Analyst Review

I worked on two different accounts whilst I was at Accenture. Whilst the work was challenging and there was a good team atmosphere, the lack of influence we had over which activities we got involved with is something that could be improved. As Accenture work with such an array of clients, someone may be really interested in say digital work, but with little interest in baking and financial services. It would be good if we could have more of a say as to where we would like to be placed as the range is so large.

I felt highly valued throughout - there is a real sense of teamwork and appreciation. Although everyone has their won roles and responsibilities, you come together and work as a team. We also had some team building activities, such as go karting and dinners out, which really helped. This is especially the case when you work out of town as you spend most of your time with the team so developing relationships is key.

I found myself highly supported by management within each of my roles. They will always have time for you, and even the other team members who are not your manager will happily put some time aside to review your progress, provide thoughts on development areas and help you if required.

I rarely found myself without tasks to do. It would be normal to work from 7.30am - 7pm, and then when you get back to the hotel after work you may be expected to put a few hours in before bed as well. Don't come to Accenture if you're afraid of hard work - they do push you with regards to working hours and expectations. However, as the whole team are putting the same hours in, it feels more like a team effort rather than exploitation of the intern.

As previously stated, Accenture management do grant interns a considerable amount of responsibility - however they will help to guide you through it if you are stuck or confused. It was nice to be granted such responsibility and trusted to do your work to a high standard - especially when you're in a client-facing role. This was the case with my role as it involved international liaison with many senior client stakeholders.

I believe undertaking a working placement is invaluable. Not only does this provide you with business skills to equip you in the future, but social skills and knowing how to approach different people, trying out different communication skills depending on personality types... Of course alongside improved ICT and technology skills.

I worked in three different offices during my placement. The Accenture office in Fenchurch St, London, is quite modern with a nice atmosphere. There is free hot drinks and fruit and you can set up at any computer, so you have autonomous responsibility. However, client sites differ dramatically. One of my clients had a quite dreary office with little natural light and outdoor space, however there was more of a light-hearted atmosphere. The other office was very large but quiet and had little character. It really does depend.

The placement was well organised, in terms of a weeks training at the beginning to integrate you into the Accenture way of work. However, placement allocation was not that well organised, although this is tricky for HR as it does depend on business demand. One element that could definitely be improved is the grad scheme offer. Most interns get offered a place on the grad scheme, however the start dates we were given vary hugely, with no space of flexibility. This means that whilst I barely get a summer once I graduate, other friends have 6 months - 1 year off before starting the grad scheme, with HR giving no flexibility on this.

We had a week induction which was very useful. Other than this, all other training was on the job, however when entering new projects we always got a thorough overview and introduction to the account. Other skills, including ICT skills and teleconferencing etc, were taught as we went along. There was also opportunity to do courses online – although few people I know actually did due to their high workload.

The grad scheme is a great programme, where similarly to placement activities, as a team you develop solutions to a variety of complex business problems, working with clients to identify market opportunities that shape their businesses success. This could involve how our clients’ organisations manage their people, processes and technology. Most interns get offered a place on the scheme - it is well regarded and pays well.

There were intern socials organised and socials with your teams - I often found that if you take it upon yourself to organise something, the team are more than happy to attend. You just need someone to put the wheels in action.

London is an expensive place to live.

London has a great nightlife - on client site this may be a different story, but you're not there in the week to party.

If you work out of town, there is a lot more going on after work. In London, people have their own lives to get back to so there is less socialising outside of work.