Laughable leadership, terrible culture, total “boy’s club” (Chicago office) - Anonymous employee Korn Ferry Employee Review

2.0
Oct 28, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Korn Ferry has good name recognition and a nice global footprint, but that is about it. I’m supposed to write at least 20 words in this section, but I honestly couldn’t think of any more pros.

Cons

They’re so concerned about billings that the service to clients and candidates is dependent on the overworked junior staff. Candidates are consistently “recycled” search after search and as a candidate, if you can’t do anything for KF, they won’t do anything for you. KF is notorious for never closing the loop with candidates and treating them like second class citizens. Internally, Korn Ferry does not invest in their own talent. Gone are the days of Korn Ferry being some amazing training ground. You have to go out and get offers at other firms to get them to think about giving you a raise.

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5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

room to grow, own your success

Cons

no cons at this time.

4.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The client diversity across industries and regions is top notch. Great brand recognition. The marketing investments in Korn Ferry Tour and LA28 paid off. Smart people. Remote work is a plus as 75% people work remotely. No push for facetime in offices. Work from anywhere! Everyone knows of Korn Ferry!

Cons

A culture of long hours and interrupted vacations. Clear demarcation between haves(fee earners) and have nots (execution). High expectations with outdated systems, manual processes, inefficient. Low pay as there are no merits due to market/company performance. Hard to get food at the holiday party so stop at Five Guys prior.

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