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What do we do when we're not working on a project?

Richard Knock writes about the time spent between project roles:

A career in consulting means there will be times when you don’t have a project to work on. Your current project can end, and the next one not start immediately, leaving a gap to be filled. Partly due to the delayed start of my next project, I have just spent a few weeks “on the bench”, but what can you actually do in that time?

The first day or two would normally be spent catching up on admin work, completing expenses returns and updating your CV, but after that, the opportunities become wider and more interesting. I have done some research for a team helping a council look into its waste management programme (a valid opportunity to talk rubbish), helping produce a report which was then taken to the client. I helped with a bid Capgemini was putting together to work with a private equity company. I arranged for contributions, edited blogs and filmed videos for our Financial Sector website, FS in Fact. Although the start of the next project was delayed, I was still able to do some research and preparation for it. Finally, I’ve been able to some internal work, something which all members of the CDC have to do as part of their development and which is explained more in earlier blogs.

Although everyone wants to be on a project all the time, that’s unlikely ever to happen, but the times away from projects are great for working with new (and often senior) people, learning about different things and understanding how the company works. I now have a slightly better understanding of the world of finance, and of how difficult it can be to persuade a couple of vice presidents to keep their videos to a reasonable length. Having seen the process of preparing for a bid, I know more about how much work goes into getting business for the company. I also have a far greater understanding of the world of waste than ever I expected, and ever my friends wanted me to have.

Often, the work people do in this time leads to projects in the future, so it’s worth taking the opportunity to do as many different things as possible!

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The blog gives an excellent overview for Graduates as to what it is like to work at Capgemini. More and more Grads are very selective when applying and will make sure they have fully researched an organisation and this is an excellent resource for candidates looking for an insight in to the company and the role. # Posted By IT Recruitment Agency | 12/3/10 12:27 AM