Analyst (financial PMO) Review

Accenture deploy resources specifically on a demand basis. As such, whilst on a placement year it is unlikely that you will be able to say where you wish to be deployed when you first start. However your preference of industry sector will be taken into account. During my 12 months I was deployed to BP for 7 months near Heathrow and thereafter RBS in Edinburgh. My experience was particularly special as I gained client facing exposure within subject matter area of finance. The responsibility involved is far more than one could originally expect, you are entrusted and given meaningful work.

This is variable between your deployments and the specific role and account you join. Clearly you have to make the effort to socialise and integrate professionally networking as and when etiquette deems appropriate. Initially one may feel out of the family circle but Accenture teams work dynamically and together and if you work hard and contribute you will soon be treated like family.

Once again this solely depends on the account you join and the manager assigned to you. Initially at BP I had little interaction with my manager. However as I grew in confidence and exhibited my competencies and value to the team, integration and guidance from my manager grew - a coaching and mentoring role adopted. At RBS however, the storey was different. My manager had little time for the team, let alone myself preferring to manage upwards. As such the tasks and role I undertook were mostly self taught! However one must stress this could be an isolated case. Accenture offers a great support mechanism generally through its management and also recruitment and mentoring buddies throughout the placement.

Again this depends on the role you are undertaking. At BP and RBS I always found myself to be very busy, but this was because of the excellent and various natured tasks I was responsible for. Accenture will certainly keep you on your toes - one would say hours are certainly more demanding than 9-5!

I personally was given a huge amount of responsibility on my placement. Whilst I cannot specify precisely my tasks, I can emphasis I was working as financial analyst at BP. As such I was governing large multicultural offshore and onshore teams or resources, whilst maintaining project finances. With my competence assured and trust engrained with my manager this grew to the above and client interaction on contract renewals etc. I was heavily involved with the work place dynamics let's say. As for RBS in contrast I was at the beginning and majority of my tenure given very little responsibility. However covering for someone on leave I expanded my horizons and attained there responsibilities never relinquishing them thereafter!

Accenture focuses greatly investing at least 24 hours of training per year into its employees and interns. The roles you undertake all carry important life skills such as being able to effectively communicate and work in teams to emotional intelligence. The placement solidifies concepts from university and reinforces pre existing skills also. Hugely beneficial.

This again relates to certain accounts. Based on my experiences both BP and RBS divisions I worked in although subscribing to the Accenture way (Accenture's culture) had very different atmospheres. At BP for example whilst everyone was very busy and hard working the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. Professional is the best word to describe this here. However in contrast at RBS whilst everyone worked hard the atmosphere was slightly more tense and hostile yet the team was much more lively and youthful. As such this had a different synergistic spark.

Accenture HR who you will interact with throughout your placement do a very good job. They will form your point of contact for non project issues. Moreover with reference to second engagements, normally you will choose your position and account. HR will only step in if issues arise.

As mentioned Accenture provides around 24 hours training for employees per year. However as an intern not all training a were applicable and those costing money not permitted. However, the firm invested significantly in myself in terms of responsibility and trust which helped me gain practical skills whilst working.

Depending on your performance you will be assessed for a job after graduation. The end result will be fed back to you by HR in an exit interview. It is recommended to always touch basis with your mentor/buddy or manager to ask for feedback and feed forward to help you excel. Accenture start returning graduates as analysts as they do for any new joiner unless they are professional hires. Promotion aspects occur after 2 years.

Personally I did not get to interact heavily with any other interns whilst on placement (deployed on project). However Accenture holds regular events for interns (e.g socials) to ensure networking links are formed and friends keep in touch.

As I mentioned with a quite full schedule socialising was not a large part of my placement. With reference to living costs Accenture provide all interns with a relocation bonus of £500 when first starting. However any deployment within London or external with fast train connections will not be reimbursed by Accenture (e.g travel costs). However on occasions such as my experience at BP (since it is technically right on the edge of London zones and I drove 2 hours each way to reach client site every day) my petrol was reimbursed. This is project specific however and not all projects would reimburse this. If you are working on an account out of town e.g my deployment to Edinburgh for RBS, Accenture will cover the cost e.g hotel, flights, food.

This was not experienced.

At Accenture we have many societies as such whether this ranges from polo to chess. These clubs are all very inclusive and participation is encouraged during a discussion in your first week. Accounts also do their own activities non central to Accenture. At BP for example football was common weekly on Wednesday or dinner on Thursdays within the team. At RBS for example social Wednesdays were the norm whether that's running clubs or grabbing nandos!