Possibility of movement from Accenture to MBB/Tier 2

Hey,

Its good to see you are casting you net wide and networking your way. 10/10 for that!

Accenture's Brand

Its not a tech consulting firm anymore. The breadth and scale of Accenture has made it one of the most sought after companies in the recent 5-10 years. It now plays in Strategy, Digital Transformation, Marketing etc. Just check out Gartner/Forrester rating and Accenture pretty much leads all qudrants even beating MBB in Digital Transformation expertise for example (https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/consulting/forrester-digital-business-transformation) So dont worry about. 

Note that Accenture Strategy is not at the same level as MBB, so you need to play the wider Accenture brand in your story i.e Accenture offers exposure to all those areas where MBB dont play giving you more experience in e2e business problems.

Your rejections

Without getting direct feedback from HR/Hiring Manager we can only speculate:

1. No current demand to match your skills
2. Not enough budget to hire you
3. Impact of COVID, in UK its still very tough at the moment; plus London office is hyper competitive
4. Hiring freeze or exceptional only hiring in many places
5. Visa considerations- I believe US has extended ban till end Mar and UK has now moved to points based systems 

Path to MBB

Think about making most of the Accenture role for however long you intend you stay with them. Make a plan and work with the managers etc to get involved in the right projects. CN supports pretty much US/Europe clients, so you will get exposed to that geogprahy nonetheless but be mindful that due to COVID projects could be difficult to get.

Make sure your CV, cover letter and career story are all slick and convincing. Keep trying and you will hit home run. Its a matter of time but be patient, specially as COVID continues to cause damage.

Feel free to send me a message if you wish to discuss further.

Good luck!

Hi there,

1. No one can really know. There may be multiple reasons

1. Lack of openings in your sector
2. Hiring limitations due to COVID
3. Your CV

The best thing is to ask your friend to contact HR for feedback (this is the most likely way to get the true feedback – they may give generic reasons if you ask directly)

2. It is possible to move from Accenture to MBB, although it is not the strongest brand to do so. Still, it doesn’t really preclude opportunities. I personally helped people that worked at Accenture to get offers from MBB

3. Again, here as well there may be multiple reasons:

1. No openings
2. The partner is busy
3. Restrictions in Singapore to hire foreigners due to COVID

4. Yes, it is possible to move from Accenture to MBB. I personally helped people with the transition

5. A referral is always going to be the #1 way to get invitations, in particular if you don’t have connections there

6. I helped a few experienced hires with O&G background to join MBB there, please PM if needed

Best,
Francesco

Hello,

First of all, congratulations for your new start!

As an overall comment to your situation, taking into account the timing, I would say that COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process of the firms in one way or another and probably you are seeing the effects of its impact.

I will address each of your questions separately:

1. One reason for that, could be that the relevant team had no openings for someone of your seniority. In any case, I would reach out to HR for their feedback.
2. I must admit that this is new for me. Based on your background, Accenture is only part of your professional experience, so it comes a bit as a surprise. Again, reaching out to HR for feedback would help to clarify this issue.
3. I would suggest reaching out to the Partner to follow up on this lead you have. Perhaps, there could be an opening in a couple of months or the hiring process is slowed down due to COVID-19.
4. I disagree with the notion that transitioning from Accenture to MBB/ Tier 2 is difficult. It really depends on the experience you have, the projects you have worked on and the skills & overall connections you are bringing to the company.
5. It really depends on their needs and how Brexit affects their hiring process. Reaching out to HR could clarify these points.

As a closing comment, I agree with Pankaj that you should position yourself as an IG consultant rather than a Energy sector expert. Of course, you should point out your previous experience in the Energy sector, but highlighting different functional topics you have worked on might give you the edge you are looking for.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Nikos  

Hi there,

Thanks for the question and wishing you the best on your MBB aspirations!

1) Referrals are never a gaurentee. Even from EMs/Partners. Anything we say here would be conjecture but it could be a range of things (bad resume, bad fit, no space/availability/demand, bad timing, etc.)

Note that right now Energy is shedding a lot of jobs.

2) Not necessarily. Again, this relates to #1. Your % chance of being invited to interview hinges on a range of factors. All you can do is improve your odds by showing career progression, getting higher education, networking effectively, and creating the strongest resume/cover letter that you can

3) That is the implication here yes. Try not to read into it...just do as he says and reconnect in a few months!

4) Yes it's possible. Not, it's not difficult specifically because of tech branding...if anything, McKinsey and BCG are dying for tech expertise

5) Same as anywhere else. That said, you should always be applying where you have working rights, citizenship, or prior history (work experience ideally). Your odds are generally lower when you stray from this path

6. See point #2

Good luck!

Hi,

Thanks for your detailed post. I'll answer to your questions one-by-one.

1. There could be plenty of reasons related to e.g. staffing requirements and recruiting pipeline, the application you submitted, etc. It is hard to tell what's the actual reason. Why don't you send an email to the HR and ask for feedback?

2. I've rarely heard of this objection honestly. I don't think working at Accenture will prevent you to jump to MBB/Tier 2 if you have relevant experience. Again, why don't you ask that to the HR?

3. Hard to tell. Do follow up with him periodically to keep him engaged!

4. It is definitely possible!

5. Depends on your application, their needs, and other work regulations (e.g. visa, etc.). Try to connect with someone in the offices.

I hope this helps.

Best,

Antonello

Hello!

Congrats on the position!

To your points: 

1. Was this year? COVID made it all quite bizarre
2. That is also very bizarre, I would look for a different referrer
3. I would say hiring freeze or slowdown due to COVID
4. Yes, it´s totally plausible, and actually experience with Accenture should be a plus in your application

Best regards, 

Clara

Hi there,

first of all, good luck on your new position!

As to your questions, I can think of the following:

1. A referral does not guarantee anything, we can only speculate on the possible reasons. Better ask for feedback
2. I don't think the reason is Accenture, it's actually quite a good starting point. Again, you can ask the HR
3. All of them can have an impact, but at the end I'd take his advice and connect in a couple of months
4. See #2
5. Take visa / working regulaton into consideration

Cheers,

GB

Hi,

It has nothing to do with Accenture Technology brand. I did this switch in India - from Accenture Strategy to Bain. Are you open to practices beyond Energy as well? For example, overall IG&S sector? I would recommend thinking of yourself as a generalist with strong experience in IG&S (and not an Energy vertical affiliated consultant) and accordingly shaping your CV as such. For example, you might have done a project with an Oil and Gas major for their margin improvememt - i would suggest emphasizing more on profitability improvement engagement vs the oil and gas part. 

Feel free to DM me if further questions! Happy to review your CV if needed.

Hi,

1. EM should ask HR for details

2. It will not. I personally made a transition from Accenture to MBB. The brand is good enough. Recently MBB firms are hiring a lot from Accenture technology to develop digital practices

3. Anything is possible. 

4. See p2

Best

Hi,

Rejection can due to many reasons such as no budget / headcount for the year, business is slow or the profile does not match the requirements. In any case a feedback from HR is required to understand the real reason.

Accenture brand is not a liabiity to move to MBB, many people do that, you just need to ensure that your CV is strong, you practice your case and network sufficiently.

Best,
Iman