The very first time we polled consultants on their employers of choice, it was the last quarter of 2000 and the height of the dot-com boom. Firms tried to top one another by rewarding their people with creative perks and emphasizing the playful side of their office cultures. Pool tables sat in conference rooms, and there was equity to take home in consultants' jeans' pockets. Spirits soared — artificially, some would say. A quick comparison of the 2001 and 2004 lists will show how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.
While we are nowhere near the recruiting frenzy and levels of morale of those days, many of the 4,891 consultants we surveyed this past summer say that they have every reason to be optimistic. Even pros who work at companies that did not make it to the list this year agree with this sentiment. Take, for example, this quote: "After a couple of very challenging years, my company is poised for growth," says a project manager who is recruiting. "We have three very simple directives that have cascaded down from leadership — people, predictability, and top-line growth. It's a very easy message to understand and rally around."
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