I was given a chance to do work I could never have imagined

What made you decide to apply to Accenture?

I was studying a double degree (Bachelor of Communications majoring in media arts and production, and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation) and was speaking to one of my professors for career guidance. He was a former leader at Accenture and suggested that a consulting career would be a good path. He pitched Accenture in particular as an inclusive workplace that’s innovative and forward thinking. Combined with the focus on digital technologies, this seemed like a good fit, so I applied.

Since joining, this decision has only been validated further. I think consulting provides an incredible foundation for your career, giving you the chance to discover your passions, as well as figure out what your skills are (and aren’t!).

What kind of work can I expect to do?

I’m part of Accenture Song and in my role as a Product Management Analyst, I work across a lot of teams. My current project is the digital transformation of a website that will end up effecting a lot of Australians in a good way. It’s great to have a positive impact on people’s ability to access the product and seeing this process through from start to finish is cool. I spend my days working with the design team, developers and the client, making sure everything gets produced to the right quality in a timely manner, as well as a bit of strategy, understanding the client needs and how best to approach that.

But without a doubt, the highlight of of my work so far at Accenture has been contributing to a System Value Analysis we did for World Economic Forum, with the report published in October 2022. This analysis looked at the energy markets in different regions, in collaboration with Accenture in other markets, including things like the uptake of solar PV, electric vehicles, and how the transition to cleaner energy can take place. Being involved in a high-profile piece of work that has been shared widely and is helping to inform Accenture’s own strategy and how we work with clients at just 23 years of age is something that ‘uni Issy’ couldn’t have imagined.

Sustainability is one of my core passions, and this project was a way for me to get involved in that space. I had reached out to people internally to explore opportunities, and that’s what led to this opportunity for me. If you join, I’d really encourage other analysts to reach out to people that you find inspiring and book a 15-minute chat. As long as there’s a point to the discussion and aren’t wasting people’s time, no-one is off limits and being proactive can open some incredible doors for you.

What is the best thing about working at Accenture?

As well as the chance to do high profile work, one of the things I most love about Accenture is working with an awesome, strong leadership who care about you. For example, in the product managers team, our leadership is regularly checking in as well as running calls with the other product manager grads so we can chat about what we’re doing and share ideas.

My project leadership is also awesome. I’m dyslexic, so they’ve been open to finding a communication style that works for me. This includes having a 15-minute call a few times a week to discuss new tasks rather than assigning things to me by email. It’s great that everyone has been flexible to find what works and help set me up for success.

I’ve also loved getting involved in things like the Pride Network’s allyship training. I thought I had pretty good awareness, but I learnt more. Accenture has lots of opportunities for championing inclusion and diversity, with regular training available. Most sessions are only 30 minutes or so, so it’s easy to fit in and a great way to deepen connections with your colleagues. 

What sort of learning and training opportunities have you had?

A highlight has been attending the Analyst Conference, which was a 3-day event with lots of training from senior team members. As well as the Managing Dircetors’s sharing their teachings and learnings, the networking dinners were also a great chance to get to know them on a deeper level. Being able to sit at dinner with some of our most senior people and talk not just about work, but life too, was fantastic.

Accenture has loads of training resources and everyone has an individual learning budget, but I’ve also found that I’m learning so much just day to day. Some of it sounds really basic, but things like learning how to manage your time, how to articulate your capacity to managers, and how to present to clients are such important foundational skills that all compound to help you become a better consultant.

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