EMPLOY

PROFILE
VAULT EMPLOYER PROFILE:

BEARINGPOINT

BY THE STAFF OF VAULT

2002 Vault Inc.

Copyright 2002 by Vault Inc. All rights reserved.

All information in this book is subject to change without notice. Vault makes no claims as to
the accuracy and reliability of the information contained within and disclaims all warranties.
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ISBN 1581312423
Printed in the United States of America

BearingPoint

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
BearingPoint at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

THE SCOOP

ORGANIZATION

Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Key Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Business Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

VAULT NEWSWIRE

11

OUR SURVEY SAYS

15

GETTING HIRED

19

Overview of the Hiring Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Questions to Expect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Questions to Ask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

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vii

ON THE JOB

23

A Day in the Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Job Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Career Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

FINAL ANALYSIS

27

RECOMMENDED READING

29

BearingPoint

Introduction
Overview
Spun off from Big Five firm KPMG, LLP in January 2000, BearingPoint
(which until October 2002 was known as KPMG Consulting) has been
making a name for itself ever since, forming new alliances to help grow the
business-systems integration area. The firm offers consulting services in
financial services, consumer and industrial markets, communications and
content, high tech, and public services. BearingPoint boasts more than
16,000 employees worldwide. Revenue for this global behemoth totaled
$2.86 billion in 2001 a 20.5 percent increase over its 2000 revenues.

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BearingPoint at a Glance
Headquarters
1676 International Drive
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: (703) 747-3000
www.bearingpoint.com
Branches
163 offices worldwide

UPPERS
Community involvement
assistance
Good hours relative to industry
Generous benefits
Strong reputation in high-tech and
public sectors

DOWNERS
THE STATS
Employees: 16,000 (2002)
Revenues: $2.4 billion (FY 2002)

Turnover and travel

Bureaucracy can be overwhelming
Changing culture
Recent financial problems

DEPARTMENTS
Communications & Content
Consumer & Industrial Markets
Financial Services
High Tech
Public Services

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THE BUZZ
WHAT EMPLOYEES AT OTHER FIRMS ARE SAYING

Family-friendly
Trying to define itself
Still strong
Bargain basement
Not many young people
Solid but unimaginative
Lower end of Big 4 consulting
Consistent competitor

2002 Vault Inc.

BearingPoint

The Scoop
Early days
As one might gather from the name KPMG, the firm has a tangled, hybrid
history. KPMG International was the result of the 1987 merger of the
accounting firm Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. with KMG, an international
consortium. Peat Marwick was founded in 1911 when William Peat, an
accountant from London, bumped into James Marwick on a boat headed for
America. Marwick had his own firm, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., which had
been formed in New York in 1897. Peat and Marwick hit it off and decided
to partner their firms, which merged in 1925 as Peat, Marwick, Mitchell &
Co. This firm merged with the venerable firm Barrow, Wade, Guthrie in
1950, thus building its consulting practice. In 1978, the firm restructured its
international practice as Peat Marwick International.
The following year, a handful of European accounting firms led by Klynveld
Kraayenhoff and Deutsche Treuhand discussed forming an international
accounting federation. Casting around for an American member, the firms
settled on two U.S. companies, and encouraged them to merge as Main
Hurdman & Cranstoun. The consortium was then named Klynveld Main
Goerdeler (KMG) after Klynveld Kraayenhoff, Main Hurdman & Cranstoun,
and Deutsche Treuhand chairman Reinhard Goerdeler. KMG merged with
Peat Marwick International in 1987, forming the awkwardly named giant
known as KPMG (at the time, KPMG Peat Marwick in the U.S.).
In 1990, KPMG began to consolidate its U.S. operations, cutting its
professional staff, including partners. In addition, the firm suffered a series
of high-profile lawsuits from clients who blamed it for failing to notice
accounting missteps. KPMG settled a suit originating from allegedly botched
audits of savings and loan banks for $187 million in 1994. In 1998, the firm
settled lawsuits with Orange County, Calif. for $75 million, although it did
not admit any wrongdoing. And in February 2000, KPMG agreed to pay
HVB Group, a German banking concern formed from the merger of
Bayerische HypoBank and Vereinsbank AG, an undisclosed sum in damages.
HVB has alleged that KPMG failed to detect 3.5 billion marks in failed real
estate loans held by HypoBank in the period leading up to the banks merger.
German construction giant Philip Holzmann also filed suit against KPMG,
alleging that the firm failed to detect old losses totaling 2.4 billion marks.
Despite this uncomfortable litigation, KPMG continued to grow in all areas,
and the consulting business expanded both organically and through
acquisition. In 1996, the firm acquired banking consultancy Barefoot,
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BearingPoint
The Scoop

Marrinan & Associates, and it raided Deloitte & Touche for 26 new
consultants in that same year. In October 1997, KPMG announced a tentative
agreement to merge with fellow Big Five firm Ernst & Young, but the deal
was called off four months later.
KPMGs consulting arm was established as a separate company in August
1999. The unit was also buoyed by Cisco Systems $1 billion investment that
same month. Cisco, which now owns a 10 percent stake in BearingPoint, was
one of the many beneficiaries of its February 2001 public offering.

Public spectacle
In May 2000, KPMG Consulting became the first Big Five consulting firm to
file for an IPO, marking the end of a period of intense speculation. The
waiting ended on February 8, 2001, when it offered 112 million shares to the
public at $18 and watched the value rise 30 percent to over $23 per share on
day one. Of the more than 112 million shares offered, KPMG Consulting had
owned 31.8 million, and KPMG LLP, the firms parent, had owned 80.6
million. The offering constituted 73.7 percent of the 152.1 million shares
outstanding, and many on Wall Street hailed the IPO as a success. KPMG
LLP no longer holds a stake in BearingPoint; with the IPO it sold off its entire
investment.

Health problems
However, BearingPoint has had a bit of a rocky road since going public. In
February 2000, the company announced layoffs of 350 consultants due to
revised revenue expectations. Chief executive Rand Blazer had been
hoping for a growth rate of 38 percent for fiscal 2000, but with growth
running at a mere 20 percent, he decided to hand out pink slips. In April
2001, the company announced a workforce reduction of 450 to 550 positions.
In August 2001, the firm announced that while overall revenues for the year
were up, fiscal fourth quarter revenue totaled $723 million, a 4 percent
decline from Q3, (though an 8 percent increase compared with the same
quarter in the previous year). Revenue in the firms financial services unit
dropped by nearly 40 percent for the quarter, while health care revenue was
down 24 percent. As a result, the firm restructured its health care unit, folding
operations into the public services and high technology arms. KPMG
Consultings public-sector practice area continued to show strong growth,
however, due to anticipated increased government spending at the federal,
state and local levels.

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BearingPoint
The Scoop

Unfortunately, the first quarter of fiscal 2002 brought more unsettling news,
with revenue dropping by $114 million (in part as a result of the September
11th attacks), or 15.8 percent from the previous quarter. Revenue and net
income figures continued to decline in Q2. In October 2001, several hundred
employees were offered voluntary furloughs of three to six months, during
which time they had the option of working on a part-time or on-call basis.
According to company spokesman John Schneidawind, the furloughs were an
attempt to avoid layoffs at all costs. Unfortunately, they did not accomplish
that objective the following month the firm announced that it would cut 300
to 400 jobs, or about 3 percent of its workforce.

All the right moves

BearingPoint has recently taken a number of steps to improve its business. At
first, the IPO included operations in the United States and 15 other countries
(Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala,
Ireland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, South Korea and
Venezuela). The company has since expanded by acquiring international
consulting practices from KPMG International in Australia as well as market
rights in parts of Greater China. In June 2002, it announced an agreement to
acquire KPMG Consulting AG, the German, Swiss and Austrian consulting
practices of KPMG International.
The firms boldest and perhaps most controversial move came in May 2002,
when it signed a letter of intent to acquire most of Andersens global
consulting operations (including those in the United States) in a deal
reportedly worth up to $284 million. With the deal, the firm increased its
global workforce to more than 16,000 employees. In June, the firm entered
into definitive agreements to acquire the independent business consulting
units of member firms of Andersen Worldwide Socit Cooperative in Japan,
Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. It also acquired significant
portions of the consulting units of Andersens member firms in Australia,
Hong Kong and China.

New name, same firm

On October 3 2002, KPMG Consulting became BearingPoint, a switch that
took effect immediately to such an extent that new e-mail addresses,
letterhead and business cards were available that day. The switch follows a
trend among consulting firms with Big Five accounting backgrounds:
Deloitte Consulting became Braxton Associates in July 2002, and PwC
Consulting briefly renamed itself Monday before being acquired by IBM in
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BearingPoint
The Scoop

August 2002. BearingPoint officials report that the name resulted from a
worldwide poll of employees as well as a private branding firm and was
chosen from among 550 possibilities.

Techno-fiesta
While many consulting companies have been trumpeting their e-business
experience, KPMG Consulting slowly but surely became an e-business
powerhouse. In May 1999, it acquired Softline Systems & Integrators, Inc.,
bringing in about 450 consultants and gaining control of Softlines software.
The firm also developed a new intranet with which consultants can access
engagement-related documents and training and business development tools,
as well as HR policies and information.
BearingPoint has formed over 40 strategic alliances. The firm signed a
number of agreements in 2000 , including one with Internet software provider
Inktomi and another with four other technology companies DataChannel,
Oblix Inc., BackWeb Technologies and Interlynx Technology. In June 2001,
it announced a partnership with Microsoft to develop new interactive
television services. The two companies are joined in the alliance by software
firms BSQUARE Corp. and Rachis Corp. Other alliances announced in 2001
included Vitria Technology, Mercator Software and webMethods, and an
expansion of an existing alliance with Compaq. The trend continued in 2002,
with the firm announcing an exclusive supply-chain solution marketing
agreement with Procter & Gamble in March. The firm also expanded its
alliance with Sun Microsystems that year and entered agreements with ebusiness platform provider IONA as well as with HAHT Commerce, a
provider of demand chain management applications for the consumer
packaged goods industry.

On the road
Acknowledging the sometimes hectic lifestyle endemic to the consulting
industry, in 2001 the firm adopted a Travelers Bill of Rights to help its
employees cope. The program is designed to ensure that consultants have a
five-day workweek, during which they are not out of the office for more than
four days or away from home for more than three nights. In order to make
sure these policies are upheld, the firm staffs projects with locally based
consultants whenever possible.

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BearingPoint

Organization
Locations
BearingPoint is based in McLean, Va. and has 163 offices worldwide.

Key Officers
Randolph C. Blazer: Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Unlike many in the consulting business, Rand Blazer has spent his entire
career at one firm, joining KPMG LLP in 1977 after retiring as a captain in
the U.S. Army. By 1991 he had become the directing partner for the firms
Federal Services Practice, which he grew aggressively during the 1990s. In
1997, he became the vice chairman for consulting services, and there he led
the consolidation and incorporation of KPMG Consulting. In June 2002 he
was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Greater Washington area by Ernst
& Young LLP.
Bradley Schwartz: Group Executive Vice President, Worldwide Client
Service
Michael Donahue: Group Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer
David W. Black: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Jay H. Nussbaum: Executive Vice President, Managed Services
Nathan H. Peck, Jr.: Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative
Officer
Linda E. Rebrovick: Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Gail P. Steinel: Executive Vice President, Solutions and Alliances
Mary E. Sullivan: Vice President, Human Resources

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BearingPoint
Organization

Ownership
BearingPoint was spun off as a separate company from KPMG International
in January 1999, and the firm is 10 percent owned by Cisco Systems. Shares
went on sale to the public in February 2001.

Business Units
BearingPoint offers consulting services in several core industries: Financial
Services; Communications and Content; High Tech, Consumer and Industrial
Markets; and Public Services. Facing flagging revenue, in 2001 the firm
folded its Healthcare unit into the Public Services and High Tech arms.

Financial Services
Financial Services is BearingPoints largest industry practice; the firm serves
thousands of financial institutions around the world. Employees in Financial
Services help their clients in Capital Markets and Banking, Insurance and
Risk Management, Professional Services and Real Estate and Hospitality
adapt to changes in financial markets and conditions.

Communications and Content

Communications and Content professionals surf the wild information wave,
advising a diverse customer base in the Cable, Content, Service Provider and
Telecommunications segments. The practice divides its consulting services
into two classes: Communications Solutions, which includes strategy and
planning, revenue assurance, and digital asset management; and Business
Solutions, which includes customer relationship management and supply
chain management.

Consumer and Industrial Markets

BearingPoints Consumer and Industrial Markets practice counts both
Fortune 1000 and mid-market consumer and industrial goods companies
among its clientele. The firm offers Strategy and Business Process Services,
Customer Relationship Management and Supply Chain Management services
to clients in the automotive, chemicals, consumer packaged goods, oil and
gas, transportation, and other segments.

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BearingPoint
Organization

High Tech
The High Tech practice assists clients in the electronics, life sciences and
software fields. Its Digital Marketplace Service offerings include customer
relationship management, infrastructure solutions, strategy/brand strategy,
and supply chain management. BearingPoint has alliances with tech
heavyweights including Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, Ariba and many others.

Public Services
BearingPoint employs a large staff dedicated to providing government and
educational institutions with enterprise resource planning, customer
management strategy, supply chain management integration and other
services. Past clients include the governments of Texas, California,
Pennsylvania, and the city of New York, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development and Yale University.

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Has your job offer been delayed or rescinded? Are you trying
to get into the consulting job market or trying to move to
another firm? Then you know its tough and that you need
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For resume writing, start with an e-mailed
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For resume reviews, get an in-depth critique
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Consulting Career Coaching

Want to know what it takes to get into
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Canada

BearingPoint

Vault Newswire
October 2002: A new bearing
KPMG Consulting announced its new name, BearingPoint, effective
immediately. The name was taken from a list of 550 possibilities culled from
employees and an outside branding firm. The company also moved from the
NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange, along the way dropping KCIN
for BE as its stock symbol.

August 2002: Overseas acquisitions

KPMG Consulting acquired KPMG Consulting AG, the German, Swiss and
Austrian consulting units of KPMG. The purchase, which rang in at $273.5
million in cash (plus the assumption of $15 million in debt), greatly adds to
the firms European presence, already bolstered by the Andersen acquisition.

June 2002: Atos makes its move

Euro-consultancy Atos Origin signed a deal with KPMG Consulting to
acquire the firms UK and Dutch practices, which had remained jointly
owned but independently managed since the consulting firm spun off.

May 2002: Bringing in Andersen

After months of negotiation, KPMG Consulting agreed to purchase
Andersens business consulting practice. The agreement includes 23 units
throughout Europe, the United States, Asia Pacific and Latin America, at a
price of $284 million.

March 2002: Out to sea

KPMG Consulting brokered a deal with the Naval Sea Systems Commands
Undersea Weapons Program Office. The project, developed in cooperation
with Anteon Corporation, will earn $5.7 million in the first year and could
total $48.7 million over its lifespan.

November 2001: Musically challenged

Chris Raettig received a surprise call from KPMG this month when the firm
asked him to remove a link on his web site. The link in question, found on
www.corporateanthems.raettig.org, brought surfers to the area on KPMGs
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BearingPoint
Vault Newswire

site that featured its corporate song, which Raettig and his audience found
worthy of profuse ridicule. The 22-year-old Raettig reportedly receives
10,000 hits a day on his site, which features a number of other embarrassing
company anthems.

November 2001: Cut! Part II

Following on the heels of its April 2001 cuts, the firm laid off approximately
350 employees in a further effort to control costs. This came after the firm
was unable to drum up volunteers to take furlough positions, in which they
would be employed in an on-call status.

October 2001: Aussie sale

KPMG Australia announced the sale of its consulting business to KPMG
Consulting. The deal, valued at $28.9 million, is part of KPMG Consultings
effort to buy the overseas consulting arms of KPMG International.

October 2001: Award-winning work

The eCustomer World Institute (ECWI) has given its Best Mobile CRM
Solution Golden Award for 2001 to KPMG Consulting. The ECWI awards
are intended to honor e-business innovations in the Canadian marketplace.
KPMG partner Infowave Software Inc. also received the award.

June 2001: TV deal

KPMG has announced a partnership with Microsoft to develop new
interactive television services. The two companies will be joined in the
alliance by software firms BSQUARE Corp. and Rachis Corp. As part of the
partnership, KPMG will provide Microsoft with program management and
systems integration services.

May 2001: Layoffs in the UK

KPMG Consultings United Kingdom branch will undergo layoffs of up to 10
percent of its workforce. The firm cited a decline in demand for its services
and difficult circumstances for the move, which will affect employees in all
areas of the business. KPMG Consulting UK currently employs about 2,000
staffers.

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BearingPoint
Vault Newswire

April 2001: Cut!

After failing to reach expected levels of growth, the firm cut more than 500
positions worldwide.

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Do you have an interview coming

up with a consulting firm?
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BearingPoint

Our Survey Says

A large bureaucracy
Insiders tell us that BearingPoint consultants have a lot of freedom in terms
of projects. However, this freedom comes with a price. If you dont know
how to work the system, you get screwed, a source claims. Its not by
design the company is very disorganized. This same source warns,
Theyll put you on something you dont want to be on unless youre firm
about it. Another source explains: If you are honest from the beginning
about your expectations and requirements, things can be worked out.
Insiders say that newbies should find a manager you are compatible with
and become a sponge in order to get staffed on the best projects.
BearingPoint tells us that its Opportunities within Consulting program
provides an internal method for consultants to find a better niche within the
company; it allows them to move from one project to another, even if the
managing director says no. Under this program they have to let you go as
long as youve been under them for a year and have a good rating, we hear.
Still, insiders (especially in the high-tech practice) complain of staffing
missteps. One frustrated consultant explains, I was supposed to be the
information architect on my project but Ive just been doing a lot of
research. Another adds, I like the client engagements, but I dont like the
office environment. I would prefer somewhere where both were equally
impressive.
The firms reputation in the technology consulting field is very strong,
mainly because of the firms focus on e-business and e-strategy and our
partnerships with Microsoft, Cisco and SAP, among others. Insiders say that
the firm considers Accenture, IBM Global Services and a few others among
its chief competitors, although BearingPoint is also competing with Internet
consultancies, such as Sapient, for clients.

Choose your office wisely

Insiders report that Culture varies somewhat between offices. In D.C., for
example, theres a gay/lesbian support group; Raleigh is very stuffy and oldboy; and the Silicon Valley office is very laid back. In general, the smaller
offices tend to be more rigid and controlling, insiders say, and a lot of the
culture depends on your practice and the group you are working in. In terms
of design, the offices are nice and reasonably comfortable, with typical
office dcor plain colors, nothing overly creative or unusual.
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BearingPoint
Our Survey Says

Take a hike
Those starting at BearingPoint may also want to sign up for a frequent-flyer
card. According to one source, Most everyone travels from Monday to
Thursday. Another estimates, Consultants travel, on average, about 70
percent of the time. We try to stay regional in our business, but when the
client has offices all over the country, sometimes it is necessary to work at all
those offices. The firm recently instituted what it calls the Travelers Bill
of Rights, which mandates, among other things, that BearingPoint
consultants be able to work out of their local office or at home on Fridays.
And while we hear that few people refer to the document specifically
anymore, the firm has nevertheless made an earnest attempt to balance work
and life: Monday morning to Thursday evening is the usual. It used to be
Friday, but there has been a lot of movement to change that. The firm has
stated that its more important to balance quality of life. Id say its part of the
firms evolving culture. Even better, the same source adds, If you can be
effective working from home on Friday, thats cool.

Value-added culture
Because of its tech-heavy focus, BearingPoint hires mostly experienced
consultants, contrary to the undergraduate hires that dominate many other
firms. According to the firm, its employees have an average of 12 years of
experience. In most cases you will be working with people who are already
very experienced in their areas, says one respondent. We havent strayed
very much from the model of the experience-heavy firm. We still have a lot
of people at the top. So its a good place for lateral hires.
While insiders say that the firm has a large number of minorities, they tend
to be mostly technology-oriented. One female consultant tells us that she
does not feel that women are hindered in any way, though there is clearly
male dominance in the company. However, others report being pleased with
the number of great women executives in all areas of the company. Though
when it comes to inter-office communication, insiders say that it could use
improvement. As one employee explains, I find that the various departments
barely communicate with each other. I dont even speak with most people on
my floor.
Most agree, though, that BearingPoints is very much a culture in change
first the split from KPMG, then the IPO, then the Andersen acquisition, then
the rebranding. People see it as a work in progress, says one consultant.
Everyones taking a jurys still out attitude.

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BearingPoint
Our Survey Says

Good use of time

Community involvement is encouraged at BearingPoint. The firm recently
established a new philanthropy program, the implementation of which was
sped up after the September 11th attacks. The effort includes an initiative
enabling employees to get involved with local volunteer projects, a matching
gifts program and a support network. Insiders say that pro bono work is
typically up to an individual group they may do it if they are currently
unbillable or feel it is an opportunity for them. BearingPoint also sponsors
lots of community events, practice dinners and sports teams to help
employees bond.

Does anyone actually work those hours?

In consulting, there are no official hours, since it depends on the person and
the project. One consultant says, Sometimes I leave at 5:30 p.m., other days
[I stay] until 7:30 p.m. Another consultant claims that 10 or 11 hours a day
is typical. At times, hours can be very long [for consultants], with late
nights spent compiling and analyzing data or preparing a presentation for a
project meeting or board meeting. Expect more than a few late nights per
month; as one consultant notes, My work hours spike once or twice a month,
but I think thats low for the firm.
Nor is weekend work a given, as it is at many firms. Respondents report only
the rare Saturday and Sunday at the office. Ive never had to work an entire
weekend, and there have been only three Saturdays when Ive had to work
more than an hour, says one respondent with two years of BearingPoint
under their belt.

Train, train, train

BearingPoints tech focus means that its employees must always be at the top
of their game in terms of the latest hardware and software. One source tells
us that BearingPoint consultants are required to participate in a minimum
of 40 training hours per year, involving Web-based courses, broadcast
training and self-study. While many of the firms training modules used to be
in person, most have been put online to cut costs; nevertheless, we hear that
The number of courses online has just exploded in the last six months, to
several hundred classes. And as one respondent tells us, Online courses are
supplemented with some instructor-led courses; though their availability
depends on the skill set youre looking for.

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BearingPoint
Our Survey Says

After three to nine months on the job, new hires go to in-person orientations
at various spots around the country. There are speakers, and [the new hires]
learn about the firm culture, sales procedures, lines of business, and so on.
Afterward, continuing education opportunities abound and usually involve
travel, with BearingPoint picking up the tab. Insiders report that there is also
support for external training. At the same time though, adds one source,
Training is very much self-driven no one ever tells you take this training
this week so you can start a related project next month. The firm tells us
that this is changing, however, with the spring 2002 introduction of a training
initiative known as Competency Manager. As part of the program,
consultants set training goals twice a year with their performance managers.
The system also offers more than 1,000 courses through the online Learning
Management System, in addition to external training.

Standard benefits, varying perks

The firm offers four weeks of personal time, but its not exactly all
vacation. As one insider describes it, the firm is a bit unusual in that it
combines vacation time with sick leave, so its great if youre young and
healthy, maybe not so great if youre sickly. Be forewarned that some perks
vary from office to office, or [managing director to managing director], or
even manager to manager and can include services provided by the
company to help with day-to-day activities, such as a concierge service.
While the perks may vary, benefits at BearingPoint are standard in all offices.
Among these are medical and dental insurance, long-term disability
insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with matching contributions, stock options
and an employee stock purchase plan, and an employee referral bonus.

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BearingPoint

Getting Hired
Overview of the Hiring Process
Since the firms consultants are marketed for specific industries,
BearingPoint places an emphasis on hiring experienced professionals. When
it comes to prospects, one source is optimistic: For the most part, you have
to have a decent amount of skills, but occasionally specific projects hire a lot
of people very quickly. While the firm did make a number of campus visits
during the late 1990s and early 2000s to bulk up its staff, these days its very
sparing about who it takes from the undergraduate rolls. Many of the practice
areas, particularly high tech and communications and content, are barely
hiring at all; others, such as public service, are still bringing people on.
Theres also some growth in consumer and industrial markets because of the
Andersen acquisitions, we hear.
Candidates will experience four to five interviews: a screening interview
(usually over the phone) and then a series of interviews with employees from
the group you will be working in, either during an office visit or over the
phone. Insiders tell us the types of questions are driven by the individual
interviewer, not by formal processes, but typically, candidates can expect a
case study, lots of questions about your experiences, team work skills and so
on. To prepare, insiders advise doing research about the specific practice
area in which you are interested and to be flexible as far as scheduling goes.
Insiders tell us that new BearingPoint consultants can expect four days of
training two days of firm-wide material that explain what the values,
goals, and mission of the firm are and two days of consulting-specific
material that include procedures, case studies and so on.

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BearingPoint
Getting Hired

Questions to Expect
1. Can you describe the most challenging situation youve ever had to
deal with and how you dealt with it?
BearingPoint fully expects to offer you constant challenges, and wants to
establish that you can demonstrate the capacity to rise to them.
2. How do you define success?
In general, something like growing and learning with a supportive firm like
BearingPoint and fulfilling my interests in community service would hit the
spot, but try not to sound too artificial.
3. What do you consider to be a consultants most important skills?
You should familiarize yourself with the job description before answering this
one.
4. What would someone youve worked for describe as your strengths, as
well as areas that need improvement?
This is an interview standard. The second part will require some clever spin
doctoring to give the impression that you are not so arrogant as to believe that
you have no weaknesses, but at the same time that those weaknesses are
minor and can be overcome.
5. What specifically appeals to you about BearingPoint?
It couldnt hurt citing BearingPoints community service record, but you
should also have something to say about the firms international reach and
industry experience.
6. Tell me about a valuable lesson you learned in the past.
Try to think of something that will translate well into the firm culture or
philosophy, such as something about the value of hard work or getting along
well with others.

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BearingPoint
Getting Hired

Questions to Ask
1. What kind of international experience might I expect to obtain at
BearingPoint? Will there be any limits on transferring between offices?
BearingPoint claims to be very open about office transfers, but you might as
well find out for yourself if you have something specific in mind.
2. Can you tell me more about BearingPoints volunteer activities?
The list is extensive; this is a good way to show that you have the motivation
and desire to make a difference in the community. Even if you are not truly
interested, it is still a pretty good suck-up question.
3. What major projects does the firm have coming up?
Consultants love to talk about this kind of thing. Just be prepared for some
unnecessary industry vernacular.

Compensation
Pay
Consultant (1st year undergraduate): $50,000-$75,000 per year; rate
depends on level of experience and education.
Consultant (1st year MBA): $100,000-$105,000

Perks
20 to 25 personal days
Flexible Work Program
Personal Assistance Program
Lifeworks child care, adoption, education, disability, and elder care
resource and referral service
Up to $2,500 in adoption costs, plus up to $2,500 for birth mother medical
expenses
METPAY discounted auto and homeowners insurance program
ConSern educational loan assistance program
Mortgage Assistance Program
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BearingPoint
Getting Hired

10 percent tuition discount for children of BearingPoint employees at

Childrens World Learning Centers, Childtime Childcare, La Petit
Academy and Childrens Discovery Centers
Up to $5,000 in dependent care reimbursement
Choice of health care plans for employee and eligible dependents
Dental plan for employee and eligible dependents
Vision One discount program
Up to $3,000 for health care reimbursement
401(k)
Incentive compensation program
Disability and illness benefits
Life insurance
Disaster relief fund
Matching gift program (only for charities, not higher education)

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BearingPoint

On the Job
A Day in the Life
Consultant
8:45 a.m.: Arrive at work and eat a bagel. Cinnamon raisin today.
9:00 a.m.: Meet with a partner. The partner needs to be brought up to speed
on who is doing what right now. Generally, we get to decide which
engagements we want to work on, unless the client has requested someone
specifically.
10:00 a.m.: Time for a brainstorming session with the client.
11:15 a.m.: One of the often twice-daily meetings with the rest of the project
team.
12:45 p.m.: Head out for a bite to eat. Whoevers in the office will go out
together. We dine this way two or three times a week.
1:45 p.m.: Back to work making sure that the numbers and procedures are
okay for my client, a bank.
3:00 p.m.: Begin the seemingly endless chore of interviewing members of
the clients senior management.
5:30 p.m.: Finally finish interviewing for the day. The manager comes by to
discuss a few issues recruiting at your alma mater, and a trip to Jersey City
tomorrow morning to see some original documents always preferable to just
interviews.
6:15 p.m.: Begin to gather material for a competitor and marketing analysis
to be done back at the office next week.
8:00 p.m.: Leave for the day. Between 7:00 and 8:00 is pretty standard, but
it goes up to midnight before deadlines.

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BearingPoint
On the Job

Job Description
Consultant
Consultants typically enter BearingPoint with extensive work expertise in a
certain industry or service, as well as a graduate degree in business
administration, computer science, industrial engineering or operations
research. Consultants immediately specialize in one of five areas: strategic
and financial services, cost and quality management, performance
improvement, change management or information technology. In these areas,
consultants assess performance, integrate company cultures and help to bring
down company costs by installing appropriate software programs, doing
marketing opportunity analyses and working on new product
development.

Career Path
For undergraduates
People right out of undergraduate or people one or two years out are hired
as assistants, though few if any are being hired these days. The next level up
is consultant. Insiders tell us that an assistant can be promoted to consultant
before getting an MBA, but cant go further. Thus, assistants are the only
professionals in the firm without graduate degrees, except for those promoted
to consultant status prior to attending business school. The promotion time is
usually about two years, but may be as short as eight months in certain cases.
Unfortunately for the firm, Turnover is pretty high. Not many come back
after business school.

For MBAs
MBAs interested in consulting at BearingPoint may enter as either
consultants or senior consultants, depending on prior experience and
expertise. Employees generally spend one to two years at each of these
positions before moving to manager, the next rung on the ladder. The firm
offers the opportunity to switch between different areas, but few do (unlike
the case for assistants and pre-graduate school consultants). Remarks one
insider, The [MBA] recruiting process is geared to find out where people
best fit, and it usually works. More often, once [they] make senior
consultant, people move on from the firm altogether. While mass departures

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BearingPoint
On the Job

happen at all levels, most people stay for two or three years, so the biggest
loss is most often among the senior consultant ranks. After leaving
BearingPoint, people tend to go into marketing or strategy planning
departments [in companies in] many industries. Most remain within the area
of the line of business in which they worked, except for IT and strategy
people, who work across industry lines. Those who do stay on put in another
two years or so as managers before becoming senior managers. Partnership
awaits at the end of a stint of similar duration at senior manager level.

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How many consulting

job boards have you
visited lately?
(Thought so.)
Use the Internets most targeted
job search tools for consulting
professionals.

Vault Consulting Job Board

The most comprehensive and convenient job board for
consulting professionals. Target your search by area of
consulting, function, and experience level, and find the job
openings that you want. No surfing required.

VaultMatch Resume Database

Vault takes match-making to the next level: post your resume
and customize your search by area of consulting, experience
and more. Well match job listings with your interests and
criteria and e-mail them directly to your inbox.

BearingPoint

Final Analysis
Blazer and friends chose the name BearingPoint to evoke the companys
ability to keep clients on track. But the name evokes another meaning as
well: Almost two years after spinning off from KPMG, the firm is still trying
to get its bearings in a market that is not at all amenable to large IT service
firms, particularly firms that are in the midst of significant changes. Thats not
to say that BearingPoint is in trouble; the acquisition of so many KPMG
International offices as well as the bulk of Andersens business consulting
practice may cause growing pains in the short term, but the move will allow
BearingPoint an important flexibility as the market for IT consulting evolves
over the next half decade. And while the firm is holding back on new hires
and has laid off a number of employees, it is also making the smart move by
holding on to its most valuable consultants. Bottom line: BearingPoint may
not be at the top of the consulting game right now, but its well positioned to
be there in the coming years.

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BearingPoint

Recommended Reading
Here are some recent articles we recommend.
KPMG Consulting Resolves Identity Crisis, Washington Post,
10/3/2002.
Give Me Your Watch: PwC, KPMG Had Big Years in 2001, CFO
Magazine, 12/21/2001.
KPMG Consulting Plans to Hire Andersen Employees, LA Times,
6/27/2002.
KPMGs Brave Leap into the Cold, BusinessWeek, 5/21/2001.

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For those hoping to climb the ladder of success, Vaults

insights are priceless. Money
VAULT EMPLOYER PROFILE:

BEARINGPOINT
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company and basic stats

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Vault
Newswire:
Easy-to-digest
summaries of recent news about the
company
Our Survey Says: Employees speak
their minds on company culture, job
satisfaction, pay, benefits, diversity
issues and more
Getting Hired: The company's hiring
process, interview questions to expect
and application contacts
On the Job: Typical days in the life,
job descriptions, career paths
Final Analysis: The final word on the
pros and cons of working for the
company

One-on-One Interviews: For each

employer, we conduct in-depth
interviews of current and former
employees.

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