Emily Griffiths - Accenture - February 2008
Emily is currently on the Horizons Scheme, an eight month internship prior to going on to read Management at St Andrews. The clients she has worked with are M&S (out in Stockley Park, nr Heathrow) and Vodafone (in Newbury). Accenture offers a range of internships, including both gap year and industrial placements.
- Where did you hear about the job?
I attended a careers day (run by ISCO), which was very informative and stimulated a lot of enthusiasm in all attendees. The day explained what life was like working for Accenture and the huge number of opportunities available on the eight month scheme, which runs from September to the beginning of May. It also highlighted the great rewards and pay (£20,000 pro rata salary and £1,500 travel bursary!) and innovative ideas of what you can do with the 4-5 months prior to university.
Accenture is a highly regarded company that doing an internship with them will stand you in good stead for the rest of your career. All universities and business schools strongly promote any link or contact with Accenture and it’s one of the first companies that they mention in marketing literature, at open days and in career talks.
- What was the application and interview process like?
The application and interview process is challenging and is the same process for graduate applicants. This is, however, really beneficial because being rigorous the application, interview and assessment process are good practice. Those that are offered will know they’ve done really well to get through; those who are unsuccessful will be well prepared for future interviews and know what to expect.
There is an on-line application form, it’s worth researching the Accenture website thoroughly and taking time to complete it. Once through you will be offered a first round interview; if successful you’ll be short listed for an assessment day. Before the interviews make sure you really think about key competency questions and research Accenture so you can go to the interview prepared.
- What does your role entail?
I have been in the Project Management Office (PMO) team for both of my roles. This is useful to start with as you quickly get an overview of your project. You get lots of interaction with the rest of your team which helps build strong Accenture and client relationships and it makes your experience that much more rewarding.
Working in the PMO team, you help the Project Manager ensure the project runs on time, on budget and with all deliverables met (work agreed in the contract). You’ll assess risks and issues which could affect project delivery, check that all actions agreed in meetings are followed up and completed and guarantee that deliverables produced are of the expected standard. I’ve also found that I receive quite a lot of work from my colleagues, which is great as time flies when you’re busy and you get a great range of experience and challenging work.
- What have you learnt so far?
I have learnt a lot about the IT structure of multinational companies. My IT skills have improved beyond imagination, putting together presentations and documents which are used in important meetings. My confidence and presentation skills have improved greatly, I have had to present to senior executives which can be a daunting experience at first but although it’s a steep learning curve, you quickly get the hang of it!
- Best part?
The teams that I have worked with have been fantastic. All Accenture employees are of a high calibre and I’ve felt really privileged to work with them. They willingly answer any questions and treat you as a complete equal (even though you’re younger than them and have very little business experience). The team events and night outs are also great fun to organise and participate in. Being on an out of town project is fantastic for saving up, I currently have no costs at all and yet I’m staying at the Hilton four nights a week and can have very nice meals every night. Life is good!
- Worst part?
I live in the middle of Wales so Monday mornings are always tough, I have to get up at about 4am and travel four hours to get to Newbury. This, however, is not a problem for anyone else, as they don’t live in the middle of nowhere, like me! It is recommended that you have accommodation in London so you can travel anywhere. I can however get around this by getting a flat in Newbury (all paid for of course by Accenture) so that I have a base at weekends. Some weeks I can work from the London office or home on a Friday so the Monday morning start isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds!
- What advice do you have for students looking for a placement?
Make sure you do your research! You’re that much more likely to be offered a placement if you know exactly why you’re applying. It sounds simple but it’s really critical in securing the job.
Find out about all aspects of the role (That will always give you some tips!), which societies you might join, what rewards and benefits you get and so on. Joining clubs lets you benefit from the social side of the company and makes your placement that much more fulfilling.
Go for it! A placement is fantastic experience and will make a huge difference to the rest of your career. Accenture have paid me very well and you will also have the chance to do some serious travelling before going to university! I’ve just booked my flight to Australia and have no worries at all about how I’m going to finance it!
In my opinion it’s the best gap year you can have – a fantastic job, great money and plenty of time to travel.
The RateMyPlacement Team would like to thank Emily once again for her time and effort.
