Current Projects

Claire says that so far, she’s worked on a range of different projects, which generally last for around three to four months. For instance, she’s helped a major telecoms company launch a new home entertainment project by contributing to its marketing strategy. She acted as project co-ordinator, which involved setting out all the key milestones at the beginning of the project, working out timescales and looking at all the actions that needed to take place at various stages. She also researched into the marketplace working with professional Accenture researchers. They looked at which technologies competitors were using, as well as the cutting-edge technology the client was using. The fact that she has helped a client push the boundaries of technology is very exciting indeed, and when the new product eventually hits the market, she will be able to say, “I helped get that project off the ground.” Not everything Claire’s done is that glamorous, of course. She has also been involved in the nitty-gritty of how a telecoms network works. This project was much more delivery-focused and very deadline driven, so she found she was dealing with more accountability and pressure.

Working on Global Teams

As part of my training I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in Chicago on consultancy-based training at the Accenture training campus. We were taught all about the key milestones within a project life cycle and tackled real-life scenarios in the context of role plays. This has since proved very useful in my day to day role. The most interesting aspect was however the opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the globe, from Italy to Argentina! It gave me a great insight into the cultural differences that exist in other Accenture offices, as well as the similarities. I am now very lucky to be working on an Europe-wide project. I regularly work with Italian and Spanish Accenture teams in my day to day role and also regularly travel to Italy, Spain and Germany for meetings and workshops. This has without a doubt expanded my horizons and taught a lot about how business is conducted in other countries. Working with Global Teams is a great opportunity

Putting Skills to Work

Claire studied French and German at Cambridge University, and graduated in June 2003. In October of the same year, she joined Accenture and is now working as an analyst in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the Communications and High Technology operating group.

Personal Satisfaction

Claire says that working at Accenture has enabled her to get involved in several activities outside of work. She’s taken part in a charity event within her department: clearing up all the bushes on Clapham Common to help the London Cares organization. “Giving something back is a very positive thing to do, as you know you're doing your bit to help other people, not just your job,” Claire says. Claire has also helped in a negotiation course at a business school in Cambridge, and been Christmas Carol singing at Victoria Station to raise money for a Romanian orphanage. The singing event was organized by a friend of hers who works in Financial Services, and took advantage of the three days’ charity leave Accenture encourages employees to take every year. What’s more, Accenture donated money for each employee that came to the event. Claire thinks it is great that Accenture encourages this kind of volunteering so much. Claire was surprised by how keen Accenture is to ensure a good balance between one’s working and home life. There are a number of schemes that look at, for example, how people could maybe leave earlier, even just one night a week. Claire says it is things like that that make one really feel looked after—and there is lots of socializing too. Claire says she has learnt a massive amount in the time she has spent at Accenture. Everything was so new when she started—the people, the business and the technology. Since then, she has gained a lot of knowledge about the entertainment and communications industries, and she sees herself specializing in that area. There are so many projects and areas to explore. Claire’s advice to anyone applying is: “Make of it what you want. Accenture gives you masses of opportunities to achieve new things—both work-related and non work-related. Even if you’re a humanities student like me, you shouldn’t be afraid of applying!”