Hi everyone, I've just been offered an entry level position at Accenture (strategy).What do people feel about it? Is it good for the old CV (not that my cv is very old, i'm 25!)Just wondering about your thoughts?Thanks, S

Don't take it, let me have it instead as I'm gonna be in BSI and want to move over to strat ;)

Did you apply to strat?

Are you trying to advertise that you got an offer for strategy or are you over excited that you are expressing it that way. I guess if you did not apply for it nobody will offer you that, also if you did not think it was good for your cv you wont even bother asking. So please as someone said give it to someone else if you are not sure if it is good for you. I think you should be focused on how as an analyst you will go and do some fact gathering and how you can strive to be a high performer than cv.

I applied but they offered me BSI which I've accepted. Hoping that I can do something special or speak kindly to HR so at some point I can make the move over to strat.I know not many people get to but it does happen.

Ill answer your questions in turn, reverse order:To acc.applicant: if you want to pursue a career in strategy do NOT join BSI. Rather, join a good industry programme - BP, Shell, GE, Honda - whatever - get some excellent expertise, then do a top mba ( top 10 US school ) and try. Getting into BSI will forever shape your career down a certain road that will be extremely difficult to change. yes there are a few people that have moved across - but perhaps you can count these on a hand out of tens of thousands that have tried. Once inside Accenture, you become different breeds. In the Old Bailey, the East side of the building is 'covertly' reserved for Strat, or Strat Brats as BSI call us. Seriously - rather go travel for a year, do a msc, or better - get into industry. To 'S': yeah SBA is a good place - depending on your offers. Personally, i think Deloitte strategy is better - both in terms of strategy work and clients. However, SBA is not a bad place to begin - depending on your options. Its NOT McKinsey or BAH.Sorry to break it to you - but you ARE 'old.' When I joined I was 22, older than 98% of the new grads. You will find that you have several bosses two or three years older than you - and partners in thier early 30s. Its not TOO old - I just want you to be sure to have a balanced perspective. Most graduates enter Acn immediately after graduation. Lastly, SBA differs greatly between service lines: I would suggest in order of excellence 1) CHT ( this is the best place - Accentures greatest strength) 2) Resources 3) FS 4) Government - dont join 5) products - dont joinGood luck dude.

The thing is SBAer, I don't have any other offers on the cards and if i could make a move to SBA that would be perfect.What did these people you mention who made the move do that allowed them to get into strategy? How should I best express this interest when i join?

Well Ex SBAer might be in a better position to comment more since he is an ex, but i am of the opinion that you go for the BSI and try changing perform well beyond your peers and try geting on a strat project. Also as ex sba said is no Mck or BAH but is acenture and to me the SITE practice will be you best option is a part of strategy that focuses on IT effectiveness. This might open your door to strategy but again if you want to focus on M&A and all the other strat jobs then ex SBAer gave you the best advice. Based on your circumstance of less offers as you did mention the take mine....lol Good luck you will do fine

To EX SBAer you mentioned OLD i dont think so to me is more of knowing what you want and what you are there for rather than looking at the age difference between you and the C or Mgr. Again you are right for people that have complexity is an issue but take an example of someone that has gone to do a PhD and joined your strat team he might be a better resource at the end than a consultant. So age yep can be an issue but I wont bother about that just think of performing and excelling thats it.

To EX SBAer you mentioned OLD i dont think so to me is more of knowing what you want and what you are there for rather than looking at the age difference between you and the C or Mgr. Again you are right for people that have complexity is an issue but take an example of someone that has gone to do a PhD and joined your strat team he might be a better resource at the end than a consultant. So age yep can be an issue but I wont bother about that just think of performing and excelling thats it.

As an experienced hire Accenture SBA manager, I can tell you that 25 is not too old. If you've been given an offer you are considered a good fit and age / peer considerations have been taken into account. Accenture is not Mck or BAH. Thank God. If you want a pure play strat house then go to one. If you want a strategy practice with a full service offering behind that opens up countless opportunities then you won't get better than Accenture. On the MBA comment; its a top 5 global school you need, not a top 10 US school (unless you're applying for the States). In the London Resources strategy practice the tick marks are against LBS, Insead, IMD - any others and we start to look very closely at the school and grades etc.So, take the strategy offer, its a good one, stop prevaricating. Also, if you have a BSI offer - you can get yourself staffed on strat projects and if you impress you'll be asked back for more. This has happened with a couple of colleagues. Others were given the opportunity and blew it. It's up to you.

ACN SBA totally agree with you on that

Thanks everyone for your thoughts but wow, i'm always surprised at just how vitrolic some people on this site can be.I asked for advice precisely because I value the opinions of others (I don't think i know it all) not because i want to put others down etc.About being old? I'm happy to learn from people younger or older than me, the point is that if someone knows something i don't that is of value, i'm up for discovering it. I don't really think in that way, you know, benchmarking my own progression against others etc. It's only really people who blow their own horns that you can do that with anyway (or those where their jobs account for just about everything about them), the quiet ones are the ones to watch....I'm asking about the perception of ACN strat because that didn't really feature very highly in the inital stages of my job hunt.I asked Acc.App whether they applied to strat because I read some of Acc.App's posts before and it wasn't particularly clear....I can't really believe i've found myself in a position where i have to defend myself. Geez this place can be stressful.Oh, I applied to McK, final round, then flopped, something about lacking in confidence, but between me and you, I didn't really understand the last case, and it threw me, so my answers were full of air. Puff, and the chance was gone! ;)

I'm joining ACN too - is it possible to work hard and get ahead to make up the years? I know that at some firms this is practically impossible because they are quite rigid.

HI,about the age. I am 39 and made a career move into consultancy three years ago. I have found that clients take me more seriously than my younger co-workers. Also in strat

haha S come on I know you are an adult and you have encountered stressful situation before and if not then welcome to the coporate life. Back stabing, good, bad, nice, helpers and all you find them and the forum is not different. Anyway goodluck and do some nice job with your career.

Sorry, I didn't get it (non-native speaker). Are these schools good or bad?"On the MBA comment; its a top 5 global school you need, not a top 10 US school (unless you're applying for the States). In the London Resources strategy practice the tick marks are against LBS, Insead, IMD - any others and we start to look very closely at the school and grades etc. "

The poster is saying these schools are good. They are in fact viewed very highly by most consultancies.