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Beginning life as a Consultant

This blog was written by Amy Ratcliffe. Amy is currently a member of the CDC graduate development community.

Beginning life as a Consultant at Capgemini is an exciting, fast-paced and challenging experience: your first few months will see you meeting new people in the CDC and wider business, learning the various processes, systems and methods, and then finally taking the ultimate step of arriving on client site to deliver change. One aspect that can be overlooked, however, is what happens when we are between client projects or (as it is more commonly known) ‘on the bench’.

Bench time is a natural part of any Consultant’s career. Even if this is a relatively short period (e.g. a couple of days back in the office whilst roles are being confirmed), it will happen to all of us at some point and can be really valuable if used wisely. At the most basic level, time on the bench can be used to catch up on all necessary admin after a client engagement such as submitting expenses, updating ‘Silhouette’ – our internal CV system – and catching up on any outstanding learning and development tasks e.g. Computer Based Training. After this there are a number of other things you can do which makes bench time fun and also very rewarding for your long term career: you can use the time to speak to your Resourcing Manager about upcoming projects, network with members of your Capability Unit and CDC over coffee and, perhaps most importantly, pick up internal work or ‘cookies’.

‘Cookies’ is the informal term given to short pieces of internal work – normally one to two days – and are usually done for specific Capability Units or Sectors. They are a great way to network with key members of the business and also learn more about our various industry specialisms and capabilities. A recent ‘cookie’ I completed involved researching our history and credentials into a key market, and thus allowed me to meet with various VPs across the business, undertake research on our internal knowledge sharing tool KM2.0, and even get in touch with our wider international network when looking to identify global capabilities.

A further way to maximise your bench time is through taking part in the CDC ‘coffee campaign’. Run through Internal Marketing, the campaign aims to connect CDCers with members of CUs and Sectors to broaden knowledge and awareness of what the various units do before we begin our careers. It can be a great way to get to know people and also network if looking for your next project!

Overall, being on the bench can be a great experience, particularly when you are first getting started in the business. You can meet your new colleagues, gain a greater insight into what life is like as a Consultant, and even start finding your way around the office. Make the best of your time, and days spent on the bench can be key in the development of consulting career.