Getting A Job At Accenture
Accenture is a global consulting and professional services firm with expertise in industries as diverse as sustainability and security.
Accenture was founded in 1989 under the name Andersen Consulting. Since then, it has grown exponentially and become a renowned Fortune 500 company.
With over half a million employees in India, the UK, the USA and beyond, Accenture operates a highly competitive recruitment and training programme to ensure only the best talent makes it into their offices.
One of the reasons that Accenture is such a great place to work is their focus on staff retention and their desire to only hire people who are truly committed to Accenture's work and the opportunities they may discover there.
Accenture Values
There are six core values that Accenture staff are hired and assessed on:
- Stewardship — this is about taking responsibility and working to improve things for the greater good.
- Best people — you'll need to demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude.
- Client value creation — always give your clients the highest possible standard of care.
- One global network — global collaboration and vision is important.
- Respect for the individual — diversity and inclusion should be respected and celebrated.
- Integrity — your individual integrity; including your accountability, morals and ethics are really important.
Types Of Roles At Accenture
Accenture has a wide range of job opportunities across a breadth of different industries.
Whether you're looking for something in a head office function like finance or HR, or more of a specialist role such as cybersecurity, the chances are you'll be able to find your dream job at Accenture.
With the customer at the heart of everything they do, Accenture is always looking for driven, passionate and committed individuals who can live and breathe the Accenture brand and help them to grow and expand.
Hiring Process At Accenture
Accenture has a competitive and rigorous hiring process. It's designed to ensure only the best people, with values that line up with the company's, are hired and invested in.
The hiring process starts with an online application form. If this is accepted, the following process then begins:
Accenture Aptitude Tests
The online assessment is a series of bespoke Accenture tests, designed to test how comfortable you are with technology, and how strong your logic and cognitive skills are.
Over the course of the 60-90 minutes you'll spend on the tests you'll be assessed on lots of different things, but especially:
- Learning motivations
- Collaboration
- Professionalism
- Your interest in technology
Accenture Situational Judgement Tests
Situational judgement tests are designed to assess how well you're likely to cope with the various challenges and daily demands of a workplace like Accenture.
In this test, you'll be presented with a series of hypothetical situations and asked to select your response from a range of possible options.
This allows the Accenture employer to get a picture of you as a person, and whether you're likely to be a good fit for the role and team you're applying for.
The challenge is that almost all of the options may seem sensible, so you'll have to make a judgement call as to whether you pick an answer that demonstrates leadership, creativity or another desirable skill.
It's important to answer honestly for both yourself and Accenture. But it's also important to bear in mind what skills, values and characteristics Accenture will be looking for in the people they hire.
Accenture Logical Reasoning Tests
Logical reasoning is a highly sought-after skill in many companies, and Accenture is no different.
In this test, you'll be presented with a series of challenges that involve you analysing seemingly random data, shapes and patterns in order to work out the rules that govern and connect them.
You don't need any prior knowledge, but it certainly helps to practice logical reasoning tests beforehand to get your brain working in the right way.
The reason that this test is important is that it gives your employer a good idea of your overall problem-solving and logic skills, as well as your ability to keep calm under pressure.
Accenture Numerical Reasoning Tests
For the numerical reasoning test you'll need to brush up on your data analysis and ability to read graphs and tables for this Accenture test.
Working through the questions with the right balance of speed and accuracy is crucial if you want to complete all of the multiple-choice questions you're asked.
Accenture employers value employees with strong numerical skills as they're useful in a huge range of different roles and business scenarios.
Accenture Digital Interview
If you successfully complete the assessments portion of the process, you'll be invited to take part in a digital interview on HireVue.
You'll need to record yourself answering some pre-set questions which will later be reviewed and assessed.
The HireVue platform does more than just record your answers, it also analyses your body language and tone — which means confidence is just as important as it would be if you were doing a face-to-face interview.
Accenture Assessment Centre
The assessment centre is the final stage of the process, and will either take place in person or online.
It consists of three distinct parts:
- Group exercise
- Virtual reality assessment
- Technical assessments and interviews
Making sure you speak up without overpowering others, show your interest, ask questions and come prepared are all great ways to help boost your chance of success at this final stage.
What Is It Like To Work At Accenture?
Change exists at the heart of Accenture, which means there are always new challenges and opportunities to embrace.
Accenture is proud to foster a workplace with no boundaries, which, coupled with their focus on retention and investing in their people, means it's a great place to learn, progress and see your career goals come into focus.
Top Tips To Getting Hired At Accenture
Practice Tests
It's essential to practice the various aptitude tests to improve your speed, skills and confidence.
We always recommend practicing tests in exam conditions and going over your results at the end so you can see which areas you need to work harder on.
Prepare For Your Virtual Interview
Ensuring you appear confident, relaxed and open is important at this stage of the process.
Answering well is also essential if you want to make it to the assessment day. Prepare some thoughts and answers to commonly asked interview questions to help you plan.
Do Your Research
This is important for every stage of the process.
Knowing lots about Accenture; including where they came from, where they're going and some of the latest plans and projects they're working on shows your commitment and passion.
It's also good to look at what the competition is doing and come up with your own ideas about how you could help to bring about positive change at Accenture.
Review Your CV
Not only should your CV be formatted well, it should also be written perfectly and contain impeccable spelling and grammar. It's essentially Accenture's first impression of you, so don't give them a reason not to invite you to the next stage of the process.