Accenture Interview Help

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Soldato
Joined
21 Jul 2004
Posts
6,368
Location
Harrow, UK
I have noticed a recent increase in threads on application/interview help, so I thought I would just sneak my thread in there ;)

I have a first round interview with Accenture coming up on Tuesday, for their graduate Technology Consulting position, and just wanted to clarify something.

One of the common questions asked is who are Accenture's main competitors. Now I know this can be split into the following sections:

Recruitment
The Big Four
  • Ernst & Young
  • PwC
  • Deloitte
  • KPMG

IT (Consulting)
Capgemini
Deloitte
IBM
EDS (Electronic Data Systems Corporation)
CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation)

Accountancy (Consulting)
Ernst & Young

Who are "the big four" and which other companies can I add in the other sections?

Any help with this, and any other advice and tips will be greatly appreciated :)
 
Last edited:
WOuld think IBM are a fairly big IT consultancy.

The big four "professional services" or whatever they're calling themselves - mainly accountants, but with lots of other departments, are PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG.
 
If you're even thinking of working for Accenture ask yourself if you have it in you to work stupid hours without overtime, to - and I'm being super careful with what I say here - "dissemble" to your client and generally act in the interests of only yourself and your employer no matter what the result to your client.

Believe me, I know.
 
StixxUK said:
WOuld think IBM are a fairly big IT consultancy.

The big four "professional services" or whatever they're calling themselves - mainly accountants, but with lots of other departments, are PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG.
Click to expand...

Cheers :)


MikeTimbers said:
If you're even thinking of working for Accenture ask yourself if you have it in you to work stupid hours without overtime, to - and I'm being super careful with what I say here - "dissemble" to your client and generally act in the interests of only yourself and your employer no matter what the result to your client.

Believe me, I know.
Click to expand...

I have wanted to work for Accenture ever since I met their employees (through the Student Industrial Society) and talking about what the firm does etc. I am hoping that knowing four of the main HR people will help too - fingers crossed that one of them will be interviewing me ;)
 
Danger Phoenix said:
and talking about what the firm does
Click to expand...
Charge stupidly high rates to do some 2nd rate work, sounds great :p

From my experience of Accenture (and knowing a few people who've worked for them as consultants), all they care about is that look/sound the part, and you sound like you know what you're doing. Whether you actually have the technical skills doesn't really matter. My mates brother was being charged out at £1200+ a day by Accenture to do some work on a system written in Java when he'd never touched Java in his life, he was spending his days trying to pick up the basics.

For the interview, just make sure you dress sharp, put on your best accent and go buzzword crazy, you'll be fine :)
 
Mickey said:
Charge stupidly high rates to do some 2nd rate work, sounds great :p
Click to expand...

Consultants, They steal your watch to tell you the time :D

Accenture are no different from any other consultants imeo. They just pay you well(ish) as a new grad.

If the govenrment wanted to cut back on public spending they should regulate the fees consultants charge to public sectors. Up to £180 per hour to look at a document beacuse "they're the consultants".

My office used to spend 10-15 people's annual council tax bill a day on term contracts for the LA on average.

Good luck with the interview, just be all about making the money and working the hours for the company..talk the talk and dress sharp.
 
Last edited:
I know people who have worked for Accenture, (i'm even related to some of them although I would not want to admit it in polite company). I have also seen their work and compared with some of their competitors to say I wasn't impressed would be an understatement, (but by far not the worst I've seen :eek: ).

The comment earlier in the thread about lots of work with little overtime payment and telling the customer what they want to hear instead of what they should hear it pretty par for the course too.

You IT Consultancy list can also have Atos Origin added to it, (know a few people who have done their Graduate Scheme and survived).
 
If you end up working for Accenture you'll be seeing me about as my company is moving into the same building as their London office :D

do no different than you would for any other interview, be well presented, talk properly, remember it's - ach not hach. Be friendly, and think before you speak, and always speak clearly, don't ever mumble.

Good luck! :)
 
Volcs said:
Which one? :)
Click to expand...


My company? - Chaucer Syndicates LTD - it's an insurance underwriters, I have personally dealt with people from PwC and E&Y

We are moving into the plantation place building in June :)
 
Phate said:
My company? - Chaucer Syndicates LTD - it's an insurance underwriters, I have personally dealt with people from PwC and E&Y

We are moving into the plantation place building in June :)
Click to expand...
Well I meant which Accenture office, but that'll be the Fenchurch street one.
 
Volcs said:
Well I meant which Accenture office, but that'll be the Fenchurch street one.
Click to expand...


yep, plantation place on Fenchurch Street - That's where we are moving to :)
 
Danger Phoenix said:
Accenture have another office on Queen Victoria Street... that is where my interview is tomorrow :)
Click to expand...

ah, was unaware of it's multiple London offices.

Good Luck for it!
 
Luck is on my side... I know four of the graduate recruiters at Accenture (two of them really well), and the one I know the most is going to be interviewing me :D

Every time I met those two, they always asked me if I had applied for Accenture yet... and they have seen my competencies, especially when organising the recent Corporate Ball :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom