Consultancy Links - First Roles

Your First Role

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So you've been through the graduate recruitment process and got the job. Congratulations. You might think that having spent months filling in forms, explaining your credentials and selling your wonderful self, you would now be in a position to get stuck in to some real work.

Not quite.

First. there's usually quite a lot of training. Accenture, for example, sends its new joiners to Chicago for a fortnight as part of a seven week induction programme.

But when that's all done, you're still not quite there. Many consultancies work almost like a recruitment agency. Once you have got your foot in the door, you and your new joiner colleagues will be added to the massive pool of human talent which the consultancy owns.

In some graduate schemes, you will be assigned to a project straight away with no input as to where you are going. This is often dependent on demand, though it may simply be the way in which the company does things. More often than not however, you will be placed 'on the bench' - unassigned to a role. It will be then be your responsibility (usually with some help and encouragement from HR) to get out there and find yourself a position on a project.

And guess what that means? Oh yes. More job applications. Still, at least you'll be very good at them now.

But what are you going to be applying for? What could you actually be doing on Day 1? Below is a very brief selection of possible roles you could kick off with in any consulting and technology company. They might have different names in different firms, but broadly speaking these are standard starting positions.

Don't expect glamour!

First Roles