| Topic Name: |
Accenture new hire cutbacks |
| Message Name: |
Very competitive to begin with |
| Date Posted: |
03/22/2001 |
| Message: |
Accenture received over 3 million resumes in 2000 and only had 15,000 openings -- and almost half of those were for experienced hires.
So, with less than a 0.5% acceptance rate, it was competitive enough already. Then came the dot.com failures and the tanking of all those Start-ups-with-25-yr-old-CEOs. Business unexpectedly slowed so the need for additional staff at Accenture (and many of the other top firms) turned out to be much less than predicted.
The result was a hiring slowdown at the experienced level and a near freeze at the entry-level (under 3 yrs experience). This does not mean that a career in consulting in general or one with Accenture in particular is no longer an option. It DOES mean that if you have not gotten an offer yet, it may be another year before they start recruiting again.
However, if you already received an offer, it is unlikely that it will be rescinded. (MarchFirst and few other firms have rescinded offers, but not Accenture.) But your start date may be pushed back anywhere from 3 to 9 months. This can be a problem.
Since it's hard enough to get an offer from Accenture to begin with, I wouldn't toss the offer, even if it's delayed. But I would think about some interim job somewhere until your Accenture start date arrives. It doesn't have to be a career-related job. Accenture will be your career-related job.
I wouldn't really assume that dropping down to a Big 5 firm is a probable option. First of all, they're having the same problems with overestimating need. Second of all, haste makes waste. Why settle when a little patience will get you into a better firm.
On the other hand, if things change and you offer does get rescinded and you can swing a spot at a Big 5 or other firm, you might take it, get 2 or 3 years experience, then, when things change, re-apply to Accenture -- this time for an experienced hire spot. If you got an offer the first time, they probably would be very open to considering you this next time, especially now that you have some experience.
So the future, if not completely sunny, is not bleak either. Hang in there. Your life is ahead of you. It's a little pre-mature to think things are over. Youth may mean inexperience, but it also mean potential and power.
Think positive, formulate a strategy, be proactive and have a little patience.
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