How I found this job:
I first found out about Accenture’s graduate programme in the CAS careers guide. This inspired me to log on to Accenture’s graduate website find out more about the job and the application process.

What factors influenced you to accept this job?
A career in Consulting appeals to me because of the variety of the work. I am keen to work on a range of projects in different industries. I am also excited by the idea that Consultants are expected to travel. In my 6 months at Accenture, I have already visited London and Chicago!

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
The ability to prioritise is very important. It’s essential to be organised and to be able multi-task. The technical and problem-solving skills that I gained while studying Engineering have also proved to be useful.

Most interesting and challenging part of my work:
My current role requires me to collaborate with contacts based in London, Hungary and Egypt. This is challenging because I rarely speak to any of these people in person – I actually haven’t met most of them! It’s really interesting to have the opportunity to interact with people from other cultures and countries.

Advice for current Trinity Students (undergraduates and postgraduates) entering the employment market:
My biggest piece of advice is to tailor your application for the company you are applying to. I can’t stress this enough! Do your homework – the company’s website is just the start. Look for relevant articles on the internet, and if possible talk to people who work there. It may be time-consuming, but research is the best way of making your application stand out from the rest.

Any other relevant information on your career to date?
So far, my career with Accenture has been really rewarding. I have already had many opportunities to work with people from all over the world. I have received extensive training and have learned lots of new skills. I would recommend a career in Consulting to anyone who is interested in a job that is always changing and promotes continuous personal and professional development.

April 2012

BBS (2010)

How I found this job:
At the beginning of my final year in BESS, I began thinking about management consulting as a potential career. I was attracted by its challenging nature and the diverse opportunities it offers. I began researching on the internet and came across the Capgemini website. I also spoke to a number of people in the industry who gave me really positive feedback about the company. From there I began the application process which involves submitting an online application, completing an online verbal reasoning test, a phone interview and finally an assessment centre.

What factors influenced you to accept this job?
I accepted an offer from Capgemini for a number of reasons. Firstly, the company provides you with an opportunity to work on a number of projects across a wide range of industries, from financial services to consumer products and retail. Having the opportunity to gain such experience without having to specialize early on is quite unique. Secondly, Capgemini places a strong emphasis on the learning and development of its new joiners. The comprehensive training it provides throughout the first two years of joining the company was an important factor in my decision to choose this company. Finally, I was also attracted by the support structure Capgemini provides and its open and people-oriented culture. The prospect of training in the Capgemini University in Paris didn’t sound too bad either!

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
Perhaps the most important skill in consulting is the ability to be flexible and adapt to new and often challenging environments. Capgemini has been excellent in the formal training it offers, providing us with the core skills to bring onto our projects such as facilitation, collaborative working and stakeholder management.

Most interesting and challenging part of my work:
So far the most interesting part of working as a consultant is the fact that no two days are ever the same. I am constantly learning new skills and have met such a range of interesting and talented people. Another interesting element of the CDC programme is that we are involved in running the programme giving us the opportunity to really shape and influence our development.

The most challenging aspect has been going into a new environment on a project, developing relationships with people and familiarizing myself with the issues the client is facing. The support network that Capgemini provides and being able to adapt have enabled me to do this.

Advice for current Trinity Students (undergraduates and postgraduates) entering the employment market:
Entering the job market is not easy, especially today. Having gone through the application process, one piece of advice I would give to students is to think carefully about the jobs you want to apply for and why. It may seem obvious but they can be time consuming to complete and so I think it is crucial to prioritize the ones you are most interested in. I started looking in September which gave me plenty of time to familiarize myself with the employment market and what companies are offering. Finally, I really believe in attending networking evenings and graduate events run by companies and by the Trinity Careers service and GradIreland. They are a great way to meet people – you never know where you might meet them again or how they might be able help in the future.

Any other relevant information on your career to date?
While work experience is not essential, may employers are interested to hear about what you have done before applying (work experience, study abroad, volunteer work, sports achievements, society involvement etc.) It may sound clichéd but start thinking as early as possible about building up your CV as it is the one way you can sell yourself and impress potential employers.

January 2011

BA Psychology (2005)
MSc Occupational Psychology (2006) from Cardiff University

How I found this job:
I was always aware of Accenture as a leader in consulting worldwide. I was studying a MSc in Occupational Psychology at Cardiff when an Accenture client I knew personally told me of an Accenture consultant with my background working in his organisation. I spoke to her, researched Accenture and applied via the Graduate process. I was specifically interested in joining the Talent & Organization Performance service line, which is mainly concerned with Organisation and Change Management. Most graduates join Technology consulting. Other service lines include Strategy and Financial and Performance Management.

Training provision in this company:
Training is the best part of joining Accenture! As part of my induction, I spent one week in Dublin, two in London and two in Chicago with 30 other graduates. We had great fun and learned so much about consulting! Now I have a training budget each year and a wide variety of classroom and online training courses are available. Accenture are also supporting me in becoming a Chartered Occupational Psychologist.

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
My roles are generally in change management, including training, communications and organizational design. I find that people skills and good client relationships are particularly important in these roles as I am seeing how people and their jobs are adapting in response to the change. I have worked on projects in the UK and throughout Ireland.

Most interesting part of my work:
The most interesting part of working in Accenture is the variety of roles that we work on. We work with small, medium and large clients across several public and private industries and each Accenture engagement is unique.

Most challenging part of my work:
The most challenging part of my work in Accenture is also the most exciting. Often times on projects, we have to hit the ground running once deployed and come up to speed on what is going on very quickly. Once on the project, situations change, demands for deliverables can be high and time can be short. But I have found that there is always a network of people to turn to for support, help and answers.

Advice for current TCD students entering the employment market:
Think carefully about which direction you want to go in, and if you are unsure of which specific area to enter, consider consulting as it offers an excellent grounding for any IT or business career.

How I found this job:
Milkround in Trinity College.

What my role involves:
Directing and managing Accenture's Corporate Citizenship/CSR agenda around community, environment, workplace and marketplace activities.

Career development / progression in this company:
Graduates start as an Analyst (2yrs). Promotion to Consultant is based on performance. Consultants spend about 3 years at that level before progressing to Manager (4yrs) and Senior Manager (5/6yrs) and finally to Partner.

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:

• Communication.
• Presentation.
• Requirements Gathering .
• Planning and implementation.
• Negotiation.

Most interesting part of my work:

• Variety of work on different projects for different clients.
• Working with many different people in different countries.

Most challenging part of my work:

• Meeting tight deadlines.
• Learning curve at the beginning of every new project.
• Dealing with difficult clients.

Advice for current TCD students entering the employment market:

• Research the industry and specific companies thoroughly.
• Speak to people in the Company before interviews.
• Read and re-read your CV/application form before submitting it.
• Important to instantly give off a good professional impression.

August 2010

How I found this job:
Milkround presentation - thru grad recruitment process.

Training provision in this company:
4 week graduate training programme. Ongoing training (8 days per year) - courses are planned as part of a Personal Development Plan, which is built after reviewing personal, market & project needs.

Career development / progression in this company:
Promoted within 8 months, current timescale for next promotion is 12-18 months.

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
Skills: Interpersonal Skills; presentation skills; teamworking; MS Office package (esp Excel!!!); The ability to write professionally; Proactivity.

Knowledge: Good background knowledge; good business background - know marketing / HR context

Most interesting part of my work:
Dealing with people:- Implementing policy programmes with Senior Managers in the Civil Service; Conducting performance reviews / conducting Business process re-engineering; Designing & delivering training.

Most challenging part of my work:
Dealing with people!!:- Slow decision making in the public sector.

Advice for current TCD students entering the employment market:
You need more than a degree but also need to do extra-curricular activities than give you experience in leadership, teamwork and communications. Being on a project that helps you develop structured thought through having to develop something like an activity plan for a year etc, is also invaluable. Finally, you need to demonstrate, through concrete examples, that you have 'get up and go'! Jobs and firms don't give jobs to people who expect the world on a plate, you have to show that you have a bit of vision for what you want to do and that you're able to go and get that yourself.

August 2004

ooOoo

Scott Ellis

How I found this job:
I met the people from Deloitte Consulting UK at the RDS Careers Fair in Dublin and they really stood out. They were very relaxed and approachable and relayed their personal experiences and impressions rather than what you would read off a website or brochure. It was a very different approach after attending presentations from Accenture and PA Consulting who tried to impress you with branding and who their clients were etc.

Influencing factors in accepting this job were:
Deloitte Consulting UK took Irish graduates very seriously - they came to Dublin to do interviews and the Managing Director was directly involved. You met who you would work with up front, not someone from HR. Having a single point of contact in Irene Oldham was great, it meant you had a face to the name and they let candidates know within 24-48 hours whether they wanted you to join or not. I know that some organisations did not get back to applicants if they weren't interested - an awful way to treat graduates! In addition, the pay was very attractive and the bright lights of London and the allure of international projects with blue-chip clients was a big pull.

What my role involves:
From the start, I was helping clients in planning and delivering complex programmes. Working with highly capable consultants of all levels and often, the client's own teams, I would play a role in supporting the delivery of investment and transformation programmes. What does this mean? Well at first it was planning the various activities and resourcing them appropriately i.e. a typical technology implementation has a business requirements gathering, a technical design development, system and user acceptance testing, and then a deployment/rollout. In parallel, there is usually a large change management aspect i.e. preparing the organisation for the day to day impact of the change in process/technology and getting them to buy-in and adopt. That may sound like a huge scope, but I had some involvement in all those aspects during my first 2-3 years at Deloitte.

Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
All process and technology programmes and projects have a change management impact whether it be covering training and communications or preparing people for a change in the organisation they work in. Irish graduates tend to do well in these areas because they have good people skills and can build effective client relationships. Being able to understand and distill complex problems and relate them in manageable terms is key. You also need to be flexible and open to new experiences - the job can take you into all industry areas!

Most interesting and challenging part of my work:
In regards to the interesting part - the variety of clients has been incredible. I have worked for blue-chip private sector and central government clients in the US and Europe. Each role is different and I have been involved in major news-breaking work, long before it hits the headlines. Although your name will never be mentioned it makes you proud. The most challenging aspect is that you tend to work in new clients and new consulting teams each time you start a new role. You have to be ready to prove yourself again and again, and be aware that the client site may be in the back-end of nowhere!

Advice for current TCD students entering the employment market:
For undergraduates - look around at the potential employers in this sector and their record with graduates. Do they look after them in hard times as well as the good? And what type of experience and opportunities will you be getting in those first few years? Try and talk to those that have taken the path already and then decide. For both undergraduates and postgraduates - look at where you might seek to specialise in consulting, the field is wide, and see how the organisation will support thta growth. Some consultancies are strategy focused and some are technology focused. There's a lot more to it than just that, but you should start thinking 3-4 years down the line now - where do you want to be and which consultancy best matches that?

Any other relevant information?
Having spent a number of years working with Deloitte in the UK, I was approached by Accenture and moved back to Ireland spending a further 2 years with them. Realising that London was more of a home to me now than Dublin, I returned there and now work with Moorhouse Consulting (www.moorhouseconsulting.com), a highly reputable, niche Programme and Project Management advisory services firm. Our consultants all have a minimum of four years PPM consulting experience so there are plenty of people with similar backgrounds to mine.

October 2010

ooOoo