A graduate of HEC, Sébastien Stenger is the author of the book At the heart of auditing and consulting firms. From distinction to submission (PUF, 2017), which analyzes the elitist functioning at work within the Big Four (Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG), the four largest global auditing and consulting groups. While he recognizes growing competition between firms and sectors such as tech or finance to attract graduates from major schools, he points out that consulting remains a popular path, synonymous with a promising start to a career.
Auditing and consulting firms are increasing initiatives to attract and retain young graduates, and are making this known. Are they really losing momentum?
I think we need to put this “disenchantment” into perspective. Certain highly publicized positions taken by students who “diverted” or deserted from AgroParisTech, HEC Paris or Centrale Nantes may have suggested an evolution within the younger generations. But when we look at the figures, we see an inertia in the orientation choices made by students from major business and engineering schools. According to the survey conducted each year by the Conference of Grandes Écoles, a trend emerges: between a quarter and a third of these graduates choose consulting, a stable proportion.
The affirmation of convictions (ecological, social, etc.) by young people therefore does not translate into changes in the choice of first job. Those who turn to the voluntary sector, the social and solidarity economy, and the public service remain few in number. Another illustration: large consulting firms regularly appear at the top of the annual Universum ranking of students’ favorite companies. Basically, there is a quest for meaning but, in practice, this does not push young graduates to turn away from consulting. When they leave school, they prioritize career prospects and remuneration.
Why do they make this choice?
Because consulting firms continue to play a central role in the training of economic elites. For graduates of business and engineering schools, spending a few years in a consulting firm is like completing a postgraduate course, a bit like an internship for medical students. It is a step in their learning that significantly improves their value on the job market and accelerates their career, by acquiring the codes of the business world and building a network for the future. They do not enter a firm with the intention of becoming a partner, but to acquire symbolic, cultural capital, knowledge, which gives them credibility, a surface recognized by their peers and allows them to access social positions. superiors in the management of large companies.
You have 46.11% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.