I have an interview at Atos.How is this firm compared to Kpmg, Mck, At Kearney and Lek?I have heard Atos has a better work-life balance and culture.Any advice is much appreciated.Thanks

Anyone who can help here?Thanks

hiya jackAtos is a good place to start your career. their focus is more on technology than the others, although overall they would say that technology is just one part of what they do to help companies work better. kpmg would tend to focus more on financials and cost/efficiency savings, i.e. helping them be better at things they are already doing. Mck focuses on very high level strategy, helping companies to decide things like what to sell and to whom etc. AT Kearney has a very american feel to it in my opinion and they work hard. they get involved in strategy but have had close ties to EDS (a large IT company) in the past. LEK is more strategy like Mck I think, although possibly halfway between Mck and say KPMG. I would say that out of the firms you mention, Atos in my opinion would have the shortest hours and a more relaxed culture. good luck in your career!

Thanks a lot Anon.Actually the position is not in the IT team but in the Procurement team.They told me that they are looking to recruit at least 10 people since they can't cope with the level of business offered by their customer.I trust your comments above apply also for the Procurement team.Actually I was quite impressed by the no of CIPS awards Atos won: they should be good at PS&C.Thanks again for your time

In Procurement I do know that Atos is first rate - lots of awards, good team ethos and the right work ethicWould be a good choice - I do work here so you could argue I have a bias - but to counter that I speak from experience

Thanks Fish.Do you work a lot on the bench or you go to the clients?Are the clients more in Europe or UK?What is the life-balance? How many hrs you work per week?Sorry to throw all this questions.I did the 1st interview and was told that I will have to go to 3 hrs assessment day. However I have the same offers from AT Kearney and IBM Consulting.Would you still put Atos ahead? I was quite impressed by AT Kearney.

N.B. "on the bench" = you have no client work to do. You can be working in the office without being "on the bench".Just a note to avoid confusion in interviews.

I would like some advice on atos too and thought its best not to start a new thread. I am currently out of work and seeking a move into consulting. I have 2 years Java/J2ee experience following my Msc degree.My questions are: Jack, did you apply for graduate entry? Are there other consultancies that focus on IT? Is there any that would provide an opportunity to change roles into SAP, and project management?Thanks.

Not at Network Rail they are not - just be dumped in favour of CSC for IT support services.

Answers for Jack:- I work with clients ie I'm a delivery consultant- bulk of work in the UK- work-life balance better than the 2 firms I worked at previously (and probably better than most in the industry - but you do havce to work hard)- 55-60 hrs/wkThe 3hr assessment is normal - think of it as you doing your due diligence too - you wouldn't make many other big life decisions based on only 3 hours of time!!

Answers for DSKW:- yes, such roles exist in Atos but they're in the Systems Integration division- Jack's role would be in Business Consulting

Atos has recently been hiring a lot of senior managers from CSC. Most notably, the CEO and most other senior VP's are from CSC. These executives are more focused on the bottom line ( cost & profits) and they could care less about employee morale or delivering good service to clients.It's a decent place to gain some initial training but a horrible place to develop a career because the promotion process is so long and drawn out.

If you are looking at a procurement career, have you considered joining the newly formed FT&P practice within PA Consulting? They are actively hiring finance and procurement staff, and are really focussing on the more junior levels.PA is really going places, so this could be a good time to join us

"PA is really going places, so this could be a good time to join us"That is quite possibly the funniest thing I have read in a long while. PA is indeed going places.....downhill being one of them.

lol at PA comment above and post previous to thatfor anyone not aware of PA's rep just have a search at the top of the forum!

Does anyone know what the consultant and senior consultant packages are?Thanks

Does anyone know what the consultant and senior consultant packages are?Thanks