, and mentor people into great consultants. Today the push is to get someone into a seat so they can bill hours 5% over contract, uncompensated. That is the BAH dream now. There is a good saying that you can buy something and sell it at a higher price to the next sucker. If you end up not being able to sell that at a higher price, you are the sucker. This can be applied to people as well. If you still fill a seat, you are not learning anything and you just know that once that contract expires you will get your lack of work letter... and you are not actively looking for a new job, you are the sucker. Sadly, BAH has become just another body shop so the real value of the firm is down the tubes. Its a lousy performing stock, and the insiders dictate every action the company does. Before they went public, the partners and higher ups lamented, repeatedly that nothing will change, we will not mess wit the secret sauce. I heard this so many times. Now I look back at the company and I realize the lack of truth from senior people was just sad. They are all liars in the face of their employees, but the tough military like structure makes it impossible to actually call them out for being liars. Diminished benefits. Fantastic 401K is WILL go away because shareholders demand this. Now just another body shop. Successive layoffs mean employees work/live in fear.