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When consultants don’t do consultancy

This Blog was written by Simon Hodge. Simon Hodge is a consultant on the CDC graduate scheme.

When you start a new job, obviously your first thoughts are going to be of...well...the job. The work is why we joined and why we were hired. What many people don’t realise before they join is the huge number of opportunities that come our way in the CDC that have absolutely nothing to do with the work we do.

Before you join, you won’t notice the optional extras very much – some reference on our CSR web page to Capgemini’s charity work, perhaps, or the odd question at a careers fair. Essentially, it’s not a priority. And then it’s your first day, and at induction you suddenly get told of about a million things (well, perhaps an exaggeration, but not far off) that CDCers have got up to because they joined Capgemini, but which have nothing to do with consultancy.

Over the Spring Bank Holiday, for example, I took part in the BUPA 10k run in London, along with 5 other current or former CDCers. I had never done a race like this before, and loved it so much I’m already looking for my next one to do. We ran in support of one of the charities Capgemini supports, Alzheimer’s Research UK. A team of 6 consultants, and yet not a process map in sight - just weeks of training, fitness tips and (obviously) immensely high quality banter.

Or there was the Myotubular Trust Walk, a 17 mile wander along the Thames that is always a hit with new joiners. It’s a great way of supporting a really important charity and getting to see some fantastic bits of London all at once. Or perhaps the Five Peaks Challenge, climbing the five largest mountains in the British Isles, that some other grads are due to undertake this summer; or dinner in the historic Banqueting House in London, where Charles I was executed at the end of the Civil War.

None of these things have much to do with consultancy, but they have all happened because we are consultants. The CDC provides a great career opportunity, and that is of course the main reason we are here, but it also opens doors to a wealth of other challenges and experiences that help make our time in the CDC about far more than just consultancy.

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.

A Week in the Life of...

When I started looking at whether consulting was for me, I read dozens of graduate websites that explained: what the company does; what they deliver; how they deliver; how they differentiate themselves; etc.  All very well I thought, however ‘what do graduates actually do on day-to-day basis?’  Well I think the simplest way for me to tell you is to give you a week in the life of.  Yes, 5 days in my life on what I’m doing day to day – a new blog every day of this week.

Please do let me know any thoughts or questions you have.


Alistair Calvert is an Associate Consultant who joined the Capgemini Consulting CDC programme after graduating from Cardiff University in Computer Science.  He is a content focused graduate towards the Business and Information Strategy practice and is currently working as a Business Analyst for a large Government transformation programme.

How do we select the right candidates to join the CDC?

I am a member of the Recruitment Stream within the CDC.  It concentrates on two areas: marketing the CDC scheme to potential candidates; and supporting the selection process to get the right candidates.

Within this stream, I assist in the latter and work to complete a number of deliverables, or agreed nuggets of work that need to be completed by a certain date.  One of the most interesting pieces of work I picked up was to create a case study for which candidates at our assessment centres needed to read and prepare in advance.  This would:

• allow candidates to demonstrate their skills
• score candidates’ competencies which are required for a consultant
• be applicable and relevant as any potential Capgemini project.

It is in challenging situations such as these that CDCers develop their skills in analysing, assessing and presenting information into credible and relevant work.  This work was fascinating to create, form and reform to be a working live assessment tool.

Stream work is internal work that sits along external client or project commitments and allows me to hone my consulting skills within Capgemini.  Working on internal pieces of work helps to develop confidence when working on future client sites.  It gives the opportunity for CDCers to work in other areas of the company which they have an interest in.

As the ‘milkround’ is in full swing, the recruitment stream has also been travelling the length and breadth of the country, showcasing Capgemini and the graduate programmes offered.  More to follow soon.

Justin has been in the CDC for 9 months, and works on a placement at the Acceleration Solutions Environment.