For all of Slalom's magic, there are several drawbacks:
Little work/life balance/flexibility - Slalom will claim that their focus on work/life balance differentiates them from other consulting firms (w/ their focus on the local market = no travel for the consultant), but they make up for it by holding multiple company events EVERY WEEK. Supposedly most of it is "optional", but you quickly learn that this is simply untrue. People notice when you're missing from an event. There is absolutely no respect for your time.
Unfulfilling client work - This is another one of those exaggerated claims that Slalom likes to make. Consultants absolutely perform staff augmentation work! And like every consulting firm on the planet, as long it's making money for the firm, it doesn't really matter what you're doing. To be fair, not sure if this is a pervasive issue across all markets, or just the one I'm in.
Lack of diversity -- This is an interesting one. I don't mean lack of diverse racial backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. Almost every consultant is former Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, Booz, etc. who attended a big name school and completed study abroad somewhere exotic. If you're not of a certain pedigree, be prepared to stick out like a sore thumb.
Questionable "leadership" - some of the more senior-level consultants responsible for overseeing multiple projects clearly don't know what they are doing. Despite a seemingly fair and objective promotion process, I've wondered many times how some of these folks got to where they are.
Bottom line: don't be wooed by all the promises made during the interview process. Understand what you're getting into before you accept the offer. If you don't care much for a life outside of work, and enjoy the cache of being a "consultant"and everything that entails while losing your identify in the process, then this is the place for you. If you value true diversity, work/life balance, working relationships built on mutual trust and respect (not the facade of it), keep looking!
