Building a working world where you'd better be a politician and a salesman to succeed in Advisory.
Pros
The firm as a whole supports an inclusive, positive culture. There are some fantastic people in the company who will support you and encourage you. Similar to the other Big 4 firms, flexibility can be great at all levels as long as you're able to deliver. Vacation allowance is good (if you can ever find the time to take it).
Cons
Ever since joining a growing practice in Advisory, it has becomes clear that SALES are the one thing that will bring recognition and financial reward. If you contribute significantly to sales, you can do no wrong. If you're only good at lame things like doing great quality work and being a strong people-person and keeping your clients happy, nobody cares. If you are involved in recruiting and lead volunteer opportunities and coach / train other people, nobody cares. If you rescue toddlers from burning buildings -- meh. You're probably "meeting expectations" and will be rewarded with a mediocre raise and a laughable "performance-based" bonus. Other cons (coming from Advisory lens): Politics are in deeply play at higher levels. On-boarding for experienced hires is poor. Training opportunities are limited or non-existent for many of the growing Advisory service areas, leaving you to figure most things out for yourself. In the push to grow the Advisory practice, a few crazies have slipped in the door. And will this firm ever get decent search engine / screen sharing / FTP technologies?!
