Hello, I have my accenture second round interview looming and am really worried about the case studies.Can anyone recommend some good resources on the net or some good books, aside from other firms websites, to learn about case studies and practise them?Any help much appreciated.

Why would you want to work for ACN? Their morale is through the floor, they are undergoing a redundancy round, and the debacle of the NHS means no pay rises and shag all training for years to come

Hardly! The NHS is certainly a sore point but I think it is a better move to pull out and limit our liability. I think the reaction from the markets says it all - the share price rose almost 10% on the announcement. I don't know where on earth you get the redundancy message from - we are sold out across the patch, with over 90% utilisation in many parts of the business. Couple that with the fact that much of this work is high-margin, this year will look substantially different to last.To be sure last year was not great. The pay issues are a sore point for many (though many people did receive good pay rises - I got over 25%). However, we are no IBM, Atos or CapGem.

The share price might even exceed it's Feb 2006 level soon.

Hi acc.applicant, I have the first round coming up. What was it like and what kind of questions did they ask you?I know that they ask us to be clear on what the role of an entry level consultant is, and of course, the work that accenture does, the different functions and practices. But which other areas should I cover? They did tell me on the phone and I noted those two down, but to be honest, I an very bad at transferring information from my ear into my hands and on to paper. I even jot down phone numbers that are dictated to me incorrectly, so I didn't write it down quickly enough. I'm freakish at times, I really am. If you could help me I'd be really grateful. (Did you also have a 'mini case study' in that round? What is that?!)Please help? I have just written quite a bit about the case studies as I have experienced then so far under 'McK interview' . Hope that helps you and we can exchange wisdom!Thanks

Hi, they started with behavioural questions such as "tell me about a mistake you've made", "tell me about a time when you had to change your course of action" etc. then yes there was a mini case study. I messed it up a bit. Just practice identifying areas of concern and what you, as a consultant, would do to adress these. What i'm after is resources to help me practise these if anyone would be so kind to suggest some?

Thank you!The Vault Guide, the www.wetfeet.com pages. All the strat firms have case study examples - Bain, McK, BCG etc. But not sure how similar these are to Acc's.:)

The best resources are the ACN website itself where it gives you examples of the things you will do on the day. With the case study you could like at the "wetfeet" series- comes over e-mail so you will get it in time. My advice-look at ACN website but on the day IS harder- there is more material to go through. On the day I spent the whole 20 minutes making notes and had no time to sort through those notes- so not much use. On the day when you are looking through the case study PRIORITISE which issues are most pressing. Its not all about the case study though, this was my weakest area on the day and I've just been offered a place.

A general book which might help is "Moving into E-Business" by Steve Sleight, its not about case studies but does go over much ground that IT related businesses need to know about. Make sure you practice the on-line document review - NOTE what are the general types of error you need to look out for. Dont worry at all about the last interview- it is just a summing up and not at all a grilling of any nature. It's not easy to practice for the group exercises- MAKE SURE YOU CONTRIBUTE A HEALTHY AMOUNT but aren't hogging things. In group discussions things often go off on tangents so where necessary bring the group back to focus. Creative thinking exercise- its just up to you on the day really. good luck, its not that hard, just be sharp and focussed on the day. As they'll tell you in the morning- you are only be examined for about 90 minutes on the day (I keep using that expression a lot!) so make that time count. With case studies the best thing is to be able to approach them with structtured know how, if you haven't had any practice you will tend to ramble (like me!!!!), but I was offered a job so it is possible. Let me know if you have more ?s.

For the first interview i looked at the actual cases Accenture have done on the website "client successes". I assume this would be a good point of reference for examples that could come up?Also, where did you get offered a job?I have to tell them if i'd like to go for strategy, CRM or BSI. I'm thiking BSI because there are far fewer places for strategy right?

I take it you've looked at;http://careers3.accenture.com/Careers/UK/GraduateJoiners/apply/Second+interviewI went for BSI, I came from a philosophy degree with no consultancy based work experience so I saw it as the only way in realistically. With stratergy I think if you said that and they thought you weren't right for it they would offer you BSI instead, not too sure. I chose BSI so I could at least sound very keen on the one position I thought I was eligable for.Case studies on website are well worth browsing for ideas about how different problems might be tackled. Having said that, the case I had on the day wasn't much like any cases I can remember. Remember, they are an IT consultancy so its more than likely that it will be a case study with some sort of angle like e-commerce etc. There are no right are wrong answers to most of the day's events (though there are crap ones) so just make sure your answers are backed up by facts from the case itself, try, try and try again to be structured in your answers. I was very concious of rambling (but did still get an offer). As you take notes from the study I'd strongly recommend you start structuring your notes straight away and not think you'll have time to do that afterwards (Amongst the things that are going wrong, what are the most pressing, why these, what could be done about it, are there differences of opinion between the client employees in the study). Really the best place is the above link on their site but as I said earlier, with the practice you could spend 10 minutes taking notes and 10 minutes sorting those notes out. On the day it took me 20 minutes to get through the reading material and then suddenly I was hoisted off for my interview and my notes were pretty useless unless I wanted to look like an idiot going through them saying "hang on a sec", instead I had to just go with what I could remember from the top of my head and thus rambled on a lot. I wish I had been extracting information more schematically so that I looked more professional in the interview part. 20 minutes goes quickly.

With the case study, its only 20 minutes preparation time and then a 20 min (I think) interview after so it's not going into too much depth. I had no business background, if you don't then remember that the case study is obviously going to be a business with a few problems (why else go to a consultant) and so business analysis frameworks like Porters 5 forces can be helpful (I didn't know who the f*ck Porter was 3 weeks ago myself!) check out;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter%27s_five_forcesThat sort of preparation is helpful. Who knows what the particular case will be on the day but there are general analytical methods for diagnosing why a business's performance might not be so great, once you can diagnose where the problem lies then at least you can start with the recommendations. Also remember its very likely to have IT elements, what types of scenarios do e-businesses face? its all about retaining customers, decent websites, promoting those websites, making sure deliveries are on time, using customer data for effective marketing etc.

Helper Extra career materials rival US firms provide can be very useful for case studies, but don’t get caught out by the banality of first round interview questions (‘Why a particular firm?’ or ‘Can you give an example of how you have managed your time under pressure?’) There are also moral considerations in career decisions, which are perhaps outside of the scope of this thread, but these tend to be simpler to resolve if/when you have several career paths available to you.acc.appHave you considered asking acc? if i go for strat and dont get it, does that rule me out of BSI? can I put my name down for Strategy OR BSI, without disclosing a preference? One of those type of questions.

Helper, for round 1 just make sure you have plenty of examples of when you have influenced people, resolved a conflict, prioritised your time, taken lead etc. Don't sound arrogant but say what YOU did (not what "we" did). ACN website is a great resource, check out case studies to see the typical sort of things they do- the case study on the day is very short but is to ensure you have some aptitude for consulting. Make sure you can name a few ACN projects, particularly UK ones and make sure you have some idea of the company's structure, its operating groups etc. Also know who rivals are. If you are not from IT background what got you interested in it? what makes you want to take a job with a strong IT slant to it? Be prepared but dont worry too much, interviewers there are very nice and are not trying to catch you out, think of the questions as oppurtunities for you to shine and prove yourself.

Mike, thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated.I think I'll suggest a preferance for BSI as I'd like to get into Human Performance and they said this would be the route to specialise in that a few years down the line. I'll post how I get on after the day itself. Like yourself I don't have a business/IT background so it's all new to me aswell, just got to try my best and cross the fingers!

Best of luck, if you have any more ? post 'em and I'll advise if I can. Having got off to a shaky start (the case study) I was convinced I had lost it so even if one thing doesn't go so well keep at it. At the very worst its good experience, the more of these things you go to the better they get.

This was always a nice little trick for the 2nd round case study - when you first sit down with your group say something like "Can i just check we've all got the same information...?" (You won't, and it'll make you look pretty switched on)It won't get you the job on its own but it'll get you noticed from the start, which always helps! (Apologies if the format has changed since I did it..in which case this might not be valid anymore)Another thing to bear in mind is that Accenture recruiting HATE any kind of aggression/arrogance - so even if someone in your group is talking complete crap, be as tactful as you can when you point this out! (but don't be shy either - I admit its difficult to get the balance right)

The format is still very similar. After you've done the one on one interview for the case study you will do a group exercise on it. Each candidate will have had slightly different information so best thing to do at first is pool all of the data togeather. The exercise is to see how you come to a group decision and there is no completely wrong answer. You'll get brownie points for 1) Managing time-keeping on track, 2) suggesting a framework how to come to the decision- for example if you have to choose 7 initiatives out of a list of 10 are you just going to randomly ramble on for 20 minutes or are you going to go round one by one saying which ones you support and why. Perhaps a better way would be for each person to say the 3 they think shouldn't be selected. Again its not important which way but you are offering guidance as how to get to the solution, not just the impressions you have from the data. If as a group you are going off on a tangent be prepared to bring it back to focus.jonny is also right about balance. ACN is a proactive company and if you sit back whilst everyone else answers and then you say "I thought the same as you guys" you get no credit. If you try to dominate the group to the exclusion of others no one will want you as a future colleague. Chat with the other candidates in the morning- if they are nice you'll be able to work in a less rigid way in the test and if they're all alpha-male types you'll know that you will need to stay polite but be assertive to make sure your views are heard. Try to take the initiative but remain flexible and once you've said your bit let others speak and if certain members aren't saying much try to draw them into the conversation more.

Thanks guys. All wise words by the sounds of it.Any opinions on BSI, Strat or CRM?

Thanks guys. All wise words by the sounds of it.Any opinions on BSI, Strat or CRM?

When is the actual interview? Now that we've all given you some tips it'd be nice to hear how it went. Did you have a look at that Porters 5 forces stuff? Again, don't worry about the technicalities of it, it just gives info about the types of things that effect markets etc.

yeah I did and it was really good. I think it would be particularly useful for applying to a moving into new areas, buying another company or declining profitability scenario. Only bit i didnt really 'get' was what it means by bargaining power of suppliers but my understanding was that it is just the suppliers influence on the businesses success right?Interview is next monday.

Oh, and all the tips are very much appreciated by me and I'm sure all the other applicants reading this, haha ;)

I wouldnt freak yourself out with practicing endlessly for the accenture case studies. I endlessly went over the Vault case study book prior to my first interview and the case study that accenture actually gave was much more simple. If anything I began to overanalyse the problem which they had given me.Keep it simple. If you are reasonably well versed in business concepts and a resonably logical person you will be fine.

Definitely you can do overkill with preparation for this sort of thing and have a mind clogged full of crap on the day. Really it is a pretty short and basic exercise.I just found Porters handy because in a nutshell it gives you tools to analyse what are the general factors which might change how a business performs in a given market. Thus in my case study I could talk about "barriers to entry" and not be completely blagging it. I'm still fairly clueless myself (LOL- I hope ACN HR don't read this!!!) but as I understand it suppliers power would be something a long the lines of the sort of power Gazprom now has in supplying gas to parts of Europe ie it has them over a barrel. Opposite would be something every man and his dog could sell, when the supplier doesn't hold all the cards and which doesn't need much capital to produce. Then again, this is my amateur take on it. In your discussions if you can pepper in a few real life allusions which are relevant then it always goes down well- ie if talking about expanding brand lines then could mention amazon.com etc. Makes you sound like you know your ar*e from your elbow in these matters. If you get in you'll probably be in the same starting up group as me- can repay my pearls of wisdom with pints of lager.

DISCLAIMERBy the way, If ACN HR do read this and think I've overstepped the mark I would like to appologise. I've made sure that I've given away nothing of the content of the exercises and just given the sort of advice I would give myself if I could have given myself some pointers prior to the interview (in a Back to the Future type scenario way). Furthermore I like to think of you as like God in the Old Testament- Wrathful, jealous and very, very tyranical, wielding awesome and terrible power over me. Thus, I will never overstep the mark by disclosing too much info. Please don't fire me, forever and ever, Amen.

Well, I had my interview now and it went OK. The advice given here came in really useful and to be honest, all the interviewers are really nice anyway and put you at ease which helps!Just need to keep my fingers crossed now.If anyone has a 1st or 2nd round interview coming up and wants any help just let me know and if i can i will.

Hi, Yeah, I have my second round coming up next week, thursday, i think. Any tips? Could you explain what you did in each of the segments?I know there is a case study, there is also a more 'creative exercise' - what is that? There is a group study.Anything else I need to know? Can you elaborate on these too?How best to prepare for it in your opinion?Thanks mate :)

I'm not being cheeky but it really is just as it says on the website.If i was to say what to practice it would definately be making notes on the case study. You have a lot of info and not much time so make sure you extract the key problems and prioritise them.The abstract thinking exercise is just when you are given a scenario to brainstorm some ideas about. It wouldnt really be possible to study for it.The document analysis was probably the hardest by all accounts too so definately don't overlook it in your prepartion, the actual one given is much larger than the one on the acc. website.Best of luck. The advice others gave above is really useful so re-read the above posts.

Did you find out if you've got the job yet?

Still nervously waiting Mike! I'll post on here when I know.

Got offered a place in BSI. Really chuffed though it doesnt start till next year.Thanks for all the advice given, much appreciated :)

CONGRATS! loads of people apply for those places so to get offered one is an achievment. Also if you said that you would be prepared to start sooner you may well do- I was first offered a place in March and now I'm starting up in 2 weeks. Having said that I don't think there are any start ups in december but you never know- you may get an entry in January. What Op. Group did you go for? Well done again, if you take the position may see you around sometime.

Yeah I'm definately taking it. Not sure which operating group i'll be in yet but my top 3 were products, resources and financial services in that order.I definately wont be starting till March as they asked if I'd like to start earlier if something comes up but I want to go travelling again between now and then so it is ideal really.What operating group are you in?

hi tech/comms. Well, have fun on your travels and good luck with the whole career thing (!). Pretty nice scenario to be able to go away and know a decent job awaits at home (plus there's the bonus you get when you start so you don't have to slum it abroad to much ).

this thread has some info about the first stage too- read it.

Hi,Could you tell me what sort of questions they ask in the one to one interview at the end of the second round. Also I read somewhere they ask how the day went? How should I answer this?Any tips to deal with the document review excersise?

Hi can any one help on the above question

what kind of case studies have people had in the second round interview? Appreciate anyones help.