Pros
Spencer Stuart is hands down the premier executive search firm among the big players with regard to providing clients with great service. The skills I learned there as an Associate are second to none. No other search firm puts as much responsibility on the Associate as Spencer Stuart does, affording you the opportunity to become highly skilled at the search process as well as managing an ungodly amount of work. For this, I am grateful that I got my Associate training there. Also, much like other reviews of Spencer Stuart, I will also argue that the benefits are outstanding. It is worth mentioning, however, that that will change in the next year or two, so don't make that the basis for why you would want to work here down the road.
Cons
As mentioned in the pros, the company puts an ungodly amount of work on the Associates. I can't speak for all offices, as I'm certain things operate differently in each location, however in the location where I worked you constantly felt like you were drinking from a fire-hose. You are expected to be amazing from the start, and even after you finally get to a point where you are doing a phenomenal job, you are rarely made to feel good about it. The culture is one of "what did you do wrong this time that you could do better next time," even if you knocked something out of the park. I can appreciate this mentality if it's truly a method to develop employees, but sadly that is not the case. Of all the roles at the company, the Associate is the most critical, however they are arguably the most underappreciated, most underpaid for the amount and level of work they are expected to do, and most abused. In my interview I was sold the idea of a good work/life balance when you work at Spencer Stuart. That could not be farther from the truth if you are an Associate in the office in which I worked. The first year I worked until 1am most nights and rarely got to see my husband. Lastly, if you plan on starting as an Associate with the hopes of working your way up to the Partner level, good luck. They will sell you the idea that its possible to get there when you interview with them, but believe me when I say that it is RARE that they ever promote someone to that level from within the organization. Ironically, their hiring standards for Associates are incredibly high. This is such a conflict because they hire the best and brightest Associates and just hope that they never want to move up in the organization, which in and of itself is hilarious. Smart people want to advance in their careers. This is a huge reason why Associates get burnt out and leave after 2 or 3 years.