Company: KPMG
Date: 2018-07-29
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Junior

Entrepreneurial Work Environment
Pros: You need to be self driven! The firm is outcomes oriented (mostly) which is both a good thing and a bad thing. 

Full cycle exposure (sell, deliver, manage P&L).

Can be a fun place to work as you will be surrounded mostly by intelligent co-workers. 

Lot of learning options and cross disciplinary cooperation opportunities strengthens your problem solving abilities and allows you to spot opportunities where others see nothing.  This is a huge advantage, and can be better than doing an MBA. You see real cases, brainstorm real solutions, and see real impact. Keep an open mind about the other departments and you will find people who will collaborate with you.

Flexibility with how you work and not too many micromanagers.

The firm has a human touch at the times it is needed most in people's lives; expectant mothers, in sickness, and in times of personal distress, the firm seems to go above and beyond in supporting you. Would highly recommend KPMG for this one single attribute alone.  They have some very interesting working arrangements and year end leave policies.
Cons: Can be stressful if you are not the creative problem solving type. You need to be passionate about your area of business to stay focused. 

Promotions need a lot of lobbying and you will realize very soon that loyalty to the organization and performance mean nothing as external-lateral hires get the best benefits. Annual appraisals may mostly be about optics.

Quality of  recent partners is not great when compared to some other firms as many may even lack basic presentation skills in the sector they supposedly lead. Some may have become partners because of the exodus of teams leaving the firm, others are partners possibly because there was no one else to promote. You will be expected to "help" these partners. Partners are extremely well paid and least affected and don't seem to have any skin in the game so you are mostly on your own. 

Remember to prioritize your life and family on a regular basis as interesting work can be addictive!

Be wary. Guard your credits, (even from partners).

Extreme shortsightedness about the bottom line probably leads to loss of opportunity/topline for this firm. Ultimately it will affect you as your clients turn away especially if your service/offering is a commodity one. However it can be good thing as well, as it forces you to think of upping your game and coming back with higher value services.