Never before have we had access to the networking tools that we currently have on the internet. I would encourage any professional in any industry to use these tools. However, the key is to use them wisely.

Why network:
The goal is to attempt to make connections with those in your industry that may be able to open doors in your career that you would otherwise not be exposed to. You may also have the opportunity to gain knowledge as it relates to your industry and skill set.

I am a Technical recruiter, that’s what I do… I don’t think I ever said, “When I grow up, I want to be a recruiter” I fell into it. I liked to tinker on the internet, which led to internet research, which morphed somehow into finding programmers pre- dotcom boom.

I have never formerly said thank you to all the candidates that I have talked with that have both inspired and educated me. Over the years, I have had the privilege of talking with some pretty sharp individuals that introduced me to a concept, or idea, that stayed with me long after our initial conversation had ended. Nothing has touched me more than someone discussing an algorithm with a sense of deep appreciation, not unlike that felt when admiring a great work of art. It was that appreciation and gratitude for their craft…. That has inspired me throughout the years.

Thanks to Lynn Smith for her assistance on this.

During the interview process, most of us are focused on selling ourselves to our interviewer, and we are often a bit nervous. Some of us clam up when we are nervous, a number of us do the opposite, and we talk too much. Some of us our very comfortable during the interview process, but I would venture to say those folks are in the minority.

Lynn Smith recently spoke with Imrana. She is an employee in our NE practice. Thank you both for your time.

What do information technology and standup comedy share in common? Just like a well defined project and a great punch line ….It's all in the Delivery

I receive scores of resumes every week from folks looking for a job within Accenture. Most (all should) have a cover letter attached. A good cover letter is short, concise, and lays out exactly what you are looking for and why you are qualified. It should give the recruiter a reason to call you. Following are some specific recommendations.

1) Proofread your cover letter and don't be afraid to use spell check. "I excell in many areas" or " I am called a perfectionist because when I do something if it is not perfect I will redo the hole thing" are good examples.

To someone outside of the company, Accenture can be a bit complicated to understand. Prior to applying for a role with Accenture, A great place to start is our careers page, Accenture Careers by Workforce. Here you can find opportunities by workforce, skill, high level information regarding the recruitment process, and where you fit in.

Accenture offers an interactive tool on the skills match page that can assist you in determination of a potential “best fit” within our organization based on the answers you provide. Accenture Technology Solutions - The workforce I recruit for offers a number of resources that can help you understand our organization, and where you fit in. Subscribe to our monthly newsletters. For instance, if you are interested in a career with Accenture Technology Solutions, subscribe to the ATS Newsletter, and check out some our case studies. Visit our digital forum, an online magazine for technology enthusiasts. Are you interested in any recruiting events going on in your area? Check out our Career Events page.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks! Since my last update just before a big interview day in Miami, all of the groups I support have been to Boston, Dallas and Chicago for interview days. I’ll be in Dallas on Friday to kick off our February schedule. It is safe to say Accenture is back to "recruiting as usual" following the holiday season.

Today I’m sending off communications regarding approved offers and training the new contract recruiters joining my team – so exciting! Thinking about training brings to mind the topic of navigating the Accenture website for jobs. More often than one would think, I get questions on how to find a job on the Accenture website. Here are my suggestions for navigating the site:

JSB - That is a great question and I failed to add this on my last post. I would work with your recruiter and see if you can move up your start date. If not, they may have some good ideas for you.

Hi –I hope everyone had a great holiday. Lynn Smith is an extremely talented technology recruiter that works on my team. She has been helping me with this blog and sent this to me last week. I thought I would share it with you.

One of the things I hear time and time again from talking to folks out there is the field is the desire for professional development. Many highly visible organizations dedicate a significant amount of time and resources to developing professional training programs and opportunities for increasing skills. It is well worth your effort to take advantage of the content these programs have to offer. However, if you talk to successful people, many of them will tell you, an invaluable component of their career progression was something they took charge of themselves: They found a mentor. The value of mentorship can not be over stated, and it requires some effort on your part.

After a week of proposing offers for interviewees that had a successful day Monday in Chicago with the Custom Solutions Architecture group, I am here to prepare details for the Portal and Content Management group interview day tomorrow. Along with a team member from Chicago we’ll be double checking everything in hopes of a smooth day. Wonder what we’ll be checking? E-mail and voicemail constantly – hoping that no interviewer or interviewee has to cancel at the last minute. We’ll also check out the space in the Miami Office (by the way…a better more trendy/high tech office than the old Miami Office I visited about 7 years ago), confirm catering and make sure we have all resumes and interview documentation to date available for the executive team.

Once I have everything set I’ll be checking in with my manager regarding some contract recruiter offers we’re getting ready to extend. There are a number of recruiters across the United States to fill the Accenture US open positions. Interestingly, recruiters are usually aligned by skill/group vs. location. For example, I am a technology recruiter for a few specific groups. I own some positions and am able to consider candidates in a list of 10 or so locations. These locations are determined by the executives in charge of those groups. The location(s) for each Accenture open position is listed at the very bottom of the job posting on the Accenture Careers site. If you check out position 00014142 as an example you will see locations listed for the Custom Solutions Architecture – Architect position: New York, Florham Park, Reston, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Segundo, San Francisco or Seattle.

What do I do on a regular basis?

Hi and Happy New Year!

Hi - I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday season. I will probably take next week off, but have something again in January.

Prasad brought up Accenture Core Values in a comment (I will address the rest below) and asked what makes our core values different from others? I really don't want to turn this into a commercial, but the thought intrigued me.

Hi fellow bloggers, we have almost finished our Christmas shopping. With the twins it has almost all been online. Wow, that is easy. Might start being a new holiday tradition.

Thank you for the comments (I will get to them below). I also received several responses about who I specifically recruit for. As you may have read in my bio, I am the Service Delivery lead for Accenture Technology Solutions; Accenture Technology Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Accenture. We partner with Accenture's network of consulting and services experts to develop, implement and maintain leading-edge technologies for Accenture clients. I am still asked what Accenture means, the word Accenture quite simply is derived from “Accent on the Future.”

Welcome to my new blog! I was recently asked to share some of my experiences recruiting for Accenture. I have been here nearly 10 years and am constantly asked why I stay. The main reason is that every day I get to work with some of the smartest people I know. I also interact with people from all over the world with diverse interests, experiences and backgrounds.

I am really excited to engage in an open dialogue or should I say “diablog” with YOU. Do you wonder what its like to work here? Are there common character traits successful employees share across all organizations? I am sure there are recruiting questions out there I haven’t even thought about and I can’t wait to see what you all come up with! I will do my best to answer your questions as soon as possible. If I respond in the middle of the night please don’t think I am actually working. I have 12 week old twins and am probably feeding one (enjoy the visual).