From Assessment Centres to 6 months at Capgemini

So it has been 6 months since I first started Capgemini, and almost a year since the final assessment centre and it is unbelievable how time has flown by as the four years of lecture rooms and muffled memories from the (almost) care free nights of university seem a distant memory now! "Is this a bad thing?" I hear you say... Not at all, quite the opposite!

I distinctly remember the thoughts of "will I get the job or not?" and "don't do anything stupid!" constantly churning at the back of my mind that morning on a cold February morning in Woking. With this in mind, when the assessors said the process was going to be an enjoyable experience, naturally I didn't believe them! However my assessment centre was, although still nerve-wracking, from the start relatively informal compared to some other overly competitive gruelling activities at most graduate schemes I had been to (although don't take that as an excuse not to come prepared)! After an informal chat to 'get to know me' with the other activities scheduled it was all over quicker than a flash! The best bit of advice I can offer is arrive early and get comfortable with the other people in the assessment centre and come prepared with lots of questions to get to know what your (hopefully!) future job is all about.

So I got the job ... great! The next task was actually making the transition from university late nights and even later mornings to the working world. I distinctly remember my bemused parents describing that "the working world is going to hit you like a ton of bricks" (Thanks Mum, Thanks Dad with a mild hint of sarcasm in my voice!) which only added to my nerves! Despite this and with the first tough challenge of actually waking up on time successfully under my belt and a short commute to Woking I was excited for the week ahead of inductions and 'interesting characters' I was going to meet! In truth it was a great week with current grads taking you through the bombardment of information right through to the end of week 'challenge' (which I shall leave you to find out!). On top of this there were a number of social events throughout the week (free pizza and alcohol is always a bonus!) to introduce you to other member of the BTC and other employees to help make you feel right at home from day one. What particularly stood out for me was how friendly, approachable and willing everyone was to help you settle into Capgemini life as soon as possible.

Following the induction ... it was down to business! I spent a few weeks 'on the bench' (a term used for when you are not on a project) which gave me much needed time to absorb the mass amounts of information thrown at me in the first week and start some of the freely accessible training. I was soon called into assist a bid; working in a client facing role at a client site was an ideal first role to work in whilst helping to negotiate terms of a potential contract and was exactly what I had envisioned a 'consultant' was all about. But of course it's not all about being one trick ponies!

Soon after this I was moved over to a major public sector organisation to help a small team develop a concept of a new document management system which is used by both the UK and 'Offshore' team. What was great about this role was the ability to work with different colleagues regardless of their grade (from senior managers, to business analysts) on the project using the understanding to develop the requirements for the system before implementation and training. Not only this, it allowed for valuable 'networking' opportunities with my peers (a term you will no doubt come to know very well!). The system has since become the central repository for all documentation and communications within the team, a sign that as a grad you have a chance to make a big difference to the team almost instantly.

After a few months at Capgemini, the resource team felt it necessary that I started a role which lasted six months or more to give me a real chance to firmly make my stamp on a project. After having a few different role options available I was eventually moved into a testing role. I know what you are thinking ... "Testing ... sounds dull"! Of course there are activities such as having to meticulously and repeatedly test the documentation and system, but there are a lot more aspects to the job. After meeting with the test team leader it was agreed that to help me be as effective as possible I was to attend a five-day ISEB/ISTQB Foundation in Software Testing course which laid the foundation for the role. Recently I have been facilitating and attending meetings with the client, third parties and sub-contractors at a variety of locations, as well as liaising with internal business analysts and integration architects to understand how the system 'should' work before preparing plans accordingly, undertaking the tests, questioning potential issues and then feeding back and interacting with relevant stakeholders.

Grads are also actively encouraged to help the internal and wider community. I am currently involved in the MAG (Marketing Affinity Group) community group, marketing the BTC in a variety of ways both internally through the company intranet and externally through highlighting individual's efforts such as charity events. This policy has also has given me the chance like Naz to get covered in paint, dust, mud and other 'miscellaneous rubbish' whilst managing a large group on a Raleigh weekend ... sounds questionable - but it was great fun! The task was set in Waltham Cross Connextions Centre, North London, where the objective was to 'spruce the place up' for the local community to use. Leadership of the group was rotated and whilst making a difference to the Connextions Centre really helped to discuss and refine these essential skills. Not only was it a fulfilling experience, it was a great opportunity to get to know other people on the BTC (notably by some interesting Irish dancing and 'cockney walking' at a 60yr old's birthday party...) and even made the local papers ... (not the dancing)!

Obviously with consulting, no two people will experience the same things especially with the variety of tasks on offer in a variety of industries, different project timescales, among many variables ... but that's the great thing about it, where you never know where you will end up next! I am conscious this blog has started to become a bit of a life story, however I thought it would be the best way to give an understanding of the variety of experiences (alongside the other blogs on this site) available to you as a grad at Capgemini and not just from a purely work aspect. There are always the harder times working on documentation writing, occasionally struggling to get the information you need quickly, long travel times and the occasional late night ... but that comes with any job, and are miniscule issues in comparison with the broad opportunities available to you as a grad. The clichéd term 'rollercoaster ride', though reluctantly used, describes my experiences so far!

So looking forward to my next six months ... I am coming to the end of my project half way through 2011 and ready to take on any new role or challenge which arises. I also still have the BTC Challenge (see Naz's blog), the ISEB qualification in Business Analysis and Systems Development, the Technology Workshop at Les Fontaines as part of the extensive training offered on the grad scheme... all of which hopefully I can tell you about as and when they happen ...