“Up or out”: move up or move on. The phrase is part of the legend of the large consulting firms, and it worries many candidates. Yet it is rarely explained: how reviews take place, on what criteria, who decides, what happens when things go badly, and what a departure says about a consultant’s worth. Reality is more nuanced than the phrase, and it varies greatly from one firm to another. This article describes the mechanism as it works in practice, so that you can approach your first years calmly and know how to present a departure on your CV.
Where the up-or-out rule comes from
The up-or-out principle was born in large American law firms, then adopted by several strategy consulting firms. Its idea is simple: each consultant must move up to the next grade within a given time; if they cannot, they are encouraged to leave the firm.
This system follows the logic of a pyramid. A consulting firm has many juniors, fewer managers and few partners. The French public careers information body Onisep 🔗 thus states that about 5% of consultants reach partner. For the best to progress, others must leave: exits are part of the model.
Three nuances are worth stating from the outset.
- Not all firms apply it with the same rigour. Some display it clearly, others have relaxed it or do not apply it, particularly in consulting networks and transformation firms.
- Most departures are voluntary. Many consultants leave before being concerned, for a company, a fund or a start-up, often at a higher level.
- The timeline is not mechanical. Firms take into account the career path, the engagements and the circumstances.
The review cycle
Reviews in consulting are more frequent and more structured than in most companies. The typical cycle has two levels.
The end-of-engagement review. At the end of each engagement, or halfway through for long ones, the manager and sometimes the partner complete a review of the consultant: strengths, areas for improvement, level reached on each criterion. The consultant reads it and discusses it with their manager.
The annual or half-yearly review. A committee of partners and managers examines all of the consultant’s engagement reviews, as well as their contributions to the firm. It decides on an overall rating, a possible promotion and often the variable part of pay.
In between, the consultant receives regular informal feedback from their manager and their mentor. The stated aim is that there should be no surprises at the annual review.
Criteria at each grade
The criteria are generally the same at every grade, but the expected level changes. Four families almost always appear.
| Criterion | What is expected of a junior | What is expected of a senior consultant | What is expected of a manager | |---|---|---|---| | Problem solving | Reliable analyses on a defined question | Structuring an entire workstream | The engagement storyline and the recommendation | | Communication | Clear slides, well-run interviews | Presenting a workstream to the client | Running steering committees | | Teamwork and leadership | Reliability and helpfulness | Supervising a junior | Leading a team and developing it | | Contribution to the firm | Taking part in recruitment events | Training, proposals | Business development and recruiting |
One rule recurs in almost every firm: to be promoted, you must already demonstrate part of the skills of the next grade. This explains the “trial” periods in which a senior consultant plays the manager role on an engagement. Our article on becoming a manager details this moment.
Engagements play a decisive role, because they provide the reviews. Hence the importance of staffing, described in our article on assigning consultants to engagements.
The role of the mentor or counsellor
At most firms, each consultant has a mentor, a career counsellor or a “development advisor”, who is not their engagement manager. Deloitte, for example, mentions on its page for experienced profiles 🔗 the role of Career Advisor, which experienced professionals can take on to support colleagues’ progression.
The mentor has three functions:
- carrying your file before the review committee, by synthesising your engagement reviews;
- advising you on your areas for improvement and your choice of engagements;
- alerting you if your trajectory is not the one expected.
It is useful to see them regularly, not only at review time. A mentor who knows your goals and difficulties can influence your staffing, steer you towards a formative engagement or plead your case.
When the review goes badly
A bad review is not an end in itself. It generally triggers a conversation, then a development plan: precise objectives, an engagement chosen to work on a weak point, close follow-up.
If difficulties persist, several outcomes are possible:
- a new review period, with clarified objectives;
- a change of practice or type of engagement, better suited to the profile;
- support towards an exit: the firm gives the consultant time to look for a job, sometimes with the help of its alumni network, and supports them in their search.
In France, the end of the contract is governed by labour law: resignation, dismissal or a negotiated termination (rupture conventionnelle), the latter allowing the employer and the employee to end a permanent contract by mutual agreement under a regulated procedure, described on the French administration’s Service public 🔗 website. The “up or out” formula does not exempt a firm from these rules.
Two pieces of advice if this concerns you:
- do not stay passive: ask for precise feedback, talk to your mentor, and assess honestly whether the job suits you;
- prepare what comes next early: consultants who leave having anticipated generally find interesting roles, because the market values consulting experience.
Presenting a departure on your CV
A departure from a consulting firm, even after a difficult review, is easy to present on a CV. Recruiters know that most consultants leave consulting after a few years, and they do not try to find out who took the initiative.
A few rules:
- describe what you did, not why you left: engagements, results, grade reached;
- state your successive grades, which show your real progression;
- leave no unexplained gap: if you took a few months between two jobs, a factual line is enough (training, personal project, active search);
- prepare a sentence of explanation for the interview, positive and focused on the target role: “After three years of strategy engagements, I wanted to move to the decision-making side, in an industry I came to know through my engagements.”
The strategy consulting manager CV template shows a grade-by-grade presentation that makes progression readable. To reorganise engagements according to the target role after a departure, our article on presenting engagements on a CV proposes three structures. And the ConseilCV editor lets you prepare these versions quickly, with the layout handled for you and a PDF that screening software can read.
Frequently asked questions
Do all firms apply the up-or-out rule?
No. It is mainly associated with some strategy firms. Many management consulting, transformation and audit network firms have more flexible systems, with expert tracks or less constrained progression. Ask during recruitment.
How long do you have to be promoted?
It depends on the firm and the grade. Firms rarely communicate precise timelines, but annual reviews clearly indicate whether you are on the expected trajectory.
Is leaving after two years frowned upon?
No. Two to three years of consulting is a very common length before an exit, and corporate and fund recruiters even look for it. What matters is what you did during those years.
Can you ask to change mentor?
At most firms, yes, if the relationship does not work. Speak to human resources or to the partner responsible for consultant development.
Sources
- Onisep, job profile: Consultant / Consultante 🔗
- Deloitte France, Profils expérimentés 🔗
- Service public, Rupture conventionnelle d’un salarié du secteur privé 🔗