consultant

management consultant

senior analyst

analyst

manager

Accenture

I came into accenture as a Management Consulting Manager hired for my experience in managing change and in assurance processes.  The director and Sr. Mgr who intereviewed me made it very clear I had exactly the experienced they desired.  I soon learned there was a major disconnect between their point of view and the perspective of those actually running the projects.  It also became clear there were a lot of rules and cultural issues which were never communicated to my by my career coaches (supervisors) or by the HR team who placed people on projects.  Here are the details which support my opinion

1. The "Career Coach" I had was more interested on how I supported her career than mine.  She did little to coach me or resolve the barrier on my getting onto a project.  after 9 months, when I was transferred to a different group, she dropped me because I "was no longer able to support her".  Career Coaches were the masters of my fate and were never reviewed on their ability to be a good career coach.

2. I joined as an experienced manager. I couldn't get on a project and was repeatedly told it was because of the risk I presented because of  my lack of experience with Accenture's methodologies.  This turned out to be a significant Catch 22 as I couldn't get the experience.  No one wanted to use me in a developmental role because of the "cost" to do so.  I was turned down on over 60  projects during the first 4 months after being hired. I sought out training on the methodologies and found there were no training programs.  People leaned them as new, inexperienced hires when their costs were low by doing them under the supervision of expereinced managers.  My career coach said she knew of no training.  She was extremly unavailable as she was extremly busy trying to sell work and leading projects. She said she had no answers other than I needed to network more - in other words, just keep at applying to projects and talking to other directors or Sr. Managers.

3. Two months after being hired I was at after-work event for new experienced hires. A Director spoke to tell us it was up to us to "make our career".  In Q&A session I asked how do I overcome this barrier on getting onto a project he glared at me and said, "you were not listening.  I told you that it is up to you to make your career".  I took that as his total rejection of any accountability for development and success of staff. It was all about him.  He was the furthest thing from a servant-leader.  I found this to be true for most of the directors I met as there was an extremely strong, competitive culture at Accenture to succeed by any way possible with little consideration of support and development as a means of success.

4. In the last six months of my time at Accenture I was asked by a new director to support Business Development and spent a large amount of time preparing proposals and presentations for him, thinking this was a positive use of time.  When I was told I was being laid off it was communicated to me I was not supposed to have been spending so much time on Business Development and this was a major factor in my being let go.  I was told I had  a minimum billable level I was requried to fill and had not done so.  I had never been informed of this objective and was never told I was not  supposed to be spending time in BD supporting a Director.  When i relayed this to the HR person who recommended my being laid off, her response was "you should have known this", as if it were my fault for not realizing these were requirments.  Yes, I knew I was being judged on "unproductive time", but I was under the impression that Business Dvelopment was considered a positive use of time.  Apparently there were also unwritten rules on who does BD and these rules were not communicated to me.  I then went to the Director I had been supporting and asked if he could come to my support. He said he had no idea I wan't supposed to be supporting him in BD and wasn't not in a position to reach out on my behalf.  I took this as he was more concerned on trying to cover his culpability than to help me out after I helped him for several months.

Accenture may be a great place to start a career.  It is one of the worst places to go as an experienced hire as they totally lack the ability to bring one in, give them the tools and infromation they need, and assure they are productive.

IT Consultant working close with multiple clients and advises them on different technical facets in order to offer support to their demands and problems related to the technology being implemented.  Helped in providing strategic guidance to the organization related it Quality Assurance, and System administrator duties.  Highlights include:
	Test Architect (Ascension Health): Managed implementation and set up of HP QC 11.0 for SAP ERP program.  Developed, updated, and maintained testing standards and procedures.  Created training program to be used by company on use of and maintenance of HP Quality Center. 
	Governance Test Lead (Google):  Managed application and user acceptance test for two releases of a telecom enterprise implementation.  Trained Google Analysts on standard testing processes and procedures which include test planning, test execution, test data, and defect management, metrics and reporting.  Managed 30 users during UAT test execution which allowed completion of UAT on scheduled and budget.  Utilized multiple project management tools in order to manage resources and risks across all aspects of testing.
	 Test Assessment Consultant (AVNET): Consultant of testing in order to assess the clients testing capabilities.  This was done through the use of client interviews and assessment of the clients testing documentation.  The assessment looked at the capabilities through the use of the testing maturity model.  Analyzed the companies testing capabilities as compared to industry standards best practices.  Once complete, formulated short term and long term recommendations for how to improve company standards.
	 Windows Administrator (Starwood Hotels): Administered all personal computers for Starwood Hotels WS/FTP monetary account transfers.  Configured FTP accounts, Windows account lockouts, and PC imaging.  Created documentation for future administrators on setup of accounts for the monetary transfers.
	XML Forms Tester (USPS): Developed Business Intelligence test data to be used for all backend testing for PostalOne. Tested messaging of BI data store using XMLSpy, MQ Utility, Oracle 10g, and Informatics.  Created SQL queries in Toad to verify the results of testing.  Utilized Test Director 7.6 to test and verify the results and verify all requirements have been met with PostalOne.  
	Test Certification SME (Accenture - MIT): Worked with MIT and Accenture’s Solution Delivery Academy in order to develop testing certification.  Reviewed and critiqued questions provided for testing center of excellence.  Contributed to the creation of exam questions for software analysis and design certification
	Test Lead (SRP): Directed eight contractors in M*Power which is a   utility automation system integration testing for utility company.  Created documentation for manual test planning and execution during the test planning phase. Developed test strategies and test planning documentation by partnering with business subject matter experts to validate requirements.  Worked with business in order to develop test metrics program to be used to track metrics, status, and issues/defect management.  



	Systems Administrator (US Treasury Department): Provided network infrastructure support for data center.  Administered onsite server support and maintenance of Linux machines utilizing Red Hat Enterprise.  Performed network cabling runs and set up of 100+ Cisco, Solaris, and Dell Servers.  Documented and maintained servers for the redundant data center.
	Systems Analyst (TSYS):  Provided testing expertise in critical areas of  banking solution for credit card processing.  Attended business analysts meetings for knowledge transfer and documentation for Quality Assurance department to be able to test all requirements.  Created templates for use in the development of test script development.  Ensured efficiency and attainment of goals by effectively managing all schedules and budgets as related to the Security module of Vital Express.  Responded to project managements request to evaluate any open defects before the product went into operational readiness; i.e. beta.  Developed Beta program to test the application and validate application works as designed.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great flexible work hours, the ability to work remotely and benefits package. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of HR Support During Contract Transitions

Transitioning between projects is already a stressful process, but the level of support provided by the HR team during this period has been disappointing. When a project ends due to funding, contractors are essentially left on their own to secure their next role. There is no structured guidance, no proactive outreach, and no meaningful assistance in navigating internal opportunities.  

The expectation is that contractors must independently find a new position. If not, they are required to use their own vacation time just to extend their search window. After that, if no role is secured, they are released. This approach places an unnecessary burden on contractors who have already demonstrated commitment and performance on previous projects.

A more supportive HR process—one that includes timely communication, active role-matching, and genuine partnership—would not only improve morale but also strengthen retention. As it stands, the lack of engagement from HR during these transitions leaves contractors and especially veterans feeling undervalued and unsupported at a critical moment in their employment journey.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Strong Team Culture With Room for Improvement in HR Support

The overall work environment at this company is genuinely impressive. The culture is built on collaboration, respect, and a shared commitment to doing quality work. Colleagues support one another, communicate well, and create a sense of community that makes day‑to‑day work both productive and enjoyable. It’s the kind of environment where teamwork feels natural and people genuinely want to see each other succeed.

However, there is one area that could benefit from meaningful improvement: HR support during project transitions. When a project is defunded, employees—especially contractors—are largely left to navigate the job placement process on their own. While the internal culture is strong, the lack of structured guidance or proactive assistance from HR during these moments creates unnecessary stress. A more engaged and supportive approach to helping employees secure their next role would better reflect the company’s otherwise positive values.

Overall, this is a great place to work with exceptional people. Strengthening HR’s involvement in job placement during transitions would make the experience even better and help retain the talent that contributes so much to the company’s success.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at the company is structured, collaborative, and steady in pace. The work environment is supportive, and most days begin with clear priorities and open communication among team members. Whether it’s checking in with colleagues, aligning on project goals, or troubleshooting challenges together, there’s a strong sense of teamwork that makes the day flow smoothly.

Throughout the day, interactions with coworkers are positive and respectful. People are approachable, willing to help, and genuinely invested in each other’s success. This creates a comfortable atmosphere where you can focus on your responsibilities without unnecessary stress or tension.

While the workload can vary depending on project demands, the culture encourages balance and professionalism. You’re able to stay productive, contribute meaningfully, and still feel connected to the team. Overall, a typical day reflects the company’s strong culture—steady, collaborative, and grounded in good working relationships.

This Accenture branch has went downhill ever since they changed management and put Chris G. in charge . They started getting rid of all full time employees (Some were there 15+ yrs) because they just want contractors now since they can pay them less, give subpar benefits, and can get rid of them any time they want without much warning.
They will lie to the new contractors and say you will be hired in but you will not. You will just possibly get another “contractor” title that has a few more benefits.
It is nothing but a popularity contest and if you don’t fit in then you will not move up. The ones that do s*xual things with big shots will move right past you and end up being your boss but be surprised when they are not respected!

You will not move up in the company if you ever say no. If you want a claims analyst job then expect to have no home life and to be pressured and bullied to work overtime every night and every single holiday. If you say no then you will have to worry about being fired. 

I worked there for over 5 years before they “laid me off” because it was “too expensive to keep me” as a full time employee which is what HR told me (HR lost her job too months later) and they had no place to put me (which was a lie). I was quickly replaced by a new DR*GGIE guy (who had been there just a few short months) on our team who was best buds with others higher up and they made him an FTE and put him over a team after saying they didn’t have room and would not have anymore FTEs. That was a smack in the face! 

S*xual harassment happens everyday, superiors laughing and making fun of the workers happens everyday, bullying and pressure to do 3X people’s work happens everyday, being surrounded by DR*G ADDICTS AND ALCOHOLICS that are in charge of medical billing projects happens everyday! No drug tests after the initial hiring test makes this easy to do. 

Management will lie to clients to get a project and lie to employees about how important they are and say they will get hired in just to keep them there long enough to finish a project and then get rid of them as soon as the job is complete. In 5+ years I watched over 1000 people come in and out of this facility which says a lot about the morale of this company.

Employees get NO BONUSES for extremely high production goals but have to sit back and watch management get the bonuses off of the work the production workers killed themselves trying to achieve! You have to watch management get expensive cars and go on expensive trips for the work you did but you did not benefit from.

I expected to stay with Accenture forever. I originally loved the company but they need to go back to the drawing board and fire most management. Every single team lead was put in their position due to popularity and none of them know how to do the job that they are over which is a huge problem. Things would run much more smoothly if the ones over others started from the bottom and worked their way up. They are no help because they never worked the job that they are now in charge of!

I do not recommend this company at all and I hope I save some trouble for others looking for a work family. Save your time and avoid this place. Don’t let their start pay tempt you.. it’s a trick to try to get you chained to the company until they are finished with you.



Overall, Accenture as an employer offers lots of great things to the employees. The company has grown so much in size. I have to say that there are many wonderful people in the Recruiting organization, and those folks are the ones that understand that we have a job to do, we give what we have got during our days and they encourage work-life balance. For recruiting, work from home flexibility is valuable, but if you have been at Accenture in NA recruiting for a few years, you receive minimal pay increases year-over-year and bonuses are decreasing year-over-year, despite performance. You have to determine how much work from home is of value for you and if it is worth staying and not receiving much more over the years. There are limited positions for growth and promotion in NATA, or career trajectory. It feels like Leadership brings many in from the outside and pays them much more vs. encouraging and allowing for high potentials in recruiting to take a stretch role and guiding them along the way for growth and learning. Recruiting leads will have to die or retire in order to ever be considered for promotion, unless you are willing to constantly cheer and self-promote yourself and accomplishments and ensure in the recruiting all hands calls that your picture is up on the deck for recognition and leadership is aware. There are many unsung heroes in NATA, many. Also, performance achievement does not matter unless your lead is willing to fight for you to their leaders to ensure your promotion. And given the limited opportunities, they may not be inclined to do so. It would be nice to have an environment that truly focused on collaboration vs. competition. There seems to be recruiting headcount reductions to save money, and then they are hiring contractors. This really leaves many of us constantly anxious and on-edge with the constant threat that we could be let go without notice. Years back it was 25% FTE's, 75% contractors, and they had since switched that to have 75% FTE's, 25% contractors, which feels like great talent can easily get let go, and by the beginning of the new FY, we are scrambling to have enough resources to handle all the work. In the last few years it has felt like a 'do more with less' mentality from recruiting leadership. There are only 40 hours in a work week and the expectation has been that you are willing to work 60 hours at times (which by the way is illegal). I can understand a special project or presentation, to work some free overtime to prepare, but it is really important to remember that your employees have lives, families, and are not saving lives and do not constantly need to be 'on' or available, because a recruiting leader may be having a fire drill or emergency. Again, this is another cause for constant anxiety. If your employees are anxious at the threat of fire drills or being let go, they will never be able to be truly human or bring their best selves to work. Hence, if you want a leadership role in recruiting (and to make a good pay increase), you need to leave the company, which is unfortunate, because Accenture as a whole is wonderful.

I came from actual industry not a lateral move from Deloitte, PWC etc.  I worked as a process engineer in distillation process unit operations at a large Refinery for the past 4 years and got recruited to work at Accenture.  They paid me enough to justify leaving a good gig at one of the best major refineries, but I hear that's not the case across the ACN footprint.  They kept telling me they need more folks from industry spaces.  And it's completely true, but they won't place you on the right projects that will best utilize your skill sets.  You're even forced to apply for roles outside your practice which takes more than a smile to get on an out of practice project.  There are currently so much talent on the bench at Accenture it's bewildering how ACN pulled it off to hire some of the best collective set of intellectual minds I have ever seen.  Accenture shows complete preference for the ones who came directly from college putting the green peas in the ACN farm system.  It's a good one for ones out of college.  But client industry directors, c-suite, managers, PMO, HSE etc want consultants from industry not right out college.

People that complain about travel.  Welcome to consulting.  It's always been fly out on Monday fly back on Thursday evening.  Back when I was in sales in the 2000's, it was Sunday to Friday. That was also the consultant world standard in the 2000's.  Suck it up.  But now with the Region only travel greatly compromises your ability to get assigned.  My first two assignments were out West.  It was awesome.  Since we moved to the regional model, I have only been assigned to 1 large role and two cut short tease rolls..The Bench stuff gets old, and C.C's constantly tell their benchee's they need to get assigned with 2+ months or get put on notice.  ACN can afford to keep their a % of their talent on the bench because they make so much darn money off you.  Take your current pay and double it or even a little more.  ACN likes an army on the bench when a massive project is green lit, they can mobilize troops like Patton's Army.   A six month project will pay your annual salary and then some. If you work a 6 month and roll over to a 3 month project...You made ACN a ton of green.  But they want your chargeability at 80%.  Do more please for your Year One New Joiners especially experienced industry specific hires.  Year One experience hires feel isolated.  Like super isolated and that's pre covid.  Covid it has become Siberia.  Make Year One assignment roles systemic set by the practice, CC and your useless TFS.  That has to change tomorrow.  ACN is loosing way to much talent  because they either bored, or were about to get bounced just to go down the street to put out an RFP to ACN a year later to their former managers that looked down on them like losers.  The practice of delivery leads taking their golfing buddies from project to project has to end.  It's making it so brutal to get assigned and it shouldn't be this hard.

They talk a good game but unfortunately the best part about going to work for ACS is the recruiting experience, it's all downhill from there!

The epic and constant failure of Upper and Executive management is continual, they constantly fail to properly forecast and therefore the workers are left working 12-14 hour days.  Since ACS is a vendor to a very large bank in America, it will promise the world then work employees long hours to make it happen. I know the end of the month in the Mtg industry can be busy, but this place takes it to a whole new level.  'Just do it' seems to be a good motto for Nike, but in ACS language it means 'work this late and defective file, by the way, it's a same day closing'...  What's needed is work life balance but what we received was a remodeled lunch room in a leased building (oh - by the way, there went your bonus).

If a person tells the truth and refuses to 'drink the Kool Aid' and waive the company pom-poms, the chances of earning a promotion are slim, no matter how good you are, but don't worry, they promote their favorites and I was personally told by Exec Mgt. one person in particular they promoted was chosen because she would do as she was told, in other words she would never rock the established management team with great ideas and fresh perspectives.

ACS has a 36% turn over rate, exceedingly high even by industry standards; in my opinion, employee burnout, poor management, and working environment is the issue.  Some employees are motivated and offer great ideas, but I have seen great process improvement ideas not generated by Upper Management ignored.  These ideas would have made a considerable impact in improving processes and environment.

The training is incomplete, (personally I received none) and because of the turnover rate, you have new people helping new people.. I had 3 managers in less than a year and watched adult professionals break down and cry at their desks.  Because HR is so afraid of offending anyone, weeding out the poor performers is a difficult and extensive process, frankly, it's easier to let them stay.  By the way, as a manager I was not able to hire my own people, they just showed up one day.

ACS' individual worker goals are in direct conflict with what is needed to be a successful company; they do not understand the difference between bonus and incentive. (they should be using the bonus to incent the behavior they want to drive)

There is no substantial reporting, and the number of support people (admin) to help build these reports and support the back end infrastructure is inadequate.

  Lastly, there is very little accountability, so as work flows down the processing line it is often late and defective. You may get good at your job, simply because you are reworking files multiple times.

Do yourself a favor, either avoid this place entirely, or if you really need a job and get hired, start looking for your next career immediately.

I could go on and on but I feel you get the picture.

Your work day completely depends on the industry, client, and project you end up getting staffed on. This is actually a huge pro because you learn so much in such a short amount of time and have the opportunity to work with a wide range of people - vendors, client, and Accenture co-workers (not always pleasant, but you're exposed to a lot). This is why other companies LOVE hiring ex-consultants. Another perk: if you don't like your project - it will END. During my 4+ years I was on about 7 different projects. Some people will stay on a single project for years, but again, if you hate it, there are ways out.

Part of consulting is the inevitability of travel. Some people like it and some don't. There is always the possibility of working locally, but it's a toss up. Expect to fly in to your client location Monday morning and fly out Thursday afternoon/evening at the very least. When you're in crunch time, you can also end up staying until Friday and sometimes even the weekend, but for me, that was the exception. For me personally, my work/life balance was great and I liked the travel (oh! the airline miles! the hotel points! per diem! visiting another city!). During my travels, I also got to meet so many truly wonderful people, which brings me to my next point, the PEOPLE.

You know how every company says they have great people, or they value their unique culture? Bla bla bla. Accenture actually lives this. Our main resource is our people and I have made so many life-long friends working here. You end up with the most unbelievable network of co-workers, friends, and supporters. Also, we like to go out and have fun. I traveled with co-workers all the time on mini-vacations, we did a ton of happy hours, sporting events, volunteer activities, etc. Whatever you like to do outside of work, you will find a group of people at Accenture who like to do the same thing. The managers/leadership are just as great as your co-workers in my opinion. You can typically go to them for anything. Our hierarchy is pretty flat which makes leadership approachable. One more time - the PEOPLE are GREAT. I can count on one hand the number of people I did not like in 4 years, 5 clients, and 7 projects at Accenture.

However, when I say "great people", I'm not necessarily counting the clients / vendors you have to deal with on a daily basis. I would say this is the worst part of the job. Some are decent, intelligent, logical folk. 80% are not. The tough part about being a consultant is that you're put in the middle. You take the blame. You're not trusted. E.g. Client: "What's this consulting firm doing coming in here telling me how to do my job?!" And through all that, you have to produce top notch work and gain their trust and build a relationship with your client (even though they may hate you at first).

The last con is that we don't have the best annual performance system. It's not always fair or equitable. But I don't know how to fix it, so there you have it.

They purposely hire contacted workers to not keep them long term. Turn over rate is almost 100%. Everyone there is cut throat and only concerned about themselves and their advancement. They have zero regard for the people they drop like flies or how they will be impacted by the sudden lack of income. I was actually sabatoged by a manager at the time who is now no longer with the company. She went out of her way to get rid of the people she disliked for various reasons (personal or other). And she disliked me because I mentioned to another coworker that I refused to kiss her ***, her or anyone. The coworker then told her verbatim my words, as if I wouldn't have said them to her face myself, but it made appear as though I was plotting against her for how the coworker stated it. This person, who also is no longer with the company, thought by throwing me under the bus, it would help her advance. Out of my training class of 30, only ONE remains today. And frankly it's because they use him because he's brilliant. I loved the job itself. I wanted to be hired on permanently and stay forever and would've if given the chance but the drama and constant cut throat, extremely stressful atmosphere made it one of the worst jobs I've ever had to this day and unfortunately, I've had many. I have turned to temp agencies and contact work in my time of need because they hire quickly. While I was still employed there, I watched many people come in and be treated exactly the same or worse. I was bullied daily, harrassed by MANY people in management, the said manager at the time that created all this drama rallied to get everyone to hate those she disliked. And unfortunately that included all of HR so you had NO ONE to turn to for help. Corporate is in California (the job was in Tennessee) and your contractor is outsourced of the country so you have no support for the horrible experience you endure. Since my time there, I've watched literally hundreds of people I knew go to it with high hopes as a new career opportunity and although I warned them all thoroughly, they still tested it out for themselves and within a months time, we're fired. Regardless of age, gender, race, experience, knowledge, etc., if you don't play their game and worship them as God's and Goddesses they think they are, be prepared to be fired. And in some cases you'll still be let go just strictly because they don't like you. I've since realized this is why the interview process takes less than 8 minutes... They hire Everyone for cheap, quick labor with the intentions you will not stay once they've had their fill of you. Good luck to anyone going there. I only took the time to write this strictly to warn anyone considering the position, especially locally. You will waste your time and only be hardened by the experience. Avoid at all costs!

It has become clear to me that the center isn't concerned with the company values. I cannot in good faith, work in an organization as superficially preoccupied to mold a perception of value, when I know truthfully, that there are none. Perception has become the driving force of the motivation of the primary leadership at the SAIOC location. The client isn't valued and the KPIs & SLAs, provided at least by my project, are manipulated to hide the failings and direct attention to whatever metrics will satisfy the client. Any notion from subordinate personnel for process improvement is not taken seriously, not just from myself, but other individual's that have improvement solutions are often overlooked. To surmise my experience in the last year, my project seems only to wants its low-level employees to make it appear to the client that there are no problems. The goal being to depend highly on the inadequately developed training program required for the first two weeks of employment on the project. Indications of the inadequacy are derived from new joiners commenting on how little they understood what was required of them and how to perform their job. The strategy to maintain a renewing contract with a client seemed, in most cases, to be reliant upon the decontextualization of the metrics of performance to the extent that it appeared as if the project were providing value. This is easily achieved by the ambiguous nature of the communication between the client, vender and employee and the implementation of the firms' own measurement methodology functioning as an illusory representation of overall performance. Training isn't sufficient to produce competent or even naively confident employees, which accounts for the consistently high and increasing turnover rate. Nonetheless, the uncertainty of the nature of the work and how to operate within the center is recognizable within the first initial weeks of training and was never rectified, at least in my case. As far as the immediate leadership, the best description would be my realization of my team lead's negligence of the improvement process, replaced by sports banter (golf being the apparent favorite) or by occupying time in conversation with female subordinates (made possible by selective seating arrangements) in subjects not dealing with the business whatsoever. This is all observable but no one is genuinely interested in the growth of the company at that level. Better to coast on the salary increase by twisting performance data.

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