Booz Allen Hamilton: An insider guide - Gymkhana

network of friends yet.” But others, like one insider who tells us his dailycommute is an hour and a half from door to desk, actually prefer out-of-townassignments. “At the client site, everything is written off as an expense, andthere’s no (daily) commute,” an insider says. And then there’s the insider whowas not complaining when he told us that he’d “flown on a chartered Learjetfor the last 8 weeks.”Those who work on the government side report that considerably less travel isrequired of them, primarily because many of their clients are located near thefirm’s McLean, Virginia, headquarters or near other large government-focusedoffices, including San Diego and Colorado Springs.HoursThe WorkplaceHours at Booz Allen depend largely on the practice to which you are assigned,the client, and the stage of the project. A principal tells us, “You’re generally atthe client site Monday through Thursday, and then you’re looking at 12- to14-hour days, maybe a little less on Monday because you’re on an early flight.Friday, you’re looking at a 10-hour day. There’s a ramp-up phase at the beginningof a project, where the hours are more aggressive; then an execution phase,where it’s more manageable; and then at the end another ramp-up phase to tie itall together. Short-burn projects are more aggressive.” Another insider notes thatoperations projects tend to have slightly shorter hours than strategy projects.The average workweek is reportedly between 55 and 70 hours, but insiders saypersonal time off is available when you need it. “I got married this year,” saysone, “and they told me to take as much time as I needed.” Correspondingly, asenior associate who’s been with the firm for 5 years says, “I took 6 months outof my career track to be a school manager. I needed some time: My secondchild was born, and I wanted to spend some time at home and not traveling38