Consultant Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my industrial placement spent at Accenture. The opportunities presented to me were excellent and I was given a significant amount of responsibility as an intern - much more than I initially would have expected. The training given to us at the beginning of the placement was extensive and I was particularly happy to receive my Excel Intermediate certificate. The people that I met and interacted with were great and I have learned a significant amount from them during my time with the company.

I felt very valued by my colleagues - I was rarely ever treated as an intern, rather at the same level as all of the other analysts, presented with great opportunities to grow and expand my knowledge of consultancy. I was frequently asked to present in client meetings or internal Accenture events, which made me feel very valued from all parts of the teams. The feedback I was given has confirmed that my team members valued the work that I did.

I felt adequately supported throughout my time at Accenture. The amount of support I received from my supervisors and managers was dependent on how much I asked for. They were happy for me to sit down and get on with tasks if I felt comfortable doing so, however they were also happy to lend a hand whenever I felt as though I needed some extra assistance. I received a significant amount of guidance from my supervisor who really took me under her wing to run me through the day-to-day.

This really varied from project to project. My first project was spread over a four month period, so I had a significant amount of work to do, but it was spread over a sufficient period of time. It was only towards the end of the project deadline when I was having to work longer hours and come in to start the day earlier. My other projects were more compact in a shorter time frame; I was rarely bored, more often busy and working hard.

Throughout the majority of my projects I was given a huge amount of responsibility to deal with the client and various stakeholders. On one occasion, my manager was on leave so I had to take her position for 2 weeks - this involved interviewing key client stakeholders on a regular basis. This was initially nerve-wracking, but helped me to build my confidence and grow as a consultant. I appreciated the amount of responsibility that I was given.

In terms of my Economics degree, I did not learn a huge amount that was directly related to it. However, I think this is due to the fact that we learn less relevant topics in my degree. My experience with Accenture will help me in my future life and career as I learnt many transferrable skills which will be of great use to me in the future. For me this is more important than my University degree.

The atmosphere was great - there was little obvious hierarchy and everyone seemed to be friendly the majority of the time. People were always happy to help out if I were to have any major issues and I faced no problems with this. It was great that I could meet MDs for coffees if I asked to and they would offer their time and advice mostly without hesitation. The general atmosphere was friendly and welcoming.

The organisation of the placement was definitely a highlight. The Human resources contacts ensured that we always had something planned to look forward to. Starting with the training and finishing with my last project, I was always clear on what I needed to be doing and what I can do to get myself to where I want to be. The only downfall included the amount of bench time that was associated with my time as an intern - I wish there has of been more preparation for that.

The firm had many opportunities available for those interested in personal development - initiatives such as the mental health allies training and the LGBTQ allies were great. It was easy to sign onto any training courses that you wanted to do in order to develop yourself both personally and professionally. The investment into these trainings was significant and I was very content with the opportunities that were available to all of the analysts and other management.

The prospect of working with Accenture in the future is very appealing to me. I met a lot of great people and built my network throughout my time with the company. There are so many different avenues for progression within the company and it is really the case that with hard work and determination you can get yourself there. I was lucky enough to be offered the graduate scheme and look forward to returning in 2022

Yes, there were a number of social secs appointed to ensure that we had social events planned with the other placement students. I had a great time meeting everyone and will definitely be staying in contact with them going forward. Furthermore, within my project teams we had a number of social events planned and team bonding activities which ended up being really good fun. The Analyst consulting group provided us with an opportunity to meet others of a similar age and stage of our careers.

The cost of living in London was very high! Social events, travel and Eating out etc. costed much more than I was used to; although the salary helped to cover all f this, there was still not much room for saving! I think this can be expected as an intern. I will look forward to living in London on a higher salary as then I feel I would be able to socialise and enjoy living there a bit more.

The nightlife in the area I worked in was sufficient for drinks after work and having a good time with the other placement students, however I would not say that I went out a huge amount in the area directly around where I worked. The great thing about London is that it is very easy to hop on a tube and get to other places in a couple of minutes with not much hassle or fuss.

Yes, there were sports clubs, societies and other groups that were available to get involved with. unfortunately I only joined a sports team as we were about to go into lockdown, so I didn't get the full opportunity to take advantage of this. I also partook in other activities outside of work such as coding club which taught us transferable skills in coding and machine learning. The opportunities outside of work were extensive and I would love to go back to experience more.