Hi, has anybody heard of Customer Systems, the IT consultancy? What is the quality of work/ training/ culture etc? I have an interview coming up - they place great emphasis on the package to new grads, which I must say is better than 95% of MC firms.Thanks for any information.

£38k after 6 months!!Have come across a couple of alumni, both good quality, both stayed for about a year then moved into Big 4 at consultant level as Siebel consultants. (Believe that is all Customer Solutions do).My impression is that there is a fair amount of piecemeal firefighting work going on there. But that is a certainly a good graduate package for IT Consulting. Also presumably the three week Siebel Core Consultant course + certification is laid on.Would be keen to hear from any insiders. Good luck with the interview. Let us know how it went.

Hi Friday,Thanks for that. This may sound a bit naive, but what does 'piecemeal firefighting work' mean?Thanks

It's very narrow and specialised work, which is fine if you like that sort of thing. You're being compensated for applying specialist knowledge, but you don't come out of the experience with broader technical or consulting skills. It's a trade-off - higher pay now for curtailing development and promotion opportunities later in your career when you'll need those broader skills to advance.

Piecemeal firefighting...some would call it troubleshooting.I prefer to think of it like a forest. Create space by making sure that there are gaps between the trees to create firebreaks (literally so that you can see the wood for the trees). That way when the proverbials hit the fan the whole thing doesnt go up in smoke.It seems old hat now, but when I started in consulting we didnt have IT firewalls, Siebel courses, and all that. As good as much of it is, sometimes I wonder if IT's always the right way of thinking.

Troubleshooting implies a more diagnostic role. Firefighting addresses the effects rather than the causes.To be fair, you could hardly expect Customer Systems' work to be more than firefighting given the narrow scope of the work and the packages involved. The strategic issues that create the environment for "wildfires" exist further up the foodchain.

Thanks for all the feedback - really useful. I haven't yet been to interview with them, although I was just offered an entry-level IT consulting position in one of the Big 4 prof. service firms. How would you rate this compared to Customer Systems? My thinking is that while the package is less at the Big 4, I would probably get a broader experience and quality training, which is more important than a hefty package at this stage in my career. Would that be fair?

I was once in the same position as you. Turned down the Customer Systems interview once the Big 4 offer arrived. My reasoning was that at that early stage in my career it would probably be best to try and gain breadth of experience and personal development rather than depth of experience in one particular field. What happens if you work for a year as a Siebel implementer and don't like it? I know the CS money is appealing but money will come and variety / career options are valuable too.Of course there are other factors and you must make up your own mind - let us know what you decide.PS Well done on the offer by the way. I take it that's with ACN BSI / Deloitte TI / Capgemini ATP?