Company: Deloitte
Date: 2014-12-17
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Junior

More than a job; Deloitte is an intense way of life
Pros: -Senior leadership is very approachable; unlike some places they don't stand apart from the rest of the employee population. Most make themselves available and are easy to talk to; most are not overly arrogant 
-Excellent training, both virtual and via Deloitte University in Dallas
-Smart, talented, and personable/friendly co-workers
-Continuous learning and the opportunity to really enhance your skills
-Lots of well organized networking and social events 
-It's a well respected firm, and makes for a great resume add
-Very good pay and benefits
-It's an excellent place for a recent college grad or young MBA to launch a career
Cons: -Unfortunately, the review written on Oct 10, 2012 about experienced hires still holds true today. Deloitte is difficult to assimilate into if you are an experienced hire, particularly one that has spent most of your career on the industry side
-Understand that working for a consulting firm is a lot different than being on the industry side; Deloitte recognizes this and tries to be supportive, but it can be a difficult leap when on a project and trying to do work "the Deloitte way"; there is little tolerance for views that don't align with the Deloitte way of thinking, particularly from those who have never worked in industry (which are most)
-The focus is more on appeasing the demands / expectations of Deloitte project leaders than it is on doing what's best for the client;  A lot of time is spent creating elaborate / complicated documents that the client will probably never actually use because they're not practical, but those are viewed as high value deliverables by Deloitte leadership 
-Deloitte is more than a job; it is a way of life.  Understand that joining the consulting division means lots of travel, long hours, and a very high level of intensity.  It's ALL Deloitte, ALL the time.  
-Client work is only one part of the equation. Everyone must engage in 'practice development' which is in addition to client work.  So you put in your 45-55 hours a week on client work (sometimes more) and then shift to practice development activities. Practice development is an important differentiator when review time rolls around.  Given the high caliber of co-workers, doing good work is a given. The only way to distinguish yourself is to take on numerous of these 'extra' assignments, which also helps increase your network.  
-Networking is beyond important.  You must get your name out there with people who have influence and can help get you staffed. 
-There are a lot of social events, which are also networking opportunities. Attendance is encouraged. As mentioned above:  it's all Deloitte, all the time.
-This is a young person's game unless you have spent your entire career in consulting and acquired the skillset early on.  Don't underestimate the difficulty of transitioning from industry if you are 35 or older, particularly if you don't have prior consulting experience. It can be a real confidence killer.