• Business Technology Consulting Graduate Blog
• Consulting Blog

The variety of opportunities makes consulting a great option for graduates

---

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Top tips for living out of a suitcase

---

The consulting lifestyle can, at times, be akin to that of a hobo. Following a discussion with your resource manager you could be drafted onto a project at the other end of the country. Although this presents a challenge to an established routine (e.g. night-classes or long-term gym membership), the trade-off is the opportunity to see new places and enjoy the benefits of staying in a hotel.

Having spent 10 months of the last 16 working outside of London (including a stint in Switzerland), I think I’ve just about mastered the art of living out of a suitcase. Here are my top tips:

1. Invest in a decent, lightweight, small suitcase with wheels. Yes, I know wheelie suitcases are mobile obstacles for other commuters, but trust me; it’s a lot easier than lugging a holdall around – and your back will thank you for it!
2. Travel light – you will never wish you had that extra pair of shoes with you
3. Try and do your packing before the weekend – that way you don’t have a last minute panic on Sunday evening
4. Have a designated ‘work’ toiletry bag with a separate toothbrush, face cream etc to your ‘home’ supplies – saves a lot of time and hassle
5. If working abroad, try to only take hand luggage – if you are creative with packing you can fit a surprisingly large amount of stuff into permitted cabin baggage; many airlines will let you take a laptop bag in addition. Remember to buy miniature toiletries to avoid security nightmares at airports
6. Wear comfortable clothes to travel in – those killer heels might look fabulous but might not seem so great after a 2 mile walk in them. Sacrifice fashion for the sake of comfort during your commute. Just remember to change out of your trainers before that important client meeting!
7. Make the most of the hotel facilities – many hotels will have gym (or even spa) facilities, so you can use your evenings to keep up your fitness or even treat yourself to a massage.
8. Enjoy the cuisine – staying in hotels saves you the hassle of cooking so make the most of the opportunity to try out some new dishes. Be warned, your waistline will not thank you if you over indulge (I speak from experience here!)
9. Visit some of the local sites/attractions – some museums/art galleries have late night openings. It’s a great opportunity to see more of the area than the train station/your client’s office/your hotel.
10. Set aside some time for yourself – it’s good to socialise with your project colleagues, but you don’t have to do this every night. Nobody will take offence if you choose to spend the odd evening on your own catching up on work or Corrie!

Hopefully this will help you take the pain out of travelling and enjoy the perks of the consulting lifestyle!

Frances is an Associate Consultant who joined Capgemini in September 2008.

 

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Recruitment fairs

---

We’re in a grand old hall, packed out with firms. I’m here, as a member of the CDC, to give a perspective on life in Capgemini’s management consulting graduate scheme. I find Capgemini’s area and being the first there try my creative hand with our stand. There’s a good atmosphere around and people seem excited about the day. Not long since I was here as a student, I think about my time in the company so far and what grand wisdom I can impart…

 

Since March I’ve built up a much clearer picture of our clients and the different kinds of work we do in management consulting. This has come through a variety of client and internal work, presentations and training, as well as catching up with colleagues in the office more informally – people are very approachable. I’m also with colleagues from our technology and outsourcing areas of the business who can talk about their experiences in their respective graduate schemes.

 

The fair opens and it gets busy really quickly.  Lots of people are venturing towards our stand, clearly drawn in by the attractive display – which I notice our recruitment manager has totally changed round.

 

Some people know a little, curious about what consulting is – as a profession it is often not as well understood as, say law and accountancy. I talk about how we with work with clients on a wide range of business problems from understanding their market and what products to make, to how to make them efficiently, and how sell them, along with functions that support the business like HR. 

 

Others know more and are interested in how Capgemini stands out, plus whether we do more than IT…  On the former I talk, for instance, about the Accelerated Solutions Environment (ASE), on the later – we’re often known as a technology consulting business though there’s a lot more to us than that (see Matthew Ford’s blog entry). Our CDC manager, Deborah Hough, is also at the fair and is able to give a perspective of someone with lots of experience in consulting.

 

I talk to a lot of different people over the day and it’s interesting to see the variety in backgrounds and why they’re interested in consulting.  From history and biochemical engineering students, literature and languages to economics and business, through undergraduate level, masters to PhD. There’s a surgeon interested in our health sector team, a theatre director wanting a change in direction, plus MBA students who’ve done a huge range of things.  This kind of variety is reflected within Capgemini – on my current project I’m working with some whose previous field was computer modelling of the brain!

 

The fair comes a close and time’s flown by. It’s been a good day, though I do note with anguish the unused tea and cake vouchers – clearly plenty still to learn – and I head to a café before jumping on the train back to London. 

 

Nick Seeley is an Associate Consultant who joined Capgemini in March 2009.

 

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

We are in the people business

---

Whereas other industries use the latest technologies, methodologies and tools to develop solutions, consulting engagements rely on the developing trusting relationships with people (clients and colleagues alike). The ability to listen to what is said and what is not said is vital to develop trust with people. 

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

The ASE & Me

---

One of Capgemini’s unique selling points that differentiates itself from the competition is the ASE. Which is an acronym and doesn’t give much away. What it stands for is Accelerated Solutions Environment. The clue is in the title. In a nutshell, the ASE is about solving complex problems and driving out critical decisions from the very top of organisations.

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Induction

---

 

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Friday - 'I Heart Soho'

---

I get into the Wardour Street office by 8.30 and to keep things fresh I decide not to work on the requirements analysis today.  Instead, I continue a volumetrics model that I’ve previously been creating for an upcoming workshop.  This model details the amount of data flowing through the infrastructure components and will eventually be used to inform component sizing.

At mid-day I sit in on an internal lunchtime presentation provided by a member of the Marketing capability unit.  The presentation is on the benefits of a market research tool and is a nice break before lunch where some friends and I grab a bite to eat from one of the many nearby takeaways – a benefit of having an office in the heart of Soho.

I spend the afternoon building the volumetrics model and at 16.00 I attend a MySkills session on Excel hints and tips.  This is the session I’ve been organising in my stream work and I am delighted to see such a large turnout from the CDC – 24 in total!  This is also a great time to network with my intake as I don’t get to see them during the week.

The session finishes at 17.15 and having learnt some useful Excel tricks I pack up and go down to the Slug and Lettuce (which is under the office) with many other CDCers – the working week is over!

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Thursday - 'Average Joe'

---

I check-out of the hotel as I’m going to work in Capgemini’s Wardour Street office tomorrow.  There are a few internal sessions that I would like to attend and it’s a good time to catch-up with friends and build the internal network.

This is the fourth day on the requirements analysis and it’s beginning to take shape, however I’m finding it particularly challenging getting information from the various project managers.  I check my emails to find I have no replies to the requirements questions I sent yesterday.  I decide to push on and start the more analytical process of identifying requirement misalignments across the programme.  I highlight a number of potential issues that may affect aspects such as infrastructure, cost, and resources and meet with my client business manager to discuss them further.  We identify the most severe issues from the set and create a plan to tackle them.  Some of these issues require consulting project managers to question their requirements choice.  Others need to be raised with system architects and senior business heads.

The afternoon is spent arranging meetings with the appropriate people to discuss the problems.  My client is pleased with the approach to this analysis and has suggested I do a similar piece of work to identify differences between this programme and another programme.

Today hasn’t been particularly exciting and the lack of email responses can be a let-down.  I leave the office at 17.20 to catch the train back to London.  My manager understands the importance of a work/life balance and is happy for me to work closer to home on Fridays.  I’m looking forward to some home comforts, however I have to cook my own food tonight!

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Wednesday - 'Build that Network'

---

Following on from Tuesday's work, I have spotted a number of missing requirements and the entire morning is spent composing emails to Project Managers requesting them.  It can be easy to tread on toes at this stage so it’s key to explain exactly ‘why’ I need these additional requirements and ‘what’ I’m going to do with them.

At mid-day I attend a fortnightly Business Analyst Forum where we discuss any issues which could potentially affect other projects.  With Project Managers and Business Analysts constantly in and out of meetings, it is imperative that everyone is informed of important news and decisions.  This was a fairly quick affair with little news and I’m on time for a teleconference I have set-up with a colleague.  He is part of the Business and Information Strategy (BIS) unit and has agreed to help me become more visible in this area.  As I’m a content focussed CDCer towards the BIS capability unit, I need to begin building my BIS network – this will put me in a good position for future roles and opportunities.

In the afternoon I continue filling in the requirements matrix and spend the evening with a little more stream work before relaxing with a movie.

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

Tuesday - 'Hello from Sunny Southend'

---

It only takes five minutes to get to the office today so I can afford to snooze the alarm clock a few times.  I get a decent breakfast and take a taxi from the hotel to the office.

I spend the first 20 to 30 minutes of each day sorting out emails from the day before.  This routine ensures that I follow up on any promises and helps organise the dozens of emails I receive each day.

I spend most of the day working independently; extrapolating information from the various requirements documents and feeding them into my matrix.  Although I’m not directly looking for misalignments yet, it is important that I identify if the information is available in the first place.  I work until about 18.30 before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

After dinner I do a few hours ‘stream work’ in the hotel.  Stream work is internal CDC work and my responsibilities are in the Learning and Development (L&D) area.  Currently, I’m organising a series of ‘MySkills’ sessions for the CDC.  These are informal learning sessions that will provide CDCers with valuable skills based on three main themes: key consulting skills, capability units, and sectors.

Comments (0) | Print | Send | del.icio.us | Digg It! | Linking Blogs

More Entries