Applications Consultant Review

Currently I am working in a PMO role on a project based in the East Midlands. PMO is defined as Project Management Office and I would describe the role as an aid to the Project Manager. I am predominantly client-facing and spend 4 days a week on the client site working closely with project members from the client and Capgemini. I have responsibilities that repeat either weekly or daily as well as tasks that are delegated to me from my Project Manager on an ad-hoc basis. Some of these include managing RAID logs, invoicing the customer, taking minutes of meeting, scheduling meetings and booking rooms, dealing with change requests and collating a weekly report, just to name a few.

I have learnt a lot of new skills from my time working at Capgemini and these range from interpersonal and professional behaviours through to technical and functional ability. Being in a professional environment for such a prolonged period of time has meant that I have fundamentally improved my overall professional behavior. Partaking in various training courses around communication and client relations has enabled me to be able to be more confident when presenting and speaking with senior client members. Due to how often I have to use the products, I have also developed skills working with the various Microsoft softwares (PowerPoint, Excel etc.).

On the whole, I would say I do enjoy the programme. It is hard to generalize my experiences as consultancy is such a dynamic and diverse industry. It is very likely that you will not work directly with individuals who you join the company with and therefore even though you are on the same programme together, your experiences cannot be directly compared. I am very comfortable on my current project and have built a good rapport with the customer. This means I look forward to coming into the workplace due to the culture and the friendliness of the people I am working with both from the client and from Capgemini. I would have to admit that when it comes to my day-to-day responsibilities I am less optimistic. I do not dislike my role, however, I find that it is quite repetitive and can be tedious. I have been on my current project for around 10 months so as you can imagine, at times, I can lose motivation. In regards to the studying/university aspect, I would say I have a mixed opinion but it is generally favourable. There are some modules I have enjoyed studying more than others, but this was not a surprise. The work that you have to complete independently, outside of working hours, is definitely challenging - but since I enjoy most of the content, I do not mind having to complete it.

In recent months, the organization of the programme has been improving and steps have been taken to progress this. However, my overall experience has not really been what I would have expected. The first few months upon joining the company were a bit disorganized and it seemed as though a lot of the plans made for us were done quite last minute. This meant we spent a lot of time 'sitting around' with not a lot to do. This has been the only real instance that I have found Capgemini to be disorganized. On the other hand, the university side of the programme has not been as well structured. There have been several instances where on-campus days seem underprepared and the sessions unfulfilling, and this has been the case with a lot of the online webinars we have to attend as well. There seems to be an underlying lack of alignment between the apprenticeship company, our university and Capgemini which means for our portfolio, there has been a lot of re-organization and scope changes. Having said all of this, Capgemini have taken onboard a lot of the feedback we have given and have made steps to try and improve some of the organizational issues we have faced.

Overall, I have been impressed by the support I have received from Capgemini. There are various streams in place that I can refer to if I have any problems or issues or just need someone to talk to. You are assigned a reviewer when you join the company and I have found this relationship to be really valuable. I know I can speak to my reviewer if I need any support and they will always make time for me. By providing 22 days of study leave (18 days when on-campus days are taken off), Capgemini are supporting their Degree Apprentices by allowing us to dedicate additional time to our studies if we need to. In my experiences, project managers and team members have been understanding of instances where I have had to leave work early due to university commitments etc. Furthermore, I have received full support when enquiring about moving roles in the company and trying to seek out any new opportunities - Capgemini are great for flexibility.

I admit that I did initially face issues with my personal tutor at university as there were very difficult to get into contact with and then suddenly left with very little notice. This was an issue as I had not yet met with this tutor and felt a step behind the others on my cohort as it took a while to sort this out. However, since being assigned a new tutor I feel much more comfortable and supported. I have also found that if I have any questions around module content or assignments/exams, my module tutors are always happy to help.

I would say that what is taught in the qualification, is, mostly applicable to my personal day-to-day responsibilities. This is due to the nature of my role where I have an overall view of the project and work closely with the project manager. However, I find that it is difficult to apply a the theories/models/learnings directly as I don't always remember what has been taught and it is hard to keep these in mind when doing day-to-day work.

Being in a consulting role where I am away in the week, I would say there are less extra-curricular activities that I am able to partake in. However, I do usually go out for dinner or drinks etc. with members of the project after work. I am aware that if you are working in a permanent role/office, there is more frequent activies or events that take place. However, as I am away in the week I find it difficult to attend such events.

Yes

Generally yes. I think that Capgemini has a great culture and is a good place to work. The Degree Apprentice schemes themselves are an amazing opportunity and have so many benefits that, for me, definitely outweighed the option of going to university traditionally. The flexibility that Capgemini offers is really great and allows you to explore different areas in the company, if you so desire (I would say though, this is something you have to progress yourself - if you are not enjoying your role or are not comfortable, you need to speak up). Furthermore, since joining, my salary has increased several times which is obviously great. Along with this, promotion opportunities are frequent and I do personally feel that the company wish to help you progress.

I would say that when applying to Capgemini, make sure you know what role opportunities or research more when you find out, as I came in and didn't really know what to expect leaving me overwhelmed and confused. In terms of the application process itself, make sure you have researched Capgemini and its operations - it is important that you show good knowledge of what Capgemini does. Be enthusiastic and passionate throughout the entire process - one thing I would mention specifically that if you attend an assessment centre, you are ALWAYS being watched so make sure you are being professional at all times (even during breaks etc.).