Name: Josie Kang
Career level & current role: Consultant
Years with Accenture: 2
Home office: Singapore
Your qualifications & professional background:
What attracted you to Accenture? The opportunity for exciting work and being part of a talented global team. To me, the latter is an important factor, it means I can leverage the extensive skills and experience of my colleagues, i.e. I can learn faster and improve the quality of my work.
What projects have you worked on at Accenture?
What do you find interesting about your work? Our ability to leverage company assets, tools, and the opinons of experts around the globe, to provide solutions to local clients. Each client has unique challenges, so even if you are familiar with the scope of work, you are constantly challenged to ensure your tools and assets work within new cultural landscapes. Additionally, you have to stay one step ahead of your client. It’s also comforting to know that I am never alone on a project. I have the support, experience and expertise of my local and global colleagues to help me if I encounter a particularly tough situation. That makes me wake up every morning and look forward to coming to work.
How have you progressed in your job at Accenture? I think I’ve been able to get up to speed on new projects-roles quickly because of the tremendous support and encouragement of my local and global teams. In particular, my career counselor and senior executive make the effort to ask about the progress of my project and to offer support and assistance where necessary. I find that Accenture has a genuine culture of stewardship and teamwork. I say this because when I ask for help from my service line colleagues, most of whom are strangers and scattered across the globe, help always comes. Accenture people always take the time to help in terms of offering advice, experience, and relevant materials; whatever they can. Once, I had an extremely helpful Japanese colleague send me what was a useful deck, even though he apologized profusely that it was in Japanese language!
What is your perspective on the work-life balance at Accenture? Frankly, I do work longer hours than my friends outside of Accenture. But there are a few reasons for this. First of all, I enjoy what I do. The project I’m involved in at the moment is challenging, stimulating and exciting – so I’m happy to be spending a little time strategizing, reading and learning more about our Accenture assets, even if it means running harder to keep a step ahead of the client. I also love being part of an innovative, goal-oriented team. I enjoy every bit of teamwork, even the simple things like brainstorming sessions – you leave meetings fired up with enthusiasm and with renewed motivation for your project. So if you truly enjoy what you do, then it isn’t work anymore is it?
How do you keep a work-life balance in spite of the the frequent travelling and the long-working-hour environment? I schedule in time-out – just kidding! I hang out a lot with my friends, read, watch movies, travel, I also try to exercise at least three times a week by walking, jogging or swimming. Recently, I bought this great little pictorial book that describes how one can stretch and tone your body. I love it! It’s completely idiot-proof, you follow the pictures and you can do this in the privacy of your home or hotel room. OK, I confess that I spend more time thinking about going to exercise than actually exercising… but it’s the thought that counts right? Ha ha. Plus, I’ve got the picture book and the right clothes and shoes… I am this close to a perfectly fit body!
How would describe your overall experience at Accenture with respect to both your professional and personal development? Professional development: Fabulous! There is so much emphasis on personal ownership of your skills development. There are numerous on-line courses which are not only relevant but interesting, and there are also many opportunities to learn on the job. Once I commented to my senior executive, at the start of a new project, that I didn’t know what was going on. She laughed and replied that once you’re figured out what you’re supposed to be doing on one project, you’d soon be on another project where you have to have to find your feet all over again. Change and constant learning. That’s what I like about the work at Accenture. Personal development: On a personal front, I guess my greatest takeaway has been an increased awareness of what it means to be a team-player and a leader. This comes from observing how our Accenture people display teamwork and leadership at all levels. I like that we are authentic - we practice what we preach, we do what we say (most of the time!). And as I observe how my bosses tackle a difficult people issue, or celebrate individual and team performance, I file mental notes for how I can act in a similar situation in the future.
Last but not least, what advice would you give to a potential applicant of Accenture? This is a fabulous company to work for. Come, learn and grow with us. I’ve worked for six companies, and this is the first I've worked with that practices what it preaches, from the career counselor who is serious about his commitment to developing your career, to the colleagues who offer unquestioning support to help you get up to speed, to the senior executive who is visible in her support of your transition into the firm, and the global team who actually take the time and effort to help you find what you’re looking for.