I applied for the position on their website because I was working for another large firm in the commercial consulting sector where at the time with the slowing economy, I was going to be let go due to poor utilization percentages. Bottom line – my old employer was not selling work fast enough to keep folks off the bench and the writing was on the wall.
When I arrived for my first work day there must have been 100 others attending two separate new-hire orientation classes on the same day – clue: this place was a revolving door. Oh well, I am here now and it is a paycheck that I can be thankful for during my time of employment when the economy had just tanked on the commercial side for consulting. What a difference between night and day this place turned out to be. If you’re a commercial industry consultant, stay away from government consulting because you will hate it. Yes, it is true that one does put in more hours on the commercial side but it is well worth it compared to being treated like a contractor in a body shop where the client does not really want you there in the first place. One major problem is that the government is forced to outsource a small percentage of their business to firms such as Booz Allen due to lobbying and other politics. End result is that you will end up on a project where you’re told what to do by someone working for the government that can’t think outside the box and whose education is limited to high school.
As a result of having the government for 100% of their clientele, Booz Allen management operates very similar in nature (very stiff-necked supervisors and top-down management approach). Also, be aware, if you’re coming from a competitor firm in the commercial sector; get ready to give up your perks because there are none in this place (E.g. mileage, cell phone reimbursement, travel opportunities, bonuses, wi-fi cards, airport lounge memberships, business-class travel, all those points such as hotels and FF mileage, etc.) ALL GONE here! In short, make sure your getting a nice salary if you join this place because that is all you will receive. Nothing else but a bunch of bureaucracy, red tape, security cameras at every corner and a closed door management policy.
I worked for Booz Allen only 9 months and could not wait to get out of here as fast as possible. One final note, it takes them forever to conduct your background check so don’t be surprised to see them start poking around in your past 3 months into the job.
