Application Development Associate Review

I really enjoyed my placement - I had 2 different projects which were very different, but both taught me really useful skills, for example, managing my workload effectively, running a virtual Q&A call, writing reports and building relationships with stakeholders. The time spent 'on the bench' (between projects) was less enjoyable but reflecting on it now, I think I am more resilient and persistent because of it. Overall it was a fantastic learning experience and I would recommend it to anyone!

In my first project, there were lots of socials (visit to the town pier, meals out etc.) and I would often get coffee or lunch with others on the project. My second project was disrupted by lockdown, so there weren't in-person socials in the same way, but I still had a good relationship with my colleagues, both from Accenture and from the client team. I also felt valued by my colleagues for my contributions to the project.

I had 3 managers / supervisors over the course of my placement, and a career counsellor. My managers were all very helpful, and I could ask questions when I had a problem, but also try things myself first to see if I could resolve my issues first. My career counsellor was very helpful with tips on training I could do, roles I could apply for, events to go to, and was very supportive when I was 'on the bench'.

Mostly my workload was good - busy enough to not get bored but manageable so I didn't often stay late. Of course sometimes it was busier, but not for a long period of time and it was because of a crucial stage in the project. When I was on the bench I didn't have much to do, except training, but this incited me to try really hard to get a role on a project through contacting people and networking, which was a really good use of my spare time.

In my first project, the Accenture team was much larger so I had less responsibility than in my second project. I was inputting into a weekly report that went to the project Board, but there were lots of others who could help me. In my second project I had more responsibility for my own work, as I was the only Accenture team member doing the task - however I could always ask questions of my manager or the client team.

I have become much more confident in general as a result of my placement, which I think will be a really useful life skill. I also have learnt lots about a work environment - how to write emails, send useful meeting invites, run a virtual meeting, MS Office skills, and relationship building skills. I think I will use these skills in my graduate role and further, as they can be applied in several different situations.

I mainly worked on client sites, both in London and variously around the country. There were lots of socials - meals out, work events, trip to the town pier etc. - during the first half of my placement, which were great to get to know others in the team. During the second half, lockdown meant everyone was working from home, but the atmosphere on calls and in meetings was still very friendly which helped make WFH feel more normal.

The placement was overall very well organised - we had 2 days of orientation before we started 2 weeks of training. I spent rather a while 'on the bench' - partially due to starting in the summer, the way you have to apply for roles means there are fewer roles starting then. I also was the least experienced of the group on my scheme, which probably didn't help. However, I secured a role through being very persistent and applying to lots of roles so it worked out in the end.

I had access to so many different training options on every available topic - for example I did software engineering training, inclusion and diversity training, public speaking / confidence training, project management training and more. I also had the option of in-person training courses, on cloud technology for example, but didn't end up doing this as I found a role starting before the training would finish. I also liked the performance achievement tool as I could get feedback on how I was doing very easily and have a record of what my supervisors had suggested I improve on.

The placement was based in London, which can be very expensive. In order to save money I decided to live at home, which meant I could go out to socialise more as I didn't have to worry about rent, bills or food. However there are definitely more affordable options in London, but you have to look for them - a lot of rooms to rent can be expensive but sometimes things like Facebook marketplace can be useful for this.

Through work there were plenty of volunteering opportunities (to use the 3 charity days we had), for example volunteering at a community garden, in a school or at an event. I volunteered for a CV workshop at a local state school which was really interesting. There were also opportunities to do 'side of desk' work - which could be anything from helping someone with simpler tasks when they had a lot on, to helping organise a work event.