Experiences in IT Consultancy?

Experiences in IT Consultancy?

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Speed_Demon

Original Poster:

2,662 posts

187 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Hi all, I am looking to enter the IT consultancy field later this year after finishing my degree as a mature student. I'd really like to hear opinions and experiences of those actually in the field as to what it's like, what you like and dislike and what a day may involve in your role (I'm aware there are quite a few specialisms to explore after the initial couple of years). I'd also love to know what you think makes a great consultant, I consider myself a good communicator and team worker with good problem solving skills with a real interest in technology and it's possible applications which I think all lend themselves well to the role.

I'd also love to hear about ways in to the sector as while I have seen lots of grad schemes advertised in the sector, what are the other entry level roles available?

Thanks.

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
I'm now an IT consultant but my career path to date didn't offer this role without first becoming an expert in an IT field. It's not a job you finish university and then become, or at least it wasn't for me. I qualified as a software engineer and worked up the ranks to senior engineer and then IT management.

I took on the consultant role after becoming sufficiently experienced in software development, business analyst work and management. I work with a SharePoint consultant who is very clued up on all things SharePoint but he worked his way up from 1st line support and eventually development.

In my experience the best consultants are the ones who know their subject inside out but are not your typical "nerdy, leave me alone to code" types. You need to be comfortable talking and presenting to top management as well as conversing with shop floor staff. Just remember that no matter how low or high up your collegues are in the business, they know their processes and day to day opportunities for improvement better than you.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I guess it depends on the role. A new graduate is often very keen, wants to progress and learns fast.

When I used to be in the client side management role the grad would take on the PMO (project management office) role at first so they could see all of the project aspects, but weren't directly delivering to the client (as you are right - and a client can often see right through it).

Basically they had to juggle, collate, report and communicate many parallel threads. I never put them in front of the client but if they had a good idea during the project I'd always given them the option to both get the recognition and present it to the client with coaching. They don't have the experience, but they are often very good at asking questions that can improve the project...

Ynox

1,702 posts

178 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
There's consultant, and 'consultant'. The latter being shiny suited TCS / Accenture /Cap Gem etc crap people.

Hope you enjoy travelling and staying in st holes such as Bolton.

I'm a dev and have been one for 10 years. Sometimes consider consultancy but the points above put me off!

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Ynox said:
There's consultant, and 'consultant'. The latter being shiny suited TCS / Accenture /Cap Gem etc crap people.

Hope you enjoy travelling and staying in st holes such as Bolton.

I'm a dev and have been one for 10 years. Sometimes consider consultancy but the points above put me off!
Or you get to travel the world and do a lot of fun things. Depends on your skills. smile

bogie

16,342 posts

271 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Experience and knowledge is everything, you need some real credibility first.

Try to get a graduate entry job with one of the big consulting firms and get 10 years under your belt in a wide range of industries and technology. Then specialise in something you like and learn more about it than anyone you know....then you could farm yourself out contracting as a consultant and make a good day rate

No one is paying £1k a day for someone called a "IT consultant" who is straight out of school.....not since the 90's anyway smile

timbo999

1,287 posts

254 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
I was one of those 'shiny suited crap people' as I worked for Accenture for 20 years and then as an independent with the MoJ and YJS for 5 years. The key attribute required is experience...

As Vaud says above, its a great life if you can cut it...

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Vaud said:
Ynox said:
There's consultant, and 'consultant'. The latter being shiny suited TCS / Accenture /Cap Gem etc crap people.

Hope you enjoy travelling and staying in st holes such as Bolton.

I'm a dev and have been one for 10 years. Sometimes consider consultancy but the points above put me off!
Or you get to travel the world and do a lot of fun things. Depends on your skills. smile
<sticks hand up>

I joined a consultancy in 2013 that works mainly in the Finance sector, Im now a senior consultant with them. We don't take nerds/geeks, we have to have actual consultants we can put in front of the business... It was an issue as PHD nerds were coming through with their qualifications, then the consultancy was getting bad rep for them being academic nerds who can't articulate with difficult clients, I took on a lot of the interviews for the nerds/geeks, plus BAs, etc to weed out all the folks who have knowledge but want to sit by themselves in the corner.

Why do clients get juniors and then the permie staff think the consultancy is taking the piss... well actually its the client taking the piss, they would rather have a junior on a 3 month freebie (then on a pittance) and ps off their own staff than pay for people like me straight out of the door.

Travelling... whats that... I have always been in London... Except until last week or so, now Im currently in a hotel in Sydney, awaiting for my consultancy paid apartment to be authorised, in addition I get £XX amount per day to spend any way I like on expenses (baring booze, thanks to juniors)...

Experienced consultants are not shipped off to the arse end of nowhere, not unless they have specifically said they will travel anywhere, plus if you do get a 'Bolton' its noted down and you don't get it more than once, the next time could be NY or Scandinavia, etc.

I actually really enjoy the company and I got on board at the right time that Im not just another number, I actually help shape the company, they have noticed, which results in rewards such as promotions and renumeration packages to suit.


21TonyK

11,494 posts

208 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
From your (OP) post you have some industry experience and then qualified in IT and you are now considering going contracting??

My experience is pretty old school, I started as a "consultant" in 1992, retired 2002 wink Back then the one eyed man was king.

I was very fortunate and was adopted by some big Co.s though the 90's but I learned very quickly that IT was a secondary skill. Business management is No.1, IT is a background facility, it's important but so are the guys on the factory floor or reps in the field who actually produce.


Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
21TonyK said:
From your (OP) post you have some industry experience and then qualified in IT and you are now considering going contracting??

My experience is pretty old school, I started as a "consultant" in 1992, retired 2002 wink Back then the one eyed man was king.

I was very fortunate and was adopted by some big Co.s though the 90's but I learned very quickly that IT was a secondary skill. Business management is No.1, IT is a background facility, it's important but so are the guys on the factory floor or reps in the field who actually produce.
Wise words.

Technical excellence in an IT field takes you so far and there are some niche skills where you can still command a premium, but understanding the business context, an ability to communicate and influence, plus IT knowledge makes you much more valuable.

Let me pose an example. (contractor approximated rates for example)

Ability to install and administer and in-memory analytics grid to large scale deployment = $500 a day
Ability to monitor and patch / maintain this environment = $300 a day
Ability to create the architecture, understand the inbound data connections, load balancing, expansion, latency, dat governance, data integrity against the business outcomes etc... = $5000 a day

The roles exist in pure IT, but you need to pick your field carefully and build up the relevant experience to command a premium. The last one is true by the way (banking...)

Similarly working for a consultancy, you have the full gamut. Testers at £10k a year in India. Right the way up to gurus in specific technologies (big data, PAAS, cyber security, cloud etc) who can command £350k+ in the UK because of the breadth of their knowledge and their business relevancy.

21TonyK

11,494 posts

208 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Vaud said:
Ability to create the architecture, understand the inbound data connections, load balancing, expansion, latency, dat governance, data integrity against the business outcomes etc... = $5000 a day
Can I just add, IME, this includes building a model acceptable by the board, managing the restructuring, conducting the redundancies whilst protecting the co. from competitors all at the same time. Globally, not just domestic.

If you can get away with the technicalities for £5K a day then you can outsource it. I'm not in it any more but I know the above combined can secure a 80 foot Sunseeker and your own golf course at the age of 50.

Or, a multinational co. with 600 employees (and the associated headaches) but a mansion in LA combined with first class lifestyle. F16 pax from Amex anyone? !!! (not me!)

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Ynox said:
Hope you enjoy travelling and staying in st holes such as Bolton.
I have regional responsibilities which see me go anywhere in Europe but as we have the beggest representation of consultants in the UK, we could end up anywhere from Hemel Hempstead to Singapore.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
toon10 said:
I have regional responsibilities which see me go anywhere in Europe but as we have the beggest representation of consultants in the UK, we could end up anywhere from Hemel Hempstead to Singapore.
Indeed.

Or find yourself based out of a rubbish hotel like this - as the client has a good rate there and you are obliged to use the client expenses policy...


ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed_Demon said:
Hi all, I am looking to enter the IT consultancy field later this year after finishing my degree as a mature student. I'd really like to hear opinions and experiences of those actually in the field as to what it's like, what you like and dislike and what a day may involve in your role (I'm aware there are quite a few specialisms to explore after the initial couple of years). I'd also love to know what you think makes a great consultant, I consider myself a good communicator and team worker with good problem solving skills with a real interest in technology and it's possible applications which I think all lend themselves well to the role.

I'd also love to hear about ways in to the sector as while I have seen lots of grad schemes advertised in the sector, what are the other entry level roles available?

Thanks.
I've been an IT Consultant with a couple of big firms (PwC and IBM) and am now a technical contractor. I joined PwC on their grad scheme, transferred to IBM (buyout) and have worked with a variety of clients from large public sector orgs to big telcos amongst others. As others have said initially the junior consultants are given the grunt work, long hours without any overtime payment or TOIL. There's little client-facing work as you don't know enough yet to do that credibly. Once you've gained experience the opportunities are there to move into more client-facing roles or more technical-expert roles (I chose the latter). The work tends not to be in the most glamorous locations and living out of hotels does become tiresome, but is good fun for a while if you're with a good team.

As a (mature) grad with no specific industry experience, I'd have thought the grad schemes would be your best (only?) route in. You should be able to differentiate yourself from the other grads with your maturity.

I switched to being a technical contractor for increased flexibility and to enable me to continue in a technical role when IBM wanted to push everyone into team leading and project management. That's been very successful for the last decade although I'm now considering returning to the permie world with a small consultancy where I can have some influence on the direction of the company and help build the business.

wiggy001

6,542 posts

270 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed_Demon said:
I'd really like to hear opinions and experiences of those actually in the field as to what it's like,
Background: I was a perm for 11 years as a trainee, developer, senior developer, tech lead and manager developing ERP systems (PeopleSoft). Redundancy led to me joining a small consultancy in 2008 and I'm still there today as a senior technical consultant.

Speed_Demon said:
what you like and dislike
The dislikes are easy - I earn a permanent salary yet could be working away from home, so like a contractor without the daily rate! That said, the security, environment for learning, company benefits and team working convince me that I'm better off as a consultant than a contractor. And knowing that no job is forever means the bad projects always have a light at the end of the tunnel. Projects typically run for between 4 and 12 months (although I've had several extensions that have seen me at the same client for a couple of years)

The problem we are seeing in our industry (Oracle ERP) is that the shift from on-premise solutions (PeopleSoft in our case) to hosted SAAS solutions means there is less work for tech consultants and certainly less long-term engagements. To mitigate this we've actually turned to making our own ERP software and are having great success with our own HR and Portal application. This again provides new avenues/technologies for learning for the consultants and means will will be doing a mix of software development and consulting on both Oracle and our own products.

Speed_Demon said:
and what a day may involve in your role
It could be any of the following and more:

- assisting with the creation of sales pitches (building demo systems, scoping requirements from RFPs, fit-gap analysis, pricing gaps)
- Design, build, testing and documentation of implementations. Client work might be at a client site anywhere in the UK or could be remote/from home depending on the client. Senior consultants get more say about where they are willing to travel to, how long they will be away from home etc.
- Technical work could be using Oracle proprietary tools/languages, web developments (javascript libraries, css etc), building interfaces, data migration...
- "Bench time" (which is fairly rare in general) will consist of either assisting our support teams, assisting with sales pitches mentioned above or technical training
- working with client's own IT depts (onsite and outsourced) which has it's own challenges.

So to give a couple of examples:

- this week has been mainly spent chasing client techs on their deliverables (infrastructure/environment builds mainly) and working with my techs to complete some technical customisations for payroll legislation changes coming into effect in April. The project must go live on time so there's a few long days being done to catch up delays caused by the client's unmotivated, overworked, soon to be redundant techs. There is no glory in this project as at the end of it the system will still work as it does today, albeit people will be paid correctly (they won't be if the project doesn't go live). I live in Kent, our office is in Watford and I do 3 days at home, 2 in the office.

- Last year I managed a team that implemented Manager Self Service functionality for a long-term client. A far more interesting project where I needed to understand the business fully, the drivers for the project (pushing responsibility to the managers from head office, reducing cost and increasing engagement) and the challenges (eg it's far easier to email HR for something than to do it yourself). We ended up building a well received, easy to use system that was, by all measures, a great success for the client and us. I was running that project with a PM for 12 months, mostly spending 4 days a week at the client site (mon, tues, thur, fri - my choice of days to give me time at home and enough time on site to manage the team effectively). Day to day I was dealing with "the business" at all levels up to directors.

Speed_Demon said:
I'd also love to know what you think makes a great consultant, I consider myself a good communicator and team worker with good problem solving skills with a real interest in technology and it's possible applications which I think all lend themselves well to the role.
In a marketplace swamped with bullstters, we pride ourselves on being ethical in all that we do. Being knowledgeable on your subject earns you respect. Delivering what you say you will do is essential to keep that respect. But the biggest thing for me is being able to say "I don't know, but I will find out". Don't bullst anyone - it will come back to bite you.

Speed_Demon said:
I'd also love to hear about ways in to the sector as while I have seen lots of grad schemes advertised in the sector, what are the other entry level roles available?
We've taken on a few inexperienced grads over the years. Some have become great consultants, some have realised it's not for them and either left or moved to less-client-facing roles. We do put inexperienced people on client sites, but always with more experienced consultants and are always honest with our clients. On my last project I costed some work as if I was doing it - we then brought a new guy in to do the work at the same price with the assurance that I would ensure the quality of his work and even if it took him twice as long, it still reduced our elapsed time. The lad in question excelled expectation and has gone on to become a great consultant.

The main thing for us is attitude and aptitude. We now take on a mix of consultants (tech, func and pm), software developers and support staff. A lot of our consultants are ex-contractors looking for something new or more security but some are recent grads with the right attitude and willingness to learn.

HTH

seyre1972

2,607 posts

142 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Vaud said:
Indeed.

Or find yourself based out of a rubbish hotel like this - as the client has a good rate there and you are obliged to use the client expenses policy...

Doha ? Qinvest/GCC perhaps ?

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
W in Barcelona.

DavidJG

3,507 posts

131 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed_Demon said:
Hi all, I am looking to enter the IT consultancy field later this year after finishing my degree as a mature student. I'd really like to hear opinions and experiences of those actually in the field as to what it's like, what you like and dislike and what a day may involve in your role (I'm aware there are quite a few specialisms to explore after the initial couple of years). I'd also love to know what you think makes a great consultant, I consider myself a good communicator and team worker with good problem solving skills with a real interest in technology and it's possible applications which I think all lend themselves well to the role.

I'd also love to hear about ways in to the sector as while I have seen lots of grad schemes advertised in the sector, what are the other entry level roles available?

Thanks.
I'm a Consulting Manager with one of the large firms mentioned by a previous poster. Most large firms have a good graduate entry programme - but these are not easy to get into. There will be a large number of grads applying for every vacancy, so if you've got relevant industry experience this will give you an advantage. You can expect long hours when on client projects (especially if you go to Accenture or Deloitte - both of these have particularly aggressive corporate cultures), but you can also expect excellent training and development opportunities. The team atmosphere in most consultancies and consulting engagement is also usually enjoyable, although watch for organizations who encourage team members to compete against each other - this is not a good place to be.

If you join as a grad, you can expect a 12 - 24 month graduate programme, after which you should be promoted to something along the lines of 'associate consultant' in your chosen field. The next steps in your career are up to you. Consultancies expect you to take ownership of your personal development and career at this point. This does mean working for development / promotion - no-one's going to do this for you. On the plus side, this means that you have the ability to shape your career in the direction of your choice.


bga

8,134 posts

250 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed_Demon said:
Hi all, I am looking to enter the IT consultancy field later this year after finishing my degree as a mature student. I'd really like to hear opinions and experiences of those actually in the field as to what it's like, what you like and dislike and what a day may involve in your role (I'm aware there are quite a few specialisms to explore after the initial couple of years).
For a bit of context I've been working in IT consultancy (mainly focussed on companies using SAP) for 16 years & for the last 10 of those I have been in a business I set up with a friend.

My day to day job has changed a fair bit but in general:

Likes: Lots of different clients & projects. If a project is boring then there is always an end in sight. The work is pretty varied. You have to think on your feet. Taking a project live is a great feeling

Dislikes: The travel can be a bind after a while. There can be animosity from clients who see you as taking their job (in our case we are generally helping them keep theirs). Being landed in the middle of a project can be challenging (in a good and bad way). You have to get used to telling clients that they are not unique and selling your solution to them.


Speed_Demon said:
I'd also love to know what you think makes a great consultant, I consider myself a good communicator and team worker with good problem solving skills with a real interest in technology and it's possible applications which I think all lend themselves well to the role.
I can't speak for all consultancies but as a principle we hire for attitude and train for skills. Common themes among good consultants are

- Being proactive
- Good listener (you have 2 ears & 1 mouth, respect that ratio)
- Make an effort to really understand what the problem is and what the customer wants (often they need help with this).
- Good comms & relationship building
- Tenacity
- Looks for opportunities (and refers them)
- Willing to admit mistakes
- Understands the context in they are operating

Lots of these will be tested during interviews so make sure you have good answers for where you have demonstrated these. Using STAR method can be useful but don't get hung up on it. I have interviewed candidates who have focused more on following STAR than giving good examples.


Speed_Demon said:
I'd also love to hear about ways in to the sector as while I have seen lots of grad schemes advertised in the sector, what are the other entry level roles available?
Grad entry is by far the most straightforward. It is possible to join a consultancy in an ops capacity and transfer to consulting - I've seen it happen but can take a long time. You could also join a firm in an IT capacity and move into consultancy offering those services. The consultancy would usually require a few years of experience unless the area was really hot and they will hire anyone who can spell what they are trying to flog (or have flogged & are desperate to resource).

Don't worry about joining a consultancy that is less "premium" than others. If you are working in a technical area & you have aptitude then your skills will soon be the differentiator that you need to move to other firms. Citing an example Ynox gave (TCS, Accenture, Cap) they are respectively placed Bottom, Upper, Middle market (and ability to charge clients) but movement between then is relatively easy once you have a few years under your belt.

Good luck!

Speed_Demon

Original Poster:

2,662 posts

187 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Wow. Thank you everyone, I really appreciate you all taking the time.

It's as I suspected wrt getting into the field, but that's OK as there are plenty of schemes to apply to, I'd love to be taken up by IBM but have applied to others (Capgem, Fujitsu, Accenture) with more to come.

I would hope my maturity and genuine enthusiasm will help in the application process. I am very motivated to work in the field (given what I know of the role so far), and definitely to learn and progress. No idea what I'd like to specialise in, solutions architecture perhaps, but I just really enjoy learning in general so may try different things.

Well aware the pay will seem poor given all the travel, but I'd just appreciate being in the role. Was offered accelerated progression and much more money in the career I am in but I simply don't enjoy it and do not feel it makes the most of me in the slightest.

Interesting point about business knowledge being vital, my "Strategic Information Systems and Management" module has taken this path. Will be using an IS/IT strategy framework for my dissertation that also focuses heavily on proper understanding of the business side of things.