Accenture Reviews in Washington, DC Area

Pros

Great working environment with plent of room to advance. Friendly environment including calling everyone by their first names. Treat you like a professional.

Cons

Lots of office politics. Strict dress code. Needs a better bonus plan. Too much travel and only low cost hotel rooms when travelling.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide a better 401K plan and increase the amount that you can bill the customer for travel. Put emplyees up in better hotes.

Pros

Best Practices, Opportunity, Growth, Knowledge Exchange

Cons

Things are always changing, but thats how consulting is

Pros

Great work environment, competitive pay, great people, very knowledgable of industry, and fun environment.

Cons

Communication from top to bottom.

Advice to Senior Management

Take the time to communicate with lower level employment.

Pros

The business unit I worked in - you had to find a contract that could use your skills.

Cons

You havee to work different contacts and pass a federal background check.

Advice to Senior Management

Not good

Pros

The hire very attractive young girls. Itinially easy to steer toward the correct course of action until they have been on the project for a few months and start to "think" they are an expert. Fun to hang out with at the multiple project events all on the customers dime.

Cons

I have been an SAP consultant for over 15 years and have been on multiple projects with Accenture. Everyone I have been on has the same MO. 25 year old "managers" who seem to buy into the hype that they are the best and brightest in the industry. For a 25 year old that may be true, but that is the problem, I dont think I have ever met a "Manager" over 35. For those that are they quickly leave, because they dont drink the Accenture "kool-Aid" and when they try to constructively improve processes, they are basically told to shutup and Toe the line. Accenture is notorious for staffing project with inexperienced young consultants and over inflating their experience to the client. More experience = more $$$s. They also put these consultants on a project as a green horn, move them around within the project with different responsibilities and then within a year roll them to another project and sell them as "Experts" in that area. Again more experience = more $$$s. Its a joke and quite frankly dishonest.
If you are a consultant-take heed. When you are on an Accenture project, understand that they are going to try to work you as much as they get forces to work, yet dont expect to get paid for the OT hours. Again, this practice is actually illegal, yet if you dont work the hours and make yourself available 24-7 then expect to not be around long. I consistently have worked 60 hrs a week on their projects and gotten paid for 40 and their policy was "oh well". The poor Accenture consultants have to work it to move up the ladder, but Idont.
My major complaint is that Accenture never works for the Client. They do "everything" based on how they think it will further their career within the "Firm". The approach is never what is best for the project and the customer, but what is going to impress my career counselor when I have my yearly review. Every bad decision is made by Accenture, every good action is always done by the experts (consultants) who are on the project. I refer to the ACN consultants as "The Puppy Pound". They come bounding up to the true SAP consultants, ask how to do something in SAP, go bounding off like a little puppy, give the answer to the customer and pass it off as if they came up with the answer. It really is a cult, so just expect to be frustrated with the ideolagy if you work for them

Advice to Senior Management

Nothing. This work structure is part of the Accenture culture and will never change. At least until customers stop giving them contracts because they have figured out that it is run by inexperienced Managers with an overinflated sense of self worth. Word to the wise. I have seen the customers over the years starting to realize this and ACN is going to start losing contracts because of it.

Pros

Growth experiance for new joiners.

Cons

Takes some time to get used to for experianced hires.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on the employees and the profits will come.

Pros

Great place to work for as there is lot of opportunity to learn and experience

Cons

Should assign right role for the candidate

Pros

Accenture has lots of smart people, and frankly is the best consulting firm by far. I've worked at several large firms, and they have better people, better systems, better knowledge sharing, amazing clients.... Accenture understands how to best add value to clients operations.

Cons

You work your tail off. You're on the road a lot. Clients still are not always great about allowing recommendations to be implemented.

Pros

Great opportunities to be a subject matter expert, lots of talented co-workers, encourage socializing after hours, have easy access to talk to upper management and experienced teammates. Starting pay is good and it looks nice on a resume.

Cons

work-life balance varies greatly depending on which project your are staffed on, a large part of how much you enjoy your job depends on who you are working with, lots of bereaucracy you must learn to navigate around.

Advice to Senior Management

Should value lower level employees more because on projects they are doing most of the delivery work.

Pros

Accenture is a great place to develop real world applied development skills. Education and training is highly promoted and encouraged.

Cons

Pay for entry level software engineers is very low. Work is not very exciting at this level. But fundamental skills are developed quickly. Coming in at entry level might push better coders and people with more varied skill sets that do not fit a template to look for work else where within a year or so.

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize the unique talents of the entry level work force. At this level, the structure is too boilerplate which may cause better and more uniquely skilled entry level employees to leave.