Rising along the BCG career path to partner is a dream for many aspiring consultants.
But what makes this BCG career path so coveted? Is it the diverse roles, the structured career progression, the internal growth opportunities, or the many exit options?
In this article, we’ll discuss:
- Different areas you can explore throughout your BCG career path
- BCG roles at various levels of seniority
- Life at BCG and its unique culture
- Other perks of pursuing a BCG career path (e.g., exit opportunities)
Let’s get started!
BCG Career Path: Different Internal Groups
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the world’s top three consulting firms, along with McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company. It provides advisory services to businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations in various industries, including healthcare, financial services, energy, and technology. BCG has over 90 offices in more than 50 countries around the world.
As a prestigious global company, BCG offers several exciting career paths. The one that’s right for you depends on your interests and expertise. BCG’s “One BCG, Many Paths” approach emphasizes its commitment to supporting employees in their growth and movement across the firm.
If you’re wondering what a BCG career path could look like, here are some examples:
- General management consulting is the most common career track at BCG, where consultants work with clients in a range of industries to solve complex business problems.
- BCG Gamma is the data science and analytics team that helps clients leverage advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to gain valuable insights across various industries. If you’re interested in this field, check out our deep dive on BCG Gamma.
- BCG Digital Ventures is BCG’s corporate innovation, incubation, and investment arm. They work with large corporations and startups to build new businesses and products, combining design, technology, and business strategy.
- BCG Platinion is the technology and digital transformation arm. They help clients with digital strategy, technology architecture, cybersecurity, and agile software development.
- BCG Brighthouse is a global creative consultancy arm focusing on strategy and innovation design. They work with clients to develop new growth strategies, design innovative products and services, and create new business models.
- BCG Henderson Institute is BCG’s think tank and research arm. It has 3 areas of focus. The Strategy Lab produces thought leadership on topics such as navigating uncertainty and corporate innovation. The Tech and Biz Lab researches the rapidly changing technology landscape, such as artificial intelligence competitiveness and deep technology. Finally, the Center for Macroeconomics publishes commentary on the global economic environment for senior executives, investors, and clients.
The rest of this article will focus on the general consulting BCG career path. If you want to learn more about other BCG career paths, you can speak to one of our ex-BCG My Consulting Offer coaches!
How You Can Progress Along the BCG Career Path
The BCG career path for consulting offers clearly defined roles and responsibilities for consultants to grow from Associate to Partner. BCG’s merit-based system encourages growth and progress within the organization.
Let’s explore the different BCG roles:
Entry Level Roles
Generally, there are 2 entry points for BCG’s consulting practice. You’ll join as a generalist and specialize as you get more senior.
Joining as an Associate (post-college) is an excellent starting point for those with 0-3 years of work experience. It provides the foundational skills and training necessary to become a successful consultant. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to work on specific project components, such as analyzing a client’s data to identify cost reduction opportunities or conducting research to understand the market landscape.
As a Consultant (post-MBA), you will work on larger or more complex workstreams and collaborate directly with clients, while also managing junior associates. This role is ideal for individuals with 3-5 years of experience looking to progress toward managerial roles.
Manager Level Roles
Project Leaders lead teams of consultants and analysts to deliver successful projects. They also serve as the daily point of contact for senior clients. This role is for those with 5-7 years of experience.
Principals develop trusted relationships with clients, support business development and sales, and create knowledge playbooks on a specific industry or function. This role is for those with 7-9 years of experience striving to make the Partner level.
Senior Level Roles
As a Partner, Senior Partner, or Managing Director, you build trust-based relationships with senior-level clients, lead business development and sales activities, and serve as a thought leader in a specific industry or function.
Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.
What Does Life at BCG Look Like?
BCG has been consistently recognized as one of the top consulting firms to work for. It ranked #1 in categories such as firm leadership and promotion policies in Vault’s annual ranking of consulting firms. What makes BCG such an attractive place to work?
Culture
BCG offers a unique and supportive culture emphasizing collaboration, diversity, and excellence. The firm places a strong emphasis on people and development, with managers actively involved in their employees’ career paths. BCG fosters an environment where employees build strong bonds with each other.
BCG values diversity in its recruiting and staffing. Women@BCG and Pride@BCG are 2 examples of active internal networks for mentoring and events.
Additionally, BCG is committed to social justice and community service. Firm-wide community service days encourage employees to participate in something outside work that benefits the community.
Internal Opportunities Within BCG
With its global presence, BCG allows flexibility in changing office locations based on an employee’s evolving goals or needs. Experienced consultants can participate in extended transfers to an international office through programs such as the Ambassador Program. BCG also provides cross-office staffing opportunities for consultants interested in working on specific projects, such as within a particular industry or client.
BCG’s Expert Career Track is a career path for consultants who want to develop deep expertise in a specific area or practice. This path leads to leadership roles, such as Senior Expert or Principal.
As you can see, many internal opportunities exist to build your own BCG career path!
External Opportunities
BCG also offers opportunities for consultants to explore careers beyond the company.
Secondments are a great way to experience working in-house with clients or non-profits. They allow you to gain deeper insights into their business operations, build relationships, and develop your industry skill set.
BCG may sponsor your MBA program iIf you are interested in pursuing higher education, depending on your performance. With this sponsorship, you can further develop your skills and expertise and bring them back to the firm after graduation.
Perks of the BCG Career Path
The BCG career path opens many doors for consultants, both within and outside consulting. Consultants can choose to stay at BCG and progress to making partner, or explore other opportunities outside the firm.
BCG has an alumni network of over 33,000 people. Many prominent alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in various industries, including business, politics, and academia. Examples of successful alumni include John Legend (Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner), Indra Nooyi (Former CEO at PepsiCo), Jeff Immelt (Former Chairman at General Electric), and many more.
Once you have BCG on your resume, you have a lot of options for your next career move. Some common exit opportunities include:
- Corporate Strategy: BCG consultants often transition to corporate strategy roles in industries such as healthcare, technology, and finance.
- Private Equity: Many former BCG consultants go on to work in private equity firms, using their consulting experience to help evaluate potential investments and manage portfolio companies.
- Entrepreneurship: Some BCG alumni start their own businesses or join startups, leveraging their consulting experience to build successful companies. BCG states there are over 2000 founders who are BCG alumni.
- Non-Profit and Social Impact: Many former BCG consultants are drawn to non-profit and social impact organizations, using their skills to create positive change in the world.
- Government and Public Policy: BCG consultants interested in public policy may pursue careers in government, working on initiatives such as economic development, healthcare reform, or environmental protection.
As you can see, while the BCG career path may be challenging to navigate, it ultimately leads to a fulfilling career and lots of exciting opportunities!
– – – – –
In this article, we’ve covered:
- The many career paths you can take within BCG
- Different roles you can take on throughout your BCG career path
- What life at BCG looks like
- The benefits of pursuing a BCG career path
Still have questions?
If you have more questions about the BCG career path, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s recruiters will answer them.
Other people learning about the BCG career path found the following pages helpful:
Help with Your Consulting Application
Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for info on BCG careers. My Consulting Offer has helped 89.6% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Kathryn was able to get her offer from BCG.
Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.