What is the hiring process like at Booz Allen Hamilton?

Good salary and good corporate leadership

Hiring process was lengthy with the background screening

I’m impressed by corporate Booz Allen. My onboarding process was very robust and I have a lot of respect for the CEO and management team. There are a lot of opportunities

My admin team unfortunately has some very toxic leadership practices. Feedback is not provided before adverse action. It’s not safe to provide feedback because you will risk retaliation. Also, the pay could be better

Education benefits up to $5k is a nice perk in which I was to take advantage of half in the first few weeks. Was easily approved unlike working in the federal government where it would take forever and would have to submit the same information to two different systems. The accessibility of information on their SharePoint is vast but everyone should find something useful on it. Although some folks don't like Workday, it was a step up from what I'm used to that has been useful for me. During onboarding, they have new employees commute out to McLean, VA for New Hire Orientation and it was nice to see folks from all parts of the world and learn about the history and the culture and tips to get you started in your job. Booz Allen definitely invests in its employees. I like that they look internally for hiring first and offer the means to switch roles and positions.

Didn't like that Booz Allen had followed suit with ending DEI because of the fear of losing contracts because of the new administration. This still resulted in the company and many other contractors losing them so it was rather pointless. Also, the contract that I'm on it seems many PMs are overworked and there's too many PjMs that are underworked and incompetent in their roles.

Pay is nice if you have a tech background

The promotion track and new hire onboarding are really ambiguous

Competitive salary, cultures varies from team to team, potential for growth.

Job security is no longer a thing. With the change in regime, and this company making the majority of their money from the government, it is in serious trouble. The Internal hiring process is a mess so don't depend on it if your contract ends, it's rare to land anything internal.

Easy Work. Decent work life balance.

Hiring process can be slow or fast.

Challenging, rewarding projects with tons of variety to choose your own adventure from. Reasonable employer matching and PTO, based on tenure, but salary depends on the contract ceiling or the company vertical (Accounts/ Groups) you're getting hired from. Work-life balance entirely depends on the team you're under as well - I've seen different ends of the spectrum during my time where a commercial-client team works beyond normal hours including weekends, to staff augmentation on the federal-side - where your day job is just that: clock-in, do essential tasks, leave, no strategy calls or white papers needed. Remarkable networking opportunities - When I was in, attending happy hours and brown bag lunches were the best way to make a name for yourself. I've met THE literal experts in a variety of domains/ industries. The company is in virtually all aspects of federal government, so you have the opportunity (at least as a new hire on the bench) to learn about a specific agency or federal service to grow into. Excellent education opportunities if you plan on staying more than 3 years for the certifications or workshops to pay for themselves.

3 Things that personally drove me away, and that a potential candidate should consider before applying: 1) Revolving door of leadership I was in for about 6 years and have been cycled through 12 (twelve, double-digits) managers. By the time I learned how to work with my boss, they were out the door right as the next one took me in. I found it remarkably frustrating repeating myself during annual reviews which stagnated my career growth because the manager of the week didn't know my skillset or what project(s) I'm on. At times, a manager couldn't justify promotions because they haven't seen me under their leadership style and had no way of vetting my accomplishments, despite having glowing reviews from customers and coworkers when asked. This type of conversation often caused a clash in personality, especially with more senior managers who have only been exposed to one or two programs their entire career at the company. From the dozen of bosses, a handful are now lifelong mentors from trauma bonding at the firm, but there are still a few that seemed to fail upwards and are still there, driving out talent with stubborn, outdated management practices. 2) Compensation Typically, this firm underpays compares to market, or barely matches equivalent GS pay scale roles found in government. During my time at the firm, I've changed internal teams twice and had to present my promotional case to my new managers when I found out I was underpaid for the same role. Overtime approval is rare because additional work beyond the fixed 40hrs is seen as volunteering. When OT was requested, a fraction of the time was actually approved (e.g. requesting 10hrs, only given 4hrs). This reflects poorly on judgement calls from upper management when the effort required for a project is grossly miscalculated, rippling to delays in a deliverable, and potential loss of a contract. "Comeback Kids" - folks who return to the firm after working industry a brief time, rejoin 2-3 levels above their title - which seems to be the best way to move up in the company. 3) Career Growth BAH is a solid place to either kick-start your career fresh out of school for the consulting experience, or join as a senior advisor after serving in the government for 20+ years - there doesn't seem to be middle ground that pays fairly. Your growth entirely depends on your manager(s) and how well they advocate for you. I should've read the room 6 or so bosses ago when the team didn't align with my career goals but I stuck around long enough to make sure the projects I supported were in good hands.

No coding challenge only questions based on related position.

Candidate Selection process is good but finding a project after your project contact ends is extremely challenging.

While I did not accept the offer with Booz Allen I was very please with the quick response and expediency of the interview process. The team I met with was very friendly and forthcoming with the qualities they were looking for in a team member. The recruiter I worked with was very easy to work with and responsed to all my questions.

Felt a little rushed from beginning to end. The recruiter I initially spoke to was late to our call, and knew almost nothing about the position. The call lasted all of 15 min. After Booz Allen decided to make me an offer, I was afforded very little time to consider the job.

Great culture Great coworkers Incredible work life balance More pay than other dod companies

Lower pay than tech Internal movement is weird, I applied for a role in San Francisco and they didn't offer me a salary adjustment or relocation pay. Made it nonsensical to put me through the internal interview process