FAQ
When and why was Archstone Consulting established?
Archstone Consulting was founded by consulting industry veterans in 2003. At that time, the market was ripe for a new and differentiated approach to consulting from a firm that wasn’t too large, bureaucratic and expensive. Clients were starving for a firm that was objective and independent of software alliances and accounting firms. The Principals and Directors who started and have since joined Archstone have worked for leading consulting firms and know that successful consulting is about working collaboratively and being efficient at listening and adapting to client needs, diagnosing problems, and implementing solutions that will drive measurable and sustainable value.
We are very proud of the accomplishments we’ve made since our inception. As a leading Strategy, Operations, CFO Advisory and Brand Innovation consulting firm, we’ve developed an impressive client list and have grown from a handful of professionals to over 250, representing four major market locations in the U.S. and three international offices. Throughout our rapid growth, we have retained an entrepreneurial spirit - an appealing attribute that resonates with our clients.
What is the background of your leaders?
Archstone Consulting is comprised of seasoned consultants with proven track records and years of experience in all areas of business operations. The firm is led by Principals who have deep experience serving the leaders in the industries in which they practice. Our consultants come from both the consulting world and from industry, so our teams have a good balance of “real world” insight and strategy-based training. Many of our leaders joined Archstone from well established consultancies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Capgemini, Andersen, A.T. Kearney, IBM, Monitor Group, and Answerthink.
Who is your competition?
Our competition depends on the services that we are offering to a client, and it includes everyone from traditional “Big 4” consulting firms to strategy firms to boutique players.
What kind of brand recognition do you have in the marketplace?
Archstone Consulting continues to be recognized in the media as a firm on the rise and has received significant coverage in recent months. Consulting Magazine’s March/April 2007 cover story titled, “The Age of Archstone,” highlighted our strengths and how we differentiate ourselves in the marketplace. In June, our CEO, Todd Lavieri, was featured in a Q&A article in Investor’s Business Daily. The article delved into our service offerings and approach to client service. Also in June 2008, The Black Book of Outsourcing ranked Archstone a top ten boutique outsourcing advisory firm for the second consecutive year, based on an annual survey of clients.
Additionally, our thought leaders have been quoted regularly in leading business and trade publications, including, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Time Magazine, Dow Jones, The New York Times, Industry Week, Business Finance, and on CNBC, Bloomberg, NBC, CBS, to name a few, on industry and market trends impacting our clients.
Can you give me a sense of who your clients are?
Our clients are marquee names in the industries that we target. According to the latest Fortune lists, we provide consulting services to 24 of the top 100 companies and 58 of the top 500 and 65 of the top 1000. As a general guideline, about one third of our clients are Global Fortune 500. The rest of our business is with privately held companies or categorized as very large divisions of companies. We are also very proud that our clients are pretty evenly distributed across our practice areas and industry groups.
Do Archstone Consulting professionals work on one engagement at a time or do you follow a two-case model? What does your typical project team look like?
Generally, we focus on one client engagement at a time, but our Principals and Directors are often involved in multiple proposal and client efforts. Our typical project teams are small in size and usually consist of 3-7 consultants and a Principal. In addition, each consultant is expected to participate in firm building, including developing thought leadership, recruiting, and firm culture activities.
Are your consultants "generalists" or "specialists" in a particular industry or service area?
We expect our analysts, senior analysts and associates to join Archstone Consulting for a solid generalist experience, meaning that they will likely be exposed to our various services offerings and industries. However, over time, some analysts, senior analysts or associates might find that one service or industry particularly interests them, and it becomes easier to specialize once the consultant has some experience. In that case, we encourage professional development and relationship building in our newer consultants’ area of interest, while they remain available to continue to build their foundational skills and to support the firm where there is demand in a particular area.
As consultants become more senior in our organization, we expect them to specialize in a particular industry or practice area because they will need to manage complex projects and start to sell work. For managers, directors and principals, we typically target candidates with a specific area or areas of specialization.
Does Archstone Consulting have international growth plans?
We have offices in Amsterdam and London to support our European presence, and we’ll look to build up those practices through direct hiring and, if appropriate, acquisitions. In June 2006, the firm acquired the Hazelton Group, a research-based brand development consulting firm, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Complimenting our industries expertise, Hazelton specializes in growth through new product innovation, brand positioning and rejuvenation and global brand development.
Are you hiring for your international offices?
Yes, we are growing our international offices. Each candidate should make sure that they have the appropriate work authorization for the respective country. Inquiries about any particular office should be sent to recruiter@archstoneconsulting.com.
What does the interview process look like?
Selected Analyst candidates will typically go through two rounds of interviews, with the first occurring on campus. Each selected candidate will usually meet with 1 interviewer in the first round for approximately 45 minutes and will receive a mini case study. If we bring you in again, the second round of interviews often takes place in the Archstone Consulting office for which the candidate is being considered. In this round, analyst candidates will typically see two additional interviewers and receive another case study.
Associates will go through two rounds of interviews, with the first occurring on campus. They will meet with 2 interviewers in the first round for approximately 45 minutes each and will receive a case study. The second round of interviews will take place shortly following the first round either in the respective office or on campus. Associate candidates will see two additional interviewers and will receive another case study.
How can I prepare for my interview with Archstone Consulting?
First and foremost, know your own background well and do some research about our company. In addition, a critical element of our interview process for Managers and below is the business case portion. We’ll present you with a real life business case, typically one that our firm or a particular interviewer has tackled, and we are looking at your ability to clearly articulate your approach to the problem, your rationale and your recommendations.
What does the experienced candidate interview process look like?
Our experienced hire process almost always begins with an introductory phone screen. For candidates we wish to advance to the next stage of the process, we will bring you in for a series of in person interviews. Manager candidates and experienced Associates, will typically meet 3-4 Archstone consultants who will ask you about your work experiences and what you’d like from your next career move. You may receive a business case as well. For senior-level candidates (Principals and Directors), you will typically have multiple interviewing days to allow you to meet a variety of appropriate experts across the practices and industries. The goal of these conversations is to understand your subject matter expertise, project management capabilities and breadth and depth in the marketplace.
Do you have a summer program?
We currently have a Summer Associate program for business school students between their 1st and 2nd year. We strive to give Summer Associates an idea of the full time experience, including working on 1-2 engagements, participating in office activities and leading various firm-building initiatives. Summer Associates are placed in full time Associate roles on live engagements. As such, summer associates are primarily responsible for planning, organizing and leading discrete portions of an engagement.
I’ve heard that consultants travel a lot. Can you tell me what to expect at Archstone Consulting?
As with most consulting firms, the majority of our work will be at the client site so there will be some travel involved. We typically spend 4 days at our client and each Friday we spend in our home offices. We also make it a priority to staff smartly utilizing our regional resources to help mitigate excessive travel.
What kind of training can I expect?
We offer training at all levels which is developed and delivered by our own consultants. When a new hire comes on board they will spend the first day in orientation learning about the firm’s policies and procedures and generally getting settled. Our campus recruits can expect to participate in new consultant training, where they will learn and build on the core consulting skills through an interactive case study. For our more experienced hires, we offer level specific training. Typically our new consultants will spend the first few months learning on the job and will then attend the appropriate training session to expand on their skill set and meet others at a similar level. Additionally, we offer many specialized training programs focused on specific industry or functional areas and internal needs/desires.
Can you tell me about career progression at Archstone Consulting?
At Archstone Consulting, we believe that career development is a shared responsibility between the firm and the individual. One of the ways we support the career progression of our consultants is through our Advisor Program. The goal of the Advisor Program is to provide our consultants with the guidance and support they need and deserve to help them develop and grow professionally. As part of our performance management process, we developed a competency model which defines what skills are needed and developed at each level. It is a map to help you on your road to success at Archstone Consulting.