We Tried To Work Out The Average Week At Capgemini. It Turns Out There Wasn’t One.

We tried to find out what it’s like at a leading global business. (Image Credit: Unsplash)

For 23-year-old Saffron Hothi, 24-year-old Fiona McAndrew, and 25-year-old Fred Fooks their working day at Capgemini Invent begins at roughly the same time. Broadly though, that’s where the similarities in their roles ends.

All three joined Capgemini Invent Accelerate Graduate programme within the last 2 years. Capgemini Invent is a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation. To find out more about the Accelerate scheme click here. Applications will be opening soon, so to register your interest and be notified when they open click here.

As well as giving graduates hands-on experience across a number of departments, the schemes put a strong focus on further training and learning, with graduates going on to a permanent role at the company afterwards. But just how different can these career paths be?

‘When You Find That Missing Puzzle Piece, It Makes Your Day’

Consulting can often feel like piecing together a puzzle – but it’s satisfying when it works out. (Image Credit: Bianca Ackerman / Unsplash)

Saffron, Fiona, and Fred all have the same job titles – they’re associate consultants who started out on the Accelerate graduate programme and their working days all start at around the same time with a stand-up meeting with their team. But, dig a bit deeper and you’ll find they all came from different academic backgrounds.

While Fiona studied geography, for Fred engineering science was his degree of choice. For Saffron, her path to Capgemini Invent was an undergraduate degree in psychology, followed by a postgraduate degree in data science. In short, it’s less about what you study, but the skills and attributes you can bring to the company.

“For those wishing to join, I would say come armed with a determination and willingness to learn,” agrees Saffron. “You will develop at such a fast rate and there will be plenty of people supporting you in that growth.” Even though she’s only been with the company six months, Saffron tells Debut that she’s already seeing how much progress she’s made.

‘Come Armed With A Determination And Willingness To Learn’

Working as a consultant can mean advising on anything from stock to digital. (Image Credit: Guillaume Bolduc / Unsplash)

But, learning opportunities aside, what does being a consultant involve on a day to day basis? Speaking to Debut, Fred explains how his current focus is helping a luxury British retailer optimise their stock. “A lot of the work on this revolves around analysis and presenting results from machine learning algorithms. Throughout the day I’ll have two to four calls or meetings to discuss the work or to discuss pipeline projects.”

Meanwhile, Saffron is currently working as a business analyst, looking through the processes and systems in place at client companies and making suggestions on how to improve them. “This involves a lot of investigative work,” she explains to Debut. “At times, it can be quite frustrating as you reach a lot of dead ends, however, when you find out that missing piece of the puzzle, it makes your day! In comparison to the more technical roles in the company, my role is a lot more client facing and gives me a chance to develop my softer skills.”

For Fiona, the work has been equally diverse – including a trip to South Africa for client workshops. “Little did I know that nine months into working at Capgemini Invent I’d get to go to Durban,” she tells Debut. “I’ve been really surprised about the vast variety of work I’ve done in such a short period of time.”

The trio also mention how quickly they’ve been given responsibility dealing directly with clients, and just how many people you get to work with. “The sheer number of people you have to interact with surprised me,” Saffron adds, “many of them are strangers and you have to build a strong rapport in a short amount of time.”

Get A Feel For The Company Before You Apply

The trio share their top tips for a successful application to Capgemini. (Image Credit: WOCinTechChat/Flickr)

If it sounds like a varied working week is something you’re interested in, the graduate schemes at Capgemini could be just what you’re looking for. But what kind of things should you be doing to give yourself the best chance of making the final cut? First thing first, you should make sure you take a look at Capgemini culture.

The whole company strives to follow seven core values that guide everything they do; honesty, boldness, trust, freedom, team spirit, modesty, and fun. To put it simply, if these are the kind of values that work for you, you’ll fit right in.

As well as this the company has a commitment to putting people first, something which is solidified in their People Charter and commit to helping you continue your learning and growth throughout your time with them. “I knew I wanted to be a consultant, but I chose Capgemini Invent for the culture,” says Fiona.

Similarly, Saffron adds that “the Capgemini values really resonated with me – and when you finally start working here you definitely see those values in action.” “Always meet and speak to employees,” adds Fiona when asked about her top tips for prospective applicants. Whether that’s through a networking event, jobs fair or assessment day, take every opportunity you can to find out more about the company. It’s not just about getting someone to remember you, but really getting under the skin of the company and letting that come across in your application.

But, most importantly it’s about coming with ideas and a willingness to learn. “Be curious and have a zest to learn,” closes Fred. Which, if we’re honest, sounds like pretty sound advice for everything in life.

This content was produced in conjunction with Capgemini Invent, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation.  

To find out more about the Accelerate scheme click here. Applications will be opening soon, so to register your interest and be notified when they open click here.