What’s your job about?
I am a Project Controls Services Associate at Accenture Philippines. In general, working in Project Controls means you support project management processes in areas such as cost control, scheduling, risk management, and document management.
For my current project, I help handle contractual management. This involves dealing with people on the legal side as well as uploading and sending contracts to repositories (places where contracts are stored), sites, or client teams.
In general, my primary task is to manage SharePoint servers where both parties can access financial documents and records. This involves making daily or monthly reports, helping contract managers, and coordinating with other project teams.
However, I’m not stuck with just one kind of work, since Accenture deploys employees to different projects. We also get a good amount of training and support. For example, we undergo general training before each new project, and while waiting for deployment, we are free to explore a variety of training programs that the company provides. Then, once deployed, we undergo mentorship to prepare for the project tasks.
What’s your background?
I graduated back in 2019 from Wesleyan University with a BA in Business Administration, majoring in banking. Before I started my job at Accenture, I worked in the government for two years. Because of the pandemic, I was able to take advantage of the remote learning setup to enroll in an online MBA program while I held that job.
My position in the government was not a permanent one, so I did not receive the benefits I would otherwise receive from private companies. That disadvantage, along with the fact that it would take a while before I could attain a permanent position, encouraged me to make the switch.
I already heard great things about the company at a previous job, since many of my former colleagues who shifted to Accenture spoke highly about their experiences. And so, I had already eyed the company back then and actually tried applying once before. However, it proved to be difficult applying on my own. Through a friend’s referral, I tried again and this time was quickly accepted to an admin position.
Now, one year in, I can safely say that Accenture lives up to its excellent reputation especially with their pro-employee environment.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes. Because of the rotational nature of the job, we work on different projects and are mentored as we transition into each new one, so you don’t need a specific background as long as you are eager to learn.
What’s the coolest thing about your job
Accenture emphasizes work-life balance for their employees. Unlike the usual 9-to-5, we also aren’t expected to report onsite every day, and in fact I usually go to the office only about once a month.
What’s more, Accenture provides their employees with volunteer opportunities and passion clubs (such as sports clubs and programming clubs), which are not only for shared interests or leisure but also serve as avenues to gain new skills.
Similarly, while we haven’t yet been assigned to a project, having access to a variety of training programs also allows us to branch out and learn other skills or test the waters in other fields such as IT, finance, and programming.
What are the limitations of your job?
The initial salary when I started out in the company with an entry-level position was honestly unsatisfactory, considering that I already had prior experience with admin roles. However, the upside is that you are guaranteed to progress fast. At every end of the year, Accenture assesses our performance and provides individual bonuses along with a yearly salary increase which can be very encouraging.
3 pieces of advice for students