Is Accenture Really the Kiss of Death?
I'm a junior at a target school, hoping to work for MBB after graduation. Interviewed with all of them this year (second rounds for some) but ultimately didn't receive an offer, so now I'm looking at other options. I've been poking around here for a while and it seems like people really disparage firms like Accenture. But given how competitive it is this year, would working for a "lesser" firm like Accenture really hurt one's chances in full-time recruiting for MBB? How does working at Accenture stack up to prestigious public/nonprofit sector positions (at federal reserve banks, for example)?
Accenture is going through huge cuts right now, especially in their El Segundo office. Lots of my buddies in that office are now looking for jobs; not sure about other places. If you could keep your job there for a few years and go to a decent MBA school, I'm sure that having a job at Accenture won't necessarily hurt your chances to recruit for MBB.
accenture is still a recognizable name (obviously it doesn't carry the prestige as MBB). just make sure to network.
The world has changed. And we must change with it.
Whatever you do, don't go to accenture strategy (yes, they have a strategy division). When they came to my school, they were bragging in the info session about how few people they give offers to. The offer rate was on par with MBB, but trumping up their "exclusivity" made them come off as desperate wannabes in my eyes.
Yes, definitely base your decision on the impressions of a college kid based on a 1 hour info session.
http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316172324
1) Are first impressions really so unreliable? 2) It's all about the people, right?
Old: Whatever you do, don't go to Accenture Strategy New: The 10-15 people I spoke with from Accenture Strategy (they had us sit at tables and rotated employees around for 10 minute conversations) came off less modest and more pompous than those I met at MBB.
This is a late reply to this post but I just found this today. Accenture still does not have much of a strategy team primarily because of the #1 focus on cost in all that they do for themselves and customers - it's all about measuring productivity on the backs of staff cuts. They do it to themselves and they do it to any company they get into so in reality there is no real strategy, quality, or operational excellence. Most of their people are also home grown and have lost their ability to evolve. Here in 2016 for example, they are starting the lay-offs up again because they MUST meet their "recovery and off-shore/on-shore mix metric at any cots. If they go over budget by any amount no matter what it's for, a head is getting cut. It is tiresome, poorly thought out by an internal army of solders who have been brainwashed into thinking that this is the best an only way. Strategy is so much more than that but Accenture culture really doesn't understand this and is why they fail to compete externally with their strategy consultants as they have no real program. Their strategy college is like the big 80's and the world is really passing them by. I hope you chose something else and that this can help another student looking for something to do. At Accenture, you will actually learn the least because despite the fact that they off-shore anyone and everyone they can internally, they do not do this in the place of investing in automation. Instead they pay armies people in India, Buenos Ares, and China to manually create massive spreadsheets that provide actually very little intelligence and then spit it out to on-shore staff who then have to spend the same amount of time on top of the 16 hour days they already work to make sense out of it. BUT on the books, it looks like they save cost, finance is happy, every body wins and these are the things they teach you to do when you are doing real strategy.
Having been at MBB, I knew a few people who did Accenture strategy consulting out of undergrad. All went top undergrad --> Accenture --> top b-school --> MBB
Make your own judgment - in my opinion, "trumping up" exclusivity at an undergrad recruiting event doesn't translate into "whatever you do, don't go to accenture strategy".
If you get an offer, do choose to accept it (in light of your alternatives) and do well there, by no means would it be a bad move as a) you may solidify an offer to return in 2010 when things may still be ugly and b) MBB full-time would certainly look favorably upon someone with strategy consulting experience.
Ok, clearly you aren't getting this.
Accenture guys being pompous, being wannabes, being arrogant, whatever - how does that come remotely close to answering the original question?
First of all, are you really quoting Malcolm Gladwell? His readers are overzealous high-school students and those obsessed with the New Yorker; get real.
Secondly, in no way is Accenture the kiss of death. Too many on this forum try to represent themselves as the final authority, including this kid above who is likely a freshman in college. Undergrad MBB internships are very hard to get, and in no way does your rejection this summer preclude you from being employed next year.
I know plenty of people who have worked at Deloitte/Accenture/Cap Gemini and gone to MBB, and vice versa. So, to answer your question, Accenture is the opposite of the kiss of death. When entering full-time recruiting next year, having previous strat consulting experience will give you a substantial leg up on your peers that do not.
Hope a reasonable perspective helps (previously interned and currently work in the industry)
I agree that Accenture is not the 'kiss of death'.
I would argue that due to the size of the company and the fact that it has less prestige than MBB, performance at Accenture will be the make or break point on your MBA app / next job app.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
I'm at MBB now, after spending several years at ACN prior to MBA (not even in Strategy). Does it have the MBB prestige? No. It's still one of the most recognizable names in business though, and will prepare you well for grad school, industry, or MBB. IMO the best people at Accenture (top 20%) are MBB quality. It's all about your performance there, just as it will be anywhere. There are disadvantages but overall I think it's a great option - internships in particular are very difficult to get and if you have that option, it reflects very well on you. Good luck!
Where did you do your MBA? I've been at Acn over 2 years now (non-strat) so starting to plan for MBA in a year or two time with a view to moving to MBB
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