Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lucy Morgan and I work in Accenture and joined last year, so I am a slightly junior member of the team, but I am based within Accenture within the outsourcing part of the company around transformation and transitions, which is basically us taking over a section of a company and setting up that running process.
Return to topWhat is Consultancy?
To me consultancy is when a client comes to a consultancy firm with an issue or problem or something that is slowing their business down and ask that consultancy firm to solve that issue and then that firm will them take away the problem and really analyse it effectively and look at a way to come up with a solution that is going to basically take that business and take it forward so it is really making businesses more efficient and effectively improve their bottom line.
Return to topWhat attracted you to this career?
When I joined university I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do and what really drew me to consultancy is that it is just so broad. You know you are dealing with so many different clients in so many different situations and as a consequence of that you really build up a very high level of skills in different areas so I like the idea that it is varied, I work in different places with different people and consequently really build up a good idea of perhaps what I want to do later on.
Return to topWhat does your job involve?
Within consultancy I am based within outsourcing in the company and what that means is companies basically come to Accenture and want us to run a section of their company for them. So what my team does, once we have taken over that part of the company coming in, think how do we set up them becoming Accenture employees effectively, how do we re-change them, what they are doing to make it more effective, so that the company gets the best out of them and how do we manage the change. Effectively I am involved with change and change management in setting up outsourcing deals.
Return to topWhat do you do on a typical day?
Typically I spend four days a week at clients and then the last day in London and we only use that day in London to maybe catch up on maybe confidential information or stuff that you shouldn’t be at the client site for. A typical working day I normally get in to the office at 8 to 8.30. Always the first thing I do is check my emails, remind myself of my meetings for the day but there will always be during the day a catch up with my manager just to check we are on track. So at the beginning of the project you have a massive plan with your deliverables given to you and throughout that it really manages your time, you have catch up meetings with perhaps the client to resolve issues or talk about different things you might need to be aware of, catch up with your internal teams find out how everyone is doing, and the day to day on the ground activity, so an example at the moment I am designing a training pack to advise employees we are working with and how this change is going to affect them on a day to day basis. So the changes they need to be aware of so the nitty gritty of what you have to do that is obviously taken up with the rest of the time.
Return to topWhat are the specialisms within your industry?
When you first join you are really given the opportunity to join a really generalist group called Accenture Consulting Group and what that means is you can bounce around different areas of the company on different deals. So for example the kind of different areas you can work in, one would be strategy, that is very much a high level overview of what companies are doing and how you can basically improve their focuses and make them more effective. Another area is supply chain looking at how you improve the supply and processes involved with that within the company. There is also an area called talent and organisational performance management, so again it is change management and the effects of change on the people within the company. And other areas involve more in technology so what changes will need to go underneath the actual technology underlying all the company needs. So they are the main different areas you can work in. Mine is obviously more around the change management side of those areas.
Return to topWhy outsourcing and change management?
At university I studied psychology, and I am really interested in people and people in business and how they work operationally, and I think that I chose this change management area because it is much more people-facing that some of the other areas it is more about the effects of anything we are doing upon the employees. I just think that is really interesting because fundamentally you can help people and help how they are working, which ultimately leads to a better business at the end of the day. So I really like it because it is very on the ground and just requires a lot of common sense with I think is fantastic in your working day.
Return to topDescribe the process of your work?
For example one client I worked on they came to us and said we don’t really want to run this area of technology we are working on, it is not that relevant to the business core of what we are doing and we basically think Accenture can manage it better and take our resources away to look after it more effectively. So we looked at the area of the company and said ok what needs to happen to those 700 people for us to be managing them, so from a service point of view what do we need to do to understand what they are doing? So we have gone in, documented what they currently do, looked at that and said actually that is really ineffective, they could do this or change that, so looking at what they do as a service and how can we manage that more effectively. A whole team will be looking at that and implementing the change. Then my team will look at what effect is that going to have on the people, what do we need to know or what do we need to tell them has changed and how do we manage their expectations and the structure, are we going to rearrange the organisation based on these changes? Then going forward once all that planning has been done, we have a three or four month period where they physically change from being the clients to working for Accenture so changing everything from their terms and conditions, changing perhaps their systems to update things like their IDs and that process sounds simple but can be incredibly complicated so that will span a period of three months. Generally these two team will then disappear and a new team of managers will come in and manage that group of 700 people and make sure that service that is meant to be provided is run really really effectively and they will keep communicating back to the client to make sure we are hitting the service requirements, making sure we are basically doing a good job and that the client is obviously still happy and that sort of service can be held with the client for up to ten, twenty years really depending on how the client feels the relationship is going or what their business is basically doing. So that is a broad overview of how it works and the typical problems we are faced with.
Interviewer: So essentially they will then become Accenture employees? Do they stay on site and you guys will just run them as a section, basically?
Yes they would remain in the place of employment they worked before, it might be a change of area but they would be working in their old building for Accenture in a sort of Accenture area, managed by Accenture managers in that building, we call them units and basically we have loads of different units around the country which are Accenture run and areas that are being outsourced for us.
Return to topWhat are the best bits about your job?
I love two things, I love that is so varied, you know every three to four months you have created something and you have finished something, it is really tangible and you can really see the effect you had, you can walk away from a clients site and think you really have done a great job and you have made a difference. The other thing I really love is seeing the effect it has eventually on the employees, it is very people-facing and it is very on the ground and you have to deal with real emotion I think because people don’t like change and it is really interesting taking them through almost a change curve but you can really see them at the end and see them at the beginning and just know that Accenture has done a really good job, it is really rewarding doing that.
Return to topWhat are the worst bits about your job?
Sometimes you have to tell people hard things, where you have to make difficult decisions, that in itself is really challenging. Sometimes the hours can be long - in reality I haven’t have that many really long days but you have to deliver and at the end of the day we are the face of Accenture so you can’t let the side down you have always got to be there, but I think that it is great discipline as well. I think the worst bit as well is being aware of not saying yes to everything and knowing your own boundaries, so just making yourself aware and managing your own time effectively around that but generally I would say it is pretty good.
Return to topDo you find companies resistant to change?
I think before we are at the client's site a lot of planning and a lot of discussion will be going on so the top management is very much aware of what they want and what they think would make a better company along with us so that sort of decision making and that kind of change is collaborative with the business first of all but I think how they filter that change of communication down really does effectively respond to you. Generally I have been on deals where it is pretty well managed and the clients and employees have been supportive from a very early stage so inevitably you do get some resistance to what you are trying to do but the longer you invest with the employees the more time and more workshops and more communications you do you can bring them round. I am sure there is a resistance of typical consultants coming in trying to change everything, I am sure that is the case, but the way it is communicated is really important and obviously if you let them know that it is for the greater good and actually is helping them at the end of the day and is making them more effective and efficient business then often they come around.
Return to topWhat has been your greatest achievement?
I think coming from a psychology background and a non-technical background, I was a bit dubious of going to an IT consultancy firm but, you know, I really like technology but am just not that skilled in it. And my first project I was asked to effectively design a website which was an information point for people to go to and get training materials and find more about the project. Being asked to design that was incredibly daunting because I don’t know any kind of website design stuff so was very much thrown in at the deep end. But it was absolutely amazing at the end to see that I could do that and looking at it and getting positive feedback and thinking, I can be an IT geek too. I think doing things like that and thinking at the beginning you can’t do something and then at the end getting support and actually finishing the product is really rewarding.
Return to topAny regrets?
I think if I went back to university before I applied to Accenture, I think I would have invested more time in thoroughly researching every industry. I chose consultancy very quickly and I think it would have been good to get some knowledge of what other people in other industries do, however I think in reality I would have ended back at consultancy as an end point so I would just say it is worthwhile really researching effectively so you just know exactly why you have chosen that career.
Return to topWhat is the pay like and are there any perks?
The pay is really good, when you start in the company you start on 31k but you also get given a 10k sign on bonus, which is obviously very helpful. Then going on from that, you are incrementally increased based on your grade and promotions and the promotions are all based on performance so they just look at the high performer you started with and effectively get them up the system so there is massive opportunity to really grow and get good benefits as a result of that. In terms of other benefits, Accenture is really great at giving other benefits, like the share scheme, we get health insurance but one thing I particularly like is every month they give us £30 towards our gym so it is an incentive to go and keep fit.
Return to topHow long is a working day and do you have to work out of hours?
The working hours are really variable depending on the client and it is very interesting thinking back on the various projects I have worked on and the hours I have had to do, I would say an average day, most people get her at 8.30 and really the office is pretty much deserted by 6-6.30, which is really good I think. People are very good at managing their time and being effective. Other deals I have worked on I have had to get in at 7-7.30 sometimes finish at 9 or 10, again it is up to you and how much workload you take on and also how you manage your manager effectively you know if you say I have got way too much to do, they are very supportive of that, it is not a banking industry, you are not expected to work all night, in fact, of all the people I started with, I don’t know anyone who has stayed up all night or ever worked a weekend so it is really reasonable. You know you do work hard but you are really rewarded for that as well so I think it is really fair.
Return to topIs there much in the way of travel?
We are travelling every week, you are always going to where the client is, it maybe that your client is in London in which case it is slightly less glamorous. Currently I am working in Manchester, but I have friends who work in Madrid, one friend who is currently in Australia, so the travel opportunities are absolutely huge because of the fact that we have so many delivery centres all over the world. My last deal I had the opportunity to go to Buenos Aires, unfortunately it fell through, however I could have gone. I think you have to be very hands on and be wherever the client is and so they really encourage that you are open to travel and prepared to work away from home.
Return to topDo you have to be based anywhere in particular?
You are assigned to an office which means effectively that is where you go back to on a Friday so I am based in London; we also have a Manchester office and an Edinburgh office so you can be assigned to one of those three. As a graduate actually it is normally just London or Manchester and then from there that is where your base is. So if for example if I was working in Spain, every week, I would come back to London. If you are working in Manchester, they like to give you deals around that area but it might be you come to work in London but effectively it just means that wherever you are away you get a hotel. So if I go to Manchester I get a hotel, if a Manchester employee came to London they get a hotel.
Return to topWhat is the working environment like?
In terms of demographics I would say it is really well mixed, originally consultancy was very much a male based career and if you looked at the company there would be more guys but there are a lot of females. When I started my group was 50% girls and boys and I think they are making a huge effort to ensure it does appeal to everyone really, it has a fantastic diversity lead and there are loads of opportunities to get involved in a different group so you have got different religious groups, different culture groups and that really attracts people I think because they know they are not a minority there are opportunities for everyone to get involved in different areas and they are very supportive in respecting different cultures and respecting different people’s belief systems. It is a really varied workforce which I think is really great. Then in terms of work attire it is office casual, which is pretty ambigious so what that means is that guys wear a suit without ties and girls wear skirt and tops and knitwear, it is generally quite relaxed it is not too formal. However we are encouraged to match whatever client we are on so if you are working in a very formal setting you are encouraged to match that setting. I have a friend who went to work for a media company and every day she went to work in jeans so it is dependent on where you are working but generally it is quite smart.
Return to topHow did you get into your job?
You have to get a 2:1 to get into the company however, in terms of the degree that you have done it is really varied - I think it is just about showing you have the competencies before you come into the company so a massive emphasis on extra curricular activities have you done while you have been at university that shows you have been part of a team or shows you have been challenged and could fit within the consultancy picture, so I did psychology but I have friends that did technology, friends who did history, you know, a real mixture of backgrounds and really it is just about the grade and what else you did at university that is important.
Return to topWhat's the application process like?
The application process starts online, so effectively it is like writing your CV in Accenture format online basically, and you go through that process and answer the questions which are specific to Accenture so really just testing if you have read the website and that will lead to a first round interview which again is really drawing on your skills and competencies and looking at your aptitude to cope with case studies and the kind of work that we deal with at Accenture. So that is your first round interview and if that is successful, you go through to a second round which is half a day assessment centre with perhaps ten of you on the day, you do various group exercises and you are watched in a group situation to see how you deal with case studies and how you cope in pressurised situations under a time condition. That would effectively lead you to a graduate scheme. I did an internship which was a second year at university I took part in an eight week programme and you basically go through the same situation as graduates, ie first round interview and second round interview and then I did the internship. We also do a scheme for once you have left university and you want to test the market a bit, it is a bit like an internship for graduates, it is twelve weeks and it is a try before you buy scheme where again you go through the whole process of a normal graduate but you are on a project for three to four months and it gives you a really good insight of what it is like working in the company, I don’t think you get that in a two or three day work experience, that is something else they do. Another thing is a gap year programme for students doing their gap year after leaving school which again is allowing them to work within the company on the clients’ side for six months and then if they are successful they can work every summer holiday throughout university and hopefully if they are good enough get a graduate job at the end of it.
Return to topWhat are the key skills required for your job?
I think the key skills are that you are flexible and highly organised. Flexible in terms of, you could be asked last minute to go up to a client at the end of the country or abroad. You may be working with clients who are very different at the end of the day so you have really got to understand what they do and be open minded to their suggestions and open minded to the situation you are dealing with because although you know ideally every project is similar, the client is always so different and kind of taking that into account and taking account of all the variable issues means that you do need to be really flexible.
Return to topWhat's your top tip for breaking into your industry?
My top tips for getting in is just be really knowledgeable and really be insightful of what Accenture does so if you are really keen. You need to read the website and just understand that this is what you really want to do. I think that people that apply on a whim just to see if they get in they are the ones that are really noticeable and are got rid of at the application process. I would say really make sure this is exactly what you want to do and read the website and speak to people and ask questions and get as much information as you can and then when you are going through the application form just be really thorough and pay attention to detail because there are a lot of forms but it is really easy to identify people who have spend five minutes on the application form or a good couple of days to make sure it is perfect. I think speaking to people in the firm is really important, the website gives you a fair amount of information but actually it is easy for the GHR team to fix you up with someone to speak to you more about what we do and how we work. Use your initiative really just go beyond what another graduate would do, read the website, speak to people, and maybe come along to one of our open days.
Return to topWhat's the career progress and how quickly can you move up the career ladder?
I joined a year and a half a and it is amazing to think it how much my responsibility and the area I am working in has development you just grow so quickly. When you start you are an analyst for about a year and a half to two years and depending on performance again and how well you do in that, then as a consultant. You might be a consultant for three to four years before you become manager, and then senior manager after that, again three to four years, and then finally partner. So actually you could get to partner in about twelve to thirteen years if you are always hitting every career level at each point, which I think is really fast progression. In terms of responsibility you are given more and more at each stage and you can take on more, and the idea is to show you manager that before you get promoted to the next level, you are able to cope with that change and they really give you an opportunity to grow. It is a firm that is all about change and all about developing people forward so if you are a high flier and you want to progress this is a great place to work because you are very much encouraged to.
Return to topWhere do you see the industry going?
I think the industry is always really dynamic within consultancy especially just because of the changing market place you are constantly having to re-evaluate to look at what they can be doing more effectively and efficiently in order to be in line with their competitors, so I always used to read the Financial Times actually, the financial section gives you a really good idea of what companies are doing and you spot trends though that. Then particularly in technology obviously that is a huge growing area and you see trends in market places that one firms has got a new system which is finding out about that area really helps, and then outsourcing, that has been a hugely growing area recently and people are turning to outsource parts of their business and re-look at the way they manage their business and it allows them to focus more effectively on the core of what they do and they can give the satellite areas effectively in their work and offshore to other people so as a result of that more and more companies are switching on to that is keen business and as a result. I just see our business constantly being saturated at the moment.
Return to topIs there scope for movement during or after this career?
I think the main transferable skill you develop is project management really and that is a generalist skill but within that you are encouraged to build a specific knowledgeable around specific areas to do with the different areas you work in or the different sectors so for example you might be really hot in the technologies we are rolling out or I might develop really good skills in change management and people in change within companies. So I think those hardcore skills are very transferable into the areas you work in. Often when you work with a client you can often see where you might fit in to their organisation so that is hugely beneficial. In terms of moving on, you do work with loads of different companies and clients and it does allow you which area you want to go into and you can tailor our career to manage that perhaps you are always going with financial side of these companies or you are always working with the products companies if that is an area you are interested so you can tailor to be specific to an area so you can go and work somewhere else which is obviously a real benefit.
Return to topWhat are the industry resources that someone interested in joining must know about?
My manager very much encourages us to read the FT, I personally always read People Management because I think that has loads of good articles on sort of change and trends within industry. I imagine the different areas of our companies, if you are in the sector of financial services they would want you to be reading the FT and finding out what is going on so it is about you specialising in the area you have channelled and the regular clients you are working with effectively. But we get regular emails and communications within the company from the different leaders in different areas, sourcing documents or sourcing information or relevant articles, which keeps you on track and similarly we have really regular events and training opportunities where if there are trends or information we need to know they will get key speakers in to update us on various industry things we need to be aware of.
Return to topIf you weren't in this career, what would you be doing?
I don't know, I think it is I really important for me to be client facing and I think I would want something that is really solution orientated, so perhaps an industry that perhaps encompasses that. I always liked the idea of advertising and marketing or an estate agent because I am quite nosy, so I don't know, in that kind of area maybe, or personnel, HR stuff.
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