Technology Analyst Review

The insight was the perfect opportunity for me to gain first hand experience to the technology industry. Having studied History, I'd always known tech was also something I was interested in, but had never done work focused on a specific project. This insight programme really showed me what working at Accenture would be like, as well as the type of projects I'd be able to work on. It also showed me the type of people that the company attracted which was a huge part of why I chose to start my career there in the end. The corporate world often has a stigma attached to it but I can genuinely say through this insight I was proved wrong.

I felt extremely valued during my time at the company. Being one of the more non-technical people, I was very concerned that I would feel out of place and wouldn't fit in, but my opinion was valued at every point during the insight and people were always happy to explain anything I didn't understand. Now that I work here, it's still exactly the same. Although my manager is very senior, he also takes the time to walk me through anything I don't understand and is always keen to get my ideas.

During the insight, every team has 2 Accenture employees to guide us. None of my team had built a chat bot before, but we had all the tools, support and guidance to help us do so. We were helped to reach the answer rather than given the answer which was a really good way of helping us learn and understand why we were taking the actions we were taking. The recruitment team were also on hand to answer any Accenture questions we had no matter how big or small which was nice.

I think one of the biggest skills I developed from the insight week was confidence. I started the week with imposter syndrome worrying about whether I belonged and whether I would feel out of place being a more non-technical person. By the end of the week, this was no longer the case, I had proven to myself that my degree background didn't matter and everyone I met from Accenture had made me feel that I did belong.

The insight was extremely well structed. Every day has a schedule and things ran very smoothly. From everything to actually building our chat bots to receiving talks from senior Accenture employees and getting to learn about their journey and about the company. There was the right amount of everything during the week.

The general atmosphere was actually very bubbly. Everyone had an interest in tech and everyone was keen to learn. Every single person I met was friendly, and being able to say I could happily wake up and work in a team with the people I met is part of the reason I work here now. Working on the chat bot was great, but working on the chat bot with people who supported each other every step of the way was even better. I'm still friends with people I worked with during the insight week and work with them now which says a lot.

Having 2 Accenture mentors (in my team's case, 3) the entire week allocated for each team showed me that the company really did care and the fact so many people were willing to help out with the day showed they were a company that genuinely cared that we got something out of the week, rather than doing mindless work. The constant talks about different technologies and the opportunity to answer questions proved to me that our personal development was important and that it mattered we finished the week having learnt more.

It was a great stepping stone. As the insight was based on a possible project at Accenture, it was great for seeing the kind of work that they do. It also gave me a good insight into how projects would work with different people in the teams e.g. Project Management Office, developers, product owners...etc.

The insight was the biggest thing that convinced me that Accenture had the kind of culture that I was looking for in a company. I already knew they were a huge company doing huge work, but being able to see the type of people that worked there, and the continuous support they gave each other was what made me sure it was the place I wanted to be.

Up until this insight week, I was actually interviewing for law training contracts. This was where I thought I was heading. I knew I had an interest in tech, but I hadn't yet had the experience. Doing this insight week is what led to me realising tech was really where I wanted to be. It's an exciting, innovative field and a company like Accenture couldn't be a better place for me to start that journey.

I wasn't paid but I was reimbursed for my all my train travel during the week which was nice. Accenture contributes up to a certain amount for the entire week's travel.

Yes! The entire week was full of it. Every lunch time, the Accenture employees would come and chat to us and we were able to learn more about the company and the environment itself. There was also a networking evening with pizza, drinks and darts which was a really good opportunity to get to know even more Accenture employees in an informal setting. It was very relaxed and good fun.

They were good! I was constantly chatting away to new people, and at the end of the week, everyone had connected with everyone on LinkedIn. As it was such a friendly environment, it was so easy to walk up to someone you hadn't met before and just strike up a conversation.

Yes, I was told about all the different networks and clubs that Accenture has. There's an LGBT community, African Caribbean community, yoga club, running club, a people advocacy network...etc. I got to learn that within Accenture there's so much more than just the project you're on, and you have the opportunity to get involved in so much!

100% - I already do! I think it's a case of you have nothing to lose by applying to this insight scheme. It's one week long and from that one week experience, I never thought I'd be offered a job and now be working here and genuinely enjoy what I do. That say a lot, and that all came from applying to this insight scheme on the off chance.