Anecdote: I interviewed at Booz Allen Hamilton when I was in school and got a bad taste in my mouth from the place. They talked about how you could work your way up but you could only get past a certain level by bringing in business. To get to partner, you need to be bringing in at least $x million a year for the company. They told us that no one is hired directly in at partner level except for a 3-star general they just hired in last month because of the connections he had.