Interviews
Name: Jack Cahalane
TCD Qualification: B.A. Physics & Astrophysics (2016)
Title: Management Consulting Analyst at Accenture
About: After graduating from Trinity I re-joined Accenture in September 2016, having previously completed a summer internship there, as part of their graduate programme as a Management Consulting Analyst. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and outsourcing. I work in their consulting practice and am currently based in a leading Irish financial institution.
What is your favourite Trinity memory?
The Sunday morning spins with the Cycling Club were probably some of the best experiences I had in Trinity. We’d meet at Sports Centre far too early for a Sunday then head out to wherever in Wicklow or Meath there was good coffee and a half decent hill on the way. Best of all, when you’d arrive home you’d feel free to eat anything and everything. Although some of my worst experiences in Trinity were on the spins getting caught in freezing rain in January 50 km from home.
Were you involved in any extracurricular activities here?
I was very active in the Cycling Club, and represented Trinity in a number of races but I never got anywhere near the podium. In my final year I was also active in the Triathlon Club, I don’t know how I got up for the 7am swims. I was class rep for Physics for my final two years, and did some debating in my first year.
What role did Trinity play in getting you to where you are today?
It has played a huge part. I first heard about Accenture at the Maths/Physics career fair in second year, my GradLink mentor was an Astrophysics graduate who worked at Accenture and my Careers Advisor in Trinity previously worked for Accenture. As a result, these mentors were able to tell me all about what Accenture did and also what the company would be looking for in its graduates. This was invaluable knowledge to me not just when my interview came around but when I actually started working.
Trinity and Astrophysics provided me with far more than just networking opportunities. I knew from day one in Accenture that Trinity had taught me the problem solving skills that I needed to succeed in my new career in management consulting. The best advice I got in Accenture is that the management consulting is 20% hard skills, 80% soft skills. Astrophysics gave me a solid set of hard skills and together with all of my extracurricular activities, I had a decent set of soft skills. I have learnt though, that it’s more difficult after university to build up your hard skills than your soft skills - so the hard skills I learnt in Astrophysics are invaluable to me.
What advice would you give to current students that are about to graduate/enter the job market?
It’s very easy to make connections and get great mentoring while in Trinity. Every week there is a different potential employer giving a presentation so start going to them and build an idea of what type of company you would like to work for. Talk to your Careers Advisor throughout your time in university as genuinely they are an invaluable resource. Also, reach out to alumni from your course to hear what they’ve learned from their experience of transitioning from studying at Trinity to working. If you are targeting a certain firm, try reach out to any alumni that work there. To get an insight from current employees will not only help you for the interview but also assist you in deciding if you really want to work for that specific company. One final thing to always keep in mind when applying for jobs is, what makes me stand out? Honestly, in some interviews I’ve spent more time talking about doing competitive Irish dancing for a decade than my academics or previous experience, so don’t restrict yourself to just those in applications or in interviews.
How do you stay connected to Trinity as an alum?
I mainly stay connected through all of my Trinity friends. I am also keen to start helping Physics students navigate the often overwhelming array of career choices you have with a physics degree, everything from medical physics to finance.