Accenture Reviews in San Francisco, CA Area

Pros

1. Great people whom I'd hang out after work with, and who have become lifelong friends
2. World-class global brand-name clients
3. Diversity of experiences

Cons

1. Long hours
2. Not a meritocracy - based on duration of service
3. Promotion based on who you know, not what you know

Advice to Senior Management

1. Develop a bi-annual promotion cycle; once a year is not enough to retain talent in this economy - attrition is high, greater than 10% at Accenture.
2. Raise salaries to become on par with other consulting firms
3. Recognize your people, especially top performers

Pros

Technology savvy
Great vacation if at a mid-career level
Growth opportunities
Client diversity

Cons

Constant infrastructure changes
Limit in growth if you're not in the consultant arm of the firm
Massive layoffs in downturns
Some management isn't equipped to lead teams
Work life balance is compromised depending on leadership on project

Advice to Senior Management

Acknowledge the people that really do most of the work instead of giving the credit and big bonuses to the team leads.

Pros

The best company for technology consulting and outsourcing - no one does it better.
A great place to learn lots of skills, from technology to management.
If you like to travel - this is the place.
The people - Accenture only hires the best and the brightest.
Hardworking - people at Accenture like to work hard - you'll fit in if you like to embed yourself in an opportunity and get it done.
Team work - Accenture performs its work in teams - no one person is an island.
Resources and knowledge bank - Accenture has vast, deep, and broad storage of methodologies, technology information, proven ways of doing things, and most importantly access to people.
Doing what it takes to get it done - Accenture will support you in getting you job done - whatever you need, if it can be had, you will have it.

Cons

Long hours aren't for everyone.
Travel is not for everyone.
The stress of management reporting, quality reviews, and communicating the right messages to the right people can be too much for some people.
Career advancement - opportunities are there and abundant - up to a point.

Advice to Senior Management

Rethink the career model for the consulting workforce at the more senior levels.

Pros

Good rapport with co-workers.
Supportive of taking training classes
Has a good mentor and mentee program
Has many opportunities to get involved innon-work related programs/group/activites

Cons

If you get on small projects where you are the youngest member, you might not get to do much of leading or managing others. Also, you get stuck doing a lot of database management.

Advice to Senior Management

Would like to see more of transparency in promotion/bonus system

Pros

good name. you have to be aggressive

Cons

you're just a number. no one cares about you. kick you out any time they want

Advice to Senior Management

treat everyone well as they deserve

Pros

lots of perks
great access to technology

Cons

too much travelling
review process is a pain

Advice to Senior Management

More local projects for employees

Pros

Regular paycheck, decent travel opportunities for fresh college grads who have no apartment/car.

Cons

You are at the mercy of your deployed-to-entity. In my case, no training budget, no useful technical career training in 3 years. Mind-numbing work, bottom-of-the-barrel work environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Move the entire company to India.

Pros

The best part about working for Accenture is the exposure to a wide variety of projects across different industries and technical capabilities. Accenture provides an environment to gain valuable mentorship at any level by recruiting top candidates from around the world.

Cons

Due to the varied nature of the projects at Accenture, one may encounter a role that is less glamorous or challenging than expected. When faced with this, it is important to remember that all roles can provide an opportunity for personal growth and diverse experiences.

Advice to Senior Management

Never lose sight of the balance between client satisfaction, shareholder value and employee engagement. They are all dependant on one another for success.

Pros

lots of training, great people to work with, cool projects, lots of variety, accenture invests a lot of training in its employees

Cons

poor work life ballance, especially as you rise up the ranks. additional client relationship pressure often leads to job stress

Advice to Senior Management

Managment should promote healthier life ballance and should make sure that projects are properly staffed (skills wise and in terms of amount of resources)

Pros

Fantastic office politics make it a great place for intrigue

Cons

Too few opportunities for promotion

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize employee diversity and treat consultants like people