Questions to ask during interviews with consulting companies?

Question

I'm interviewing with a few small-midsize IT consulting companies. What types of questions should I ask to make sure it is a good place to work in terms of culture, client list, pay structure, hours worked, etc.....

I have no experience in the consulting field, but 10 working for major corporations.

Answer 1

Ask them how many billable hours you will be expected to achieve in one year; client list; amount of travel; training; how you are evaluated (client?  team members?); any vacation; do they have a program to pay for graduate education; role you would play on a team.....consulting companies typically expect you to bill 2080+ hours per year (making it somtimes impossible to take any time off...unless you can bill over 40 hours a week ...ask that too..) ask if they have a 401k, any pension programs; do they provide a laptop?   If they have a strong client list (ask if they specialize, some will only consult in certain industries...e.g. health care, education, financial, etc.)   (retired IBM exec mgr/consulting and research labs)