Consulting New Associate (part of the new rotational program): 6 months in!!!

After my first post, I thought that in this blog I would update you on everything I’ve done in my first 6 months with PwC. This program offers us the chance to rotate through different competencies for two years.

Experiences:

1. Operations project – worked with Lean and 6 Sigma experts from the Operation competency to reduce wastes in different processes of a warehouse.
2. People and Change competency - built a team building event off site for IT senior managers across a large oil and gas company.
3. Financial Service competency – went to Montreal to work on procurement process improvements for the public sector.
4. Operations Competency – assisted in the building of network design models and worked jointly with an inventory management expert for a transportation company out of British-Colombia.
5. Sustainability and Climate Change – did research for a large multinational on the common measures used in their industry to publicly address human rights policy; was part of a research team on the impact of the climate change for insurance companies.
6. Sustainability and Climate Change – wrote two proposals for companies operating in the province of Quebec regarding their CO2 emissions strategy.
7. Operations / Financial Service – worked on developing a proposal for a retail store looking to launch a credit card in Canada.

Keys to success:

Networking:

During my first 6 months at PwC, I truly realized the value of networking. Through my different projects and multiple out of the office PwC events, I have developed a great internal network that saved me precious time at multiple occasions when facing a challenge. People at PwC realize the value of having a great network and the importance of maintaining a win-win relationship.

Team work:

On different projects, the team quickly took me in, coached me and gave me responsibilities. The “teach-don’t-tell” approach was often applied and was definitely one of the reasons why I felt involved and was able to contribute to the success of the team.

Attitude:

People at PwC are fun to work with! It does not matter if you work with senior associates, managers, directors or partners, people here bring their best attitude to work and it’s contagious! Not only does it have an impact on coworkers but the clients see it as well.

More than 6 months ago, I joined the #1 professional service firm in the world and was told that my job was going to be fun, demanding, full of challenges, learning opportunities and different experiences. I have been implicated in 4 different competencies and 7 different assignments, worked in Montreal for 6 weeks and built an internal network full of people willing to help at anytime.

All of that said, I still play hockey, train every week and manage to ski in the Rockies on the weekends. What does an opportunity of a lifetime look like to you?

New Blogger's Introduction - Francis Claude

Hi, my name's Francis - I'm an Associate in the Consulting practice in PwC's Calgary office. I am part of the graduate program which is a 2 year rotational program between different areas of consulting at PwC.

Since I joined PwC in September 2012, I have had the chance to rotate between 4 competencies; operations, financial services, people and change and sustainability and climate change.

While rotating through different competencies, I got the opportunity to learn from the best and gain working knowledge including ‘Lean management’ implementation tools and techniques, team building through Catalyst, basic procurement development strategies and network design models. 

As with most of my colleagues on the program, I am not from Calgary. I grew up in Montréal, moved to Pennsylvania where I completed a degree in economics and played college football, before moving back to Montréal and Québec city.

When I heard about the opportunity in Calgary, I couldn’t refuse. I was offered to work for one of the top employers in Canada in a city where the economy is great and where I only need to drive 45 minutes before getting to the Rockies! Although I had to travel for 7 weeks to Montréal for a project this winter, I still got to ski Jasper, Sunshine, Banff, Lake Louise, Fernie, Whitefish and Kicking Horse!

I look forward to blogging and answering your comments and questions twice a week on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Your Tips For An Excellent Group Assessment

First, I want to wish the individuals who passed the assessment process for the Brilliant Futures Program thus far a huge Good Luck!

The group assessment will be a unique evaluation process to allow PwC to gain a better insight on your personal aspirations and goals, your fit to the PwC values, your thought process, people interaction and presentation skills.  There will be 3 parts involved in the assessment process that will allow you to showcase these skills.

Here are some of the tips and tricks that I've used to survive the various assessment centers that I participated it either during my University Tenure during Case competitions or while interviewing for jobs after I graduated from the Asper School of Business.

1) Stay cool, calm and collected - It is ok to be nervous, but do not let your nerves get to you.  Take a deep breath before you start

2) Review your resume and cover letter - make sure to know the details of your personal brand depicted in your cover letter and resume.  Remember the stories you will tell to showcase your experiences and fit within the PwC culture

3) Avoid 2 major mistakes.  Key is to balance
a. Analysis Paralysis - this is when you have read your case study over and over again and you keep analyzing to a point that you burn precious time to develop your solution
b. Solution Polution - this is when you are already solutioning before you even complete reading the case
Simply put, the best way to manage a case is to read it, take notes of the key issues, outline your potential solution and pick the best one.

4) Manage your time wisely - the truth is that you will have a set time to complete your case.  Try to come up with an outline of your solution before going into details.  You want to showcase that you have a plan in solving the problem rather than have an incomplete case solution.

5) Be articulate in explaining your solution - it is the combinations of your thought process, explanation and content that sometimes matter.

6) Interact and collaborate with other people in the session - in a group assessment your ability to connect, work with and leverage other people's point of view and skill-sets allows you to stand out.

Insider's Tip: The PwC Way To Network

I love having direct access to our PwC Calgary Talent Acquisition Specialist, Ashley Wicks, because I can obtain and communicate the information YOU need to successfully complete the PwC Recruitment process.  The PwC Calgary campus recruitment events have started; here are some tips to get noticed:

Top 8 Signs Consulting at PwC Is Right For You?

I've been asked many times, "Why Consulting? And Why PwC?" If you are an experienced person, graduating or someone in between careers unsure of what to do, here are some signs that you belong in Consulting at PwC.

1) You have a passion for people: Simply put, you love working and collaborating with people from a diverse set of competencies, cultures and professional backgrounds. It is what one of the things that make consulting at PwC a great place to work.

PwC - Your Employer of Choice

The past 2 days have been some of the happiest moments I've had since joining PwC.  Since May, I have been working with 9 people from the People and Change Practice across Canada to develop the HR Transformation & Technology Course for the PwC Consulting University.  The past several months have been extremely busy as we had to develop the course materials in parallel to our client engagements.  These past 2 weeks have been especially eventful coordinating the finalization of all the materials from all the content owners.

Avoid these 2 common mistakes in your Resume and Coverletter

So many of my friends ask me to review their resume and cover letters and provide them constructive feedback. Although I don't claim to be the resume and cover letter guru, I think you will find the following tips helpful in developing an effective resume and cover letter to use in the application of your next position.

Fit to Purpose

I wish someone told me to write my resume and cover letter to fit the job description and requirements of the position I was applying to. Doing this right out of University would have avoided me a lot of heartache and bruised egos. If you are having difficulty getting call backs during the application process, your generic resume and cover letter may be to blame. Carefully review the job description and qualifications requirements outlined by the job posting. Reflect the language and tone used in the job posting in your resume and cover letter to highlight your skills and experiences to show you are a great fit. Recruiters spend very limited time on any one resume so it is important to write your resume according to the posting. You only have one chance (sometimes only seconds!) to grab the attention of the recruiter so make sure your resume is accurate, free of typos and has personality.

List Achievements - not just your job description

I've seen many resumes where people simply list their responsibilities under their current or previous positions. It is more important to list your achievements and key contributions in your current job or previous roles. This allows the recruiter to get a better sense on your actual qualifications and how you have excelled in that role. In listing your achievements from your previous positions, make sure to use similar verbs outlined in the job description. In addition, use them in past tense. For example, use the led instead of lead, managed instead of manages, etc.

Watch out for my other posts which will give you insider information on how PwC Recruiters qualify resumes and coverletters.  You wouldn't want to miss that one!  In the mean time, if you have other questions on resumes and cover letters, please message me anytime. Happy summer everyone and enjoy the Olympic Games!

Upcoming Interview? Learn how to put on a Show.

About 5 months ago, I received a phonecall from the PwC Recruiter for the Senior Associate Position in People & Change (P&C). It was a phone interview that lasted about 30 mins asking qualifying questions about my professional experience and interest in relocating to Calgary. At the end of the phone call a formal interview with the Director of the P&C practice was scheduled. I always interview well, but having had my last interview just a little over 2 years ago for my previous role, I felt a little bit rusty. I knew that it was time to prepare the "Michael T Show".

Consulting & Deals: About the People & Change Practice at PwC

I am employed as a Senior Associate in the People and Change Practice in Calgary. People often ask what exactly what the People and Change practitioners actually do for PwC.  Here is a quick synopsis of the P&C Practice in PwC.

Being a Road Warrior: Week-In-The-Life of Consultant, Volume 2

During my Business School Tenure at the Asper School of Business, I remember stories of the corporate world, what it was like to be a consultant and the perks of business travel. To be perfectly honest, I never once thought my career would take off the way it did. I always thought that I would be working a decent job in Winnipeg living a comfortable life as a small town boy.