Insight Sourcing Group

Insight Sourcing Group is a boutique management consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm specializes specifically in strategic sourcing and procurement consulting.

Insight Sourcing Group might not have the name recognition of the bigger consulting firms, but many people opt for boutique firms because of better work-life balance, industry or functional expertise, and overall quality of life. This rings particularly true for Insight Sourcing Group, a company that prides itself on its workplace culture.

Interested in working for a firm like Insight Sourcing Group? If you decide to go this direction, what skills and experience do you need to be hired by Insight Sourcing Group? We’ve assembled all the information you need to make an informed decision. Get the inside scoop on what interviewing and working at Insight Sourcing Group is like – from the interview process to culture to diversity and beyond.

Table of Contents:

1. Insight Sourcing Group Key Stats
2. Insight Sourcing Group History
3. Insight Sourcing Group Careers
4. Practice Areas
5. Industries
6. Office Locations
7. Career Path
8. Exit Opportunities
9. Insight Sourcing Group Culture
10. Insight Sourcing Group Interview
11. Insight Sourcing Group Salary

Insight Sourcing Group Key Stats

• Insight Sourcing Group Website: https://www.insightsourcing.com/
• Insight Sourcing Group Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
• Insight Sourcing Group Employees: ~175
• Insight Sourcing Group Locations: 1
• Insight Sourcing Group Chief Executive: Tom Beaty (founder and CEO)
• Insight Sourcing Group Revenue: ~$36M

Insight Sourcing Group History

The history of Insight Sourcing Group is straightforward and begins in 2002. Tom Beaty, an ex-Deloitte consultant, founded the company and is still its CEO.

In 2011, Beaty created SpendHQ as an independent business unit of ISG. SpendHQ is a “spend analysis solution” designed to help organizations achieve cost savings.

With around 150 employees, Insight Sourcing Group is firmly in the boutique category. The company has been consistently ranked as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. since 2008. In 2017, Vault ranked it the #3 best boutique consulting firm.

Insight Sourcing Group Careers

So, you’re interested in Insight Sourcing Group careers. Is the firm the right one for you? What are exit opportunities like? What is the career path at Insight Sourcing Group? What industries does the firm serve? We’ve got answers to these questions and more.

Practice Areas

• • Spend Assessments
  • Strategic Sourcing
  • Spend Visibility & Analytics
  • Procurement Transformation
  • Category Management
  • Supplier Diversity
  • Enterprise Energy Solutions

Industries

• • Retail
  • Manufacturing
  • Private Equity
  • Colocation
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Grocery
  • Food & Beverage

Office Locations

If you’re interested in Insight Sourcing Group, office locations are probably at the top of your list of questions to ask about. Looking for a company that can give you global exposure by facilitating office transfers and staffing you on lots of international projects? If so, Insight Sourcing Group probably isn’t the company for you. The company has just one location – in Atlanta, Georgia.

However, Insight Sourcing Group does have global reach in a different way. In 2011, the firm formalized a partnership with German consultancy Kerkhoff Consulting. Kerkhoff Consulting is a small boutique firm with office locations in Dusseldorf, Vienna, Shanghai, Mumbai, Johannesburg, and Tokyo. The company was awarded the prize of top consultant in Germany in 2021.

The partnership enables Insight Sourcing Group to participate in projects around the globe. A typical project is led by an ISG team and supported by local staff who speak the language and are able to lend their knowledge of the local market. However, be aware that a majority of ISG’s projects are U.S.-based.

Career Path

The Insight Sourcing Group career path has three entry points: for undergraduates, experienced hires, and MBA graduates.

Undergraduates:

Insight Sourcing Group recruits for undergraduate hires at colleges around the country each fall and accepts online applications as well. The firm looks for candidates with a Bachelors in Business or Engineering and a minimum 3.0 GPA, plus strong communication and data analysis skills. The company hires undergraduates to work as a Consulting Analyst or an Energy Analyst.

Experienced Hires:

Insight Sourcing Group doesn’t have a specific track for experienced hires but advertises roles as they become available. The firm typically advertises for positions like Consulting Associate, Data Analyst, and Logistics Consultant. These positions usually require several years of industry experience, but qualifications vary for each role.

MBA Graduates:

Insight Sourcing Group hires MBAs as Senior Associate Interns and places them in a manager development group program with the intention of training them for management. This post-MBA role comes with more responsibility (i.e., direct interaction with clients).

Exit Opportunities

One unique aspect of Insight Sourcing Group is that the firm doesn’t have an up or out policy like many other consulting firms. In addition, the firm has a very high retention rate, contributing to the tight-knit culture. What does this say about exit opportunities at ISG?

Because of the narrow scope of the work – sourcing and procurement – exit opportunities aren’t as prestigious or exciting as at pure-play strategy firms. But because of its reputation in the space, Insight Sourcing Group’s exit opportunities are exceptional as they relate to procurement and sourcing within industry. In addition, Insight Sourcing Group alumni have gone on to work at bigger management consulting firms or start their own firms or startups. Former employees of Insight Sourcing Group have gone on to high-profile roles at companies like McKinsey, Ernst & Young, and Kimberley-Clark.

Many who want to work at the more prestigious companies see boutique firms like Insight Sourcing Group as a stepping-stone. If you are intentional with how you approach it, this strategy can work for you if you begin your career at Insight Sourcing Group. Warning: you just might have such a great experience at ISG that you won’t want to leave!

If you want to transition to strategy consulting or corporate strategy out of ISG, it won’t be easy, but with the right approach, it’s possible. Your resume will have to be carefully crafted to display your transferable skills in a way that doesn’t pigeonhole as a procurement specialist only. Work with MC on a resume and cover letter edit – our expert team will frame your experience in a way that will resonate with your target firms.

Insight Sourcing Group Culture

“Close-knit culture of highly intelligent, motivated, and kind people who are also a ton of fun.”
“Collegial culture.”
“Some really great people work here.”

The above Glassdoor reviews – and the firm’s high retention rate – speak volumes to the culture that ISG has developed over the years. If culture is at the top of your “must-haves” in a firm, Insight Sourcing Group should be a strong contender to nab a spot on your personal list of target firms.

Insight Sourcing Group’s culture is a source of pride, and it has the accolades to back it up. ISG has won myriad awards for workplace culture from multiple Atlanta business organizations, Vault, and elsewhere.

Employees specifically reference the access to leadership, a close-knit community feel, work-life balance, professional development, and great benefits as hallmarks of the culture.

Current and former ISG-ers particularly emphasize the fantastic work-life balance at the firm. It’s still consulting, so expect to put in some long weeks here and there, but 100-hour weeks are not the norm. There is very minimal travel involved in the work at ISG, so if you have dreams of travelling the world with your work, ISG is sure to disappoint.

Folks at the firm say one of their favorite things about the work is their colleagues. The organization’s structure allows junior staff to interact with leadership and give feedback, which is received and often implemented. There is a high value placed on feedback – both top-down and upwards – at ISG. The company holds regular happy hours, team-building events, and company-wide retreats to build camaraderie. ISG-ers are a close-knit bunch and seem to genuinely enjoy who they work with, all the way up from junior staff to management.

The company also offers substantial professional and career development support to employees like a robust onboarding program, consulting skills training, and varied benefits. The culture at Insight Sourcing Group certainly ranks in the upper echelon of consulting firms.

Insight Sourcing Group Interview

Insight Sourcing Group takes a detailed approach to interviews. The firm, like most consultancies, is looking for people with analytical acuity and sharp problem-solving skills. In addition, Insight Sourcing Group places an emphasis on cultural fit. Ideal candidates are intelligent, highly motivated, and hard-working team players.

The interview process at Insight Sourcing Group is straightforward. First, it kicks off with a resume review.

Those selected from the resume reviews move to the interview process. The first round starts off with 1-2 phone screenings or 1-2 on-campus interviews. These screens will be a mix of case and fit questions. Those that pass those screens get moved to the second (and final) round.

The second round is an interview “Superday” that takes place at the firm’s Atlanta HQ. You’ll go through ~6 hours of behavioral and case interviews with a range of folks at the firm – from Analysts all the way up to the CEO (in some cases). You can expect to face 2-3 case interviews and 4-6 fit/behavioral interviews.

Insight Sourcing Group’s interview process may vary a bit depending on your education and the position you’re applying for, but the firm stays true to the above process with only a small degree of variance.

If you do well in the interview Superday, you can expect a decision within a few days. For a relatively small boutique, Insight Sourcing Group is very selective in its hires. This is no doubt this is a big reason for why the firm’s community is so tight knit.

Preparing for Insight Sourcing Group’s intense interview process? Leave no doubt of crushing it by working with our team of MBB coaches today. Get started here.

Insight Sourcing Group Salary

Compensation is competitive and in line with other top boutiques. See the average Insight Sourcing Group salary in Management Consulted’s free salary report.

Target Schools

Insight Sourcing Group doesn’t list its target schools for recruiting. Check with your Career Services office to see if ISG holds events and info sessions on your campus. Our bet is that schools in the Atlanta area – Emory, GA Tech, and UGA – are most likely to see an Insight Sourcing Group presence on campus. No matter where you go to school, don’t discount networking in your process!

The firm does also infrequently hold virtual recruiting events – check the calendar. In addition, ISG’s online Career Center offers more careers information and application links.

Diversity Programs

Insight Sourcing Group employees say it takes diversity seriously. The firm regularly holds diversity & inclusion events and has policies in place to ensure an equitable work environment. Women consistently give the firm high ratings on its diversity efforts.

Awards

• Top 25 Consulting Firms – Management Consulted
• #1 Most Innovative Consulting Firm (2016) – Vault
• #1 Boutique Consulting Firm to Work For (2017) – Vault
• One of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies for 10 consecutive years – Inc.
• One of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms (2018-Present) – Forbes
• Top 5 Small Workplaces in Atlanta (2015, 2017, 2018)

Conclusion

Insight Sourcing Group isn’t the most well-known name in management consulting, but it is worth taking a good look at if you are fascinated by procurement work. If that is the case, then the firm’s high marks for culture, work-life balance, and professional development might be enough to sway you to consider Insight Sourcing Group.

If you are interviewing with Insight Sourcing Group, make sure you have your ducks in a row before going into the intense interviews. Work with Management Consulted on your interview prep. We’ve helped thousands of candidates successfully navigate the interview process at hundreds of consulting firms, from MBB to small boutique firms like Insight Sourcing Group. We wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Additional Reading:

• Top 25 Consulting Firms
• Consulting Firm Directory
• Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide