Company: Deloitte
Date: 2019-05-13
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Senior

Great Firm, Great Reputation, Smart People, Long Hours, Work/Life Illusion
Pros: You will work with some of the smartest people in any given industry. You have access to knowledge and insights on just about any subject matter you can think of. Deloitte really does invest in their people and has a great culture (depending on the local office and offering leadership.) Deloitte University is a fantastic institution that enables a "small firm" feel.

The firm is constantly changing and looking for ways to remain innovative and relevant in the marketplace. Deloitte makes really smart acquisitions, and is truly becoming the firm that can "do it all" among the Big 4 (I'm not sure if that's entirely positive.) No one will question your credentials or value you can bring once you leave after spending a few years at a place like Deloitte.

Really good, down to earth and personable top leadership. Everyone from the CEO down to the function and market leaders are all truly capable, passionate and extremely accomplished. There is an excellent open door policy, and its not odd or seen as poor judgement to email, IM or get on the calendar of top leadership.
Cons: Your view of consulting will become very myopic, and organizational politics becomes very real. Deloitte (like many large professional services firms) struggle to retain underrepresented minorities (URMs) in their senior ranks, which they recognize, but are slow to fix. There is an obvious pay gap between URMs minorities, that the firm considers a taboo topic, and they treat it as a state secret.

There are several cultures that thrive under the umbrella of the Consulting practice (Public vs Commercial, legacy vs acquisition, different career models, etc.) you will have to identify with one or more if you want to be seen, heard or "fit in." 

There is no such thing as being a top performer there without sacrificing your life. Most consulting firms require long hours to be successful, but to be a top performer at Deloitte requires not just significant client hours, but a massive amount of internal contributions and market development - all of this in addition to several administrative responsibilities on a daily basis. This is by far the biggest con, because it breeds an unhealthy mindset in the staff that they too must sacrifice their health, family, personal time, etc. in order to "make it." I've watched more than a few question their own commitment to their spouses, or some even speak about 2nd and 3rd marriages because they wanted to "make it." Deloitte cannot control the Type A personalities they attract, but they can certainly do more to change the culture around top performance equating to hours spent.