Accenture Reviews in Seattle, WA Area

Pros

Pretty dependable that you will work with quality people. I think the relative youth of the company is another big plus, in comparison with IBM/HP/EDS -- sometimes folks complain about new college grads bought in to do important things, but I think it provides a lot of energy and makes the projects more fun in general. I have worked on quite few projects with folks from other companies and absolutely believe Acn is a step ahead when it comes to planning and ability to execute. Obviously not infallible but in my 9 year career I have yet to see a project really fail.

Cons

Obviously the travel is always a major issue in consulting, especially for folks with families or other close ties to home. I generally mitigate this by just moving to the project site, and bringing my wife and daughter along. Daughter hasn't started school yet but this approach won't work pretty soon, I will probably need to start shopping for job without travel requirements.
Other than that the hours can be pretty bad if the project is poorly managed, or if you are workaholic, or just unlucky. I have usually not worked weekends or >50 hours a week, but there are the odd situations where folks will work 80 hour weeks and every weekend if the project is in a tight spot.

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

The people you actually work with are the people you'll keep in contact with forever. I enjoyed working with people on projects even when the projects are not ideal.

Cons

Unfortunately, promotion process is largely based on the opinions of people you don't work for. Lack of visibility into the process as your Career Counselor will be the one speaking up for you, and in most cases, s/he have no real visibility in what you've actually performed on the job.

Horrible HR system, feels separated from the actual consulting workforce, no real understanding into the lives of the people they "manage".

Advice to Senior Management

More visibility into the actual work performance other than what is written on paper. You'll find out who is a good worker and who isn't. Be sure not to evaluate people based on what is said, let them have a chance defend themselves.

Pros

Structure and organization. You get to see how things should be done. Gain a lot of insight into planning and execution. Get to work with a lot of bright people.

Cons

Can sometimes be too structured and organized. Because of the model, there are times when someone can be put in a role that is way over that persons head. Base compensation is extremely low relative to competitor pay.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop re-orging every 6 months. The lack of continuity is very confusing especially in trying to understand how the individual fits into their respective org(s).

Pros

- Young culture
- Motivated individuals
- Large client base around the world

Cons

- Not many traveling opportunities for analysts. Try to staff analyst locally, many new joiners would love to travel but doesn't get the opportunity to do so.

Advice to Senior Management

- No visibility into the the promotion system, not completely relied on work performance but rather on how much CC is willing to speak about you.

Pros

Large Systems Integration Practice, Peers are highly specialized so there are always people to go to when there are issues. Knowledge harvesting is given a lot of importance, all project documentation is stored at knowledge exchange and the material is simply fantastic. Compared to the other firms politics is minimum and the focus is always on delivering the best solution to the client. Mature offshore practices in various metro cities in India.

Cons

School Hires are promoted to Managers and Senior Managers are promoted too quickly as a result do not have the balance and maturity to handle tough situations. Since practices are so large connecting with peers is a challenge.

Advice to Senior Management

Performance reviews need to be more rigorous, employee compensation especially at the Senior Manager levels need closer look.

Pros

Accenture is a great place to get experience fast. You'll be placed on important projects right away and you'll find that clients have quite a bit of respect for Accenture.
5 weeks vacation is very good, and benefits are acceptable.
There are lots of happy hours and employee events for employee moral.

Cons

Salaries are not competitive.
Career progression is unclear at best. What is expected to get promoted is not clear, and seems random.
The bottom line is that Accenture is a great place to launch a career. Stay there a couple of years and get some good experience on the resume, then move on to other companies that pay better.

Advice to Senior Management

Increase salaries.
Make the career progression/advancement model clear so that employees can actually understand what is expected to make it to the next level.

Pros

The people are young and intelligent. There is a clear career growth plan. Name brand of Accenture is valuable in the business world. There is plenty of training available to gain any needed skills. Also Accenture has a vast library of methodologies that can be leveraged for any project deliverable.

Cons

I'ts a large company, and you can get lost in the shuffle. Compensation is really not that great when you factor in the number of hours actually worked, as most consultants will typically work more than 40 hours per week. Sometimes it seems that Accenture is more concerned with selling more work than with delivering excellent client value.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on rewarding performance based off value added to the client. Add real-time promotions for consultants. Reduce the pay for those on the bench in order to increase the salaries for those that are staffed.

Pros

Travel, meeting new people, growing professionally is much quicker, and work is new and interesting

Cons

Travel can be tough at times. However, you learn to roll with the punches

Advice to Senior Management

Senior Management does a great job and communicates effectively.

Pros

They provided ongoing training for its employee. Tons of courses that we can take in our area as well as others.

Cons

There is nothing wrong with Accenture

Advice to Senior Management

More recognition for outstanding employee

Pros

Professional growth and career advancement. If you're young and hungry, then this is the place for you. You won't get this kind of experience anywhere else. You can work like a dog for 5 years then leave for a job somewhere "sane." Be prepared to work like a dog for the privilege, though. Enjoy the dinners and events, but understand that your social calendar will be limited to the people you work with.

Cons

While Accenture officially places a priority on work/life balance, in practice, it's completely different. You are expected to "live" Accenture if you want to advance. If you think you can get away with 8-5 Monday through Friday, you're not going to get anywhere. Managers and above are expected to be available during evenings and weekends. Blackberrys are on 24/7. If you're looking for a job that you can leave at 4/5 o'clock and forget about...forget about it.

Advice to Senior Management

Practice what you preach.