Commute - Slalom will try to sell you on "no travel / local projects." What you'll find, however, is that all but a handful of clients are in the suburbs of Chicago. With limited public transportation options, you'll likely end up spending the same amount of time (if not more) sitting in Chicago traffic than if you were traveling.
Project Alignment - In interviews, you will be told that you have full control over your career. The reality of it, however, is that you are a plug and play consultant. You will be placed in the next open spot, regardless of your background or experience and you won't have much of a say in it. If you do, however, decide to voice your concerns, you will be talked into staying on the project for only "X number of months," which can easily turn into years.
Projects - Anyone who has been in consulting knows how important it is to be staffed on a good project. He/she also knows thatso much of that is dependent on business development leaders. Unfortunately, what you'll find is that Client Service Partners (CSP) and Client Service Leaders (CSL) have absolutely no industry knowledge in the accounts they own. They don't know what they are selling most of the time, so what ultimately gets inked is grunt work the client doesn't even want to do.
Culture - Slalom puts a great deal of effort into organizing social gatherings and events. This is their way of compensating and covering up the major inadequacies in other areas: PTO, 401k benefits, annual bonuses to name a few. Lastly, while the office never fails to have a stocked kitchen with snacks and a fridge full of beer, this alone, from my perspective is not enough to call Slalom one of the "Best Places to Work."
