‘Make sure your passion for the role comes through in your application’

Tell us about yourself, where you’re from and what you studied in college

I’m Sinéad and I’m from Athlone. I went to college in University College Dublin (UCD), entering through general science and later specialising in genetics. I really loved my course, but knew I didn’t want to work in a lab. This left me unsure what to do next, and I ended up applying to the graduate programme for a small data analytics company, as I’d loved the small bit of coding and bioinformatics I’d learned in my course.

I got the role and it was a great experience, which helped me realise that I wanted to work in technology. I did miss science though, and definitely felt a bit of impostor syndrome – they had hired 10 graduates; nine men with computer science backgrounds, and me.

What attracted you to the graduate programme?

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I didn’t actually know much about Accenture before applying. I was intrigued by the fact that they worked with clients across all industries and saw it as a way to combine my desire to work in technology with hopefully working with clients in the pharma industry.

What is the graduate programme like?

At first I was worried that having no business background would make it really difficult for me, but we were provided lots of training in areas like business analysis and agile working. We also had simulated projects with managers acting as clients, which made the transition to my first project much easier.

There were also lots of social events organised to let everyone get to know each other, and as I joined pre-pandemic, I was even lucky enough to get to travel. Since I’ve joined, I’ve worked on several different projects, all for clients in the pharma industry, which is exactly what I wanted to do.

How important is mentorship to you?

Accenture provides every employee with a “people lead”, a manager who acts as a career mentor, and I’ve found this to be a fantastic resource. I’m also involved with Women in Technology and Science Ireland outside of work, and I’ve received wonderful guidance from all of the amazing women I’ve met through this group.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I’m hoping to move into a manager role in the next couple of years, and from there, who knows,

What’s your advice to graduates applying to the programme?

Make sure your passion for the role comes through in your application – whether it be for technology, consulting or a particular industry. Speak to the company at any events or careers fairs, and most importantly, show how keen you are to learn and grow.