High Autonomy, High Support
Pros
- Friendly, smart and driven colleagues - You have the autonomy to achieve high impact and drive change you believe in, though you also receive high support from peers, VPs/other Managers, and support functions like HR, PD, Client Success etc. to - The commercial exposure is second-to-none. From day one at AlphaSights you will be having an impact on the firm's bottom line. As you progress through the 2 year Associate programme you grow client exposure and responsibility, and then as a Manager a large part of your role is client engagement and insights to underpin your account and people strategies. - Great if you're not 100% sure of an industry you'd like to move into after University as the role gives you a broad insight into loads of industries and the core transferable skills (communication, negotiation, people/account/project management, training, client engagement, client success, product, accountability, research etc.) you'd draw upon in future roles. - Flat structure with clear progression. 2 year associate role, 3 yr manager role, 3yr VP role. This means noone is ever progressed above others based on bias or being in the 'right place at the right time'. It also prevents gender/race/sexuality bias in progression or compensation. In my opinion, this is a very strong model and prevents issues that we see in the wider professional space.
Cons
- In my understand, high growth often results in instability (in any industry, not just at AlphaSights). This can be exciting and a learning curve, though also has its challenges! Managers in particular need to be very adaptable here to ensure the continued success of their associates in times of change. This can be challenging! - Target-driven role (for some a pro, but doesn't suit everyone). The firm and teams within it are super supportive - I have never experienced individuals 'stepping on each other's toes' to progress over others. But Associates are expected to hit an individual target, and Managers a team target, so if this stresses you out, perhaps not the best role. I assume any commercial role will have an essence of this though. - Don't come here if you want to travel internationally in the first few years of your career. The opportunities to travel are higher as a Manager (maybe 2-3 times a year depending on where your clients are/business needs), but it will never be a central aspect of the role. I enjoy having a base with a team here and typically teams are really close and get on well - this is the positive of not constantly travelling in a role! - No obvious qualifications to be gained here or schemes to support further education (e.g. masters/MBAs). If there is a business need the company may invest in your language lessons (if you're already good but need to improve a little).
