Now that I’m finally working in town again, I’m trying to take advantage of several opportunities to participate in local events. Last Wednesday, I helped out with the New Joiner Orientation that was taking place in the Reston office. Officially, I was a presenter for a lunch discussion, but all I really had to do was show up, enjoy lunch and answer a few questions about Accenture.

It was a lot of fun and great way to meet people coming into the company. It also one of the first experiences New Joiners have of working for Accenture, so I was happy to help and try to make a good impression.

The group that started last week was composed of 12 experienced hires from the Consulting, Services and Enterprise workforces. Everyone was very enthusiastic about starting careers with Accenture and several had lots of good questions to ask. I found that most of them centered on a few very important topics.

Since many people who are thinking about working for Accenture probably have the same questions, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences on a few of these topics.

Developing a network

Networks within Accenture are incredibly important. While they are especially important at annual review time, they are just as important when looking for a new project. When I’m about a finish one project, I will often reach out to supervisors and peers from previous projects. They can help me learn about new and existing, which often turn into staffing opportunities. And the larger your network, the more people there are advocating for you come annual review time. So get out there and meet new people, and stay in touch with folks even after you’ve moved on to a new project.

Accenture assets

Within days of starting you Accenture, you’ll learn all about the wealth of tools (tangible and intangible) that Accenture has to assist its employees. Some of these are centralized repositories for sharing information and others are message boards that provide you access to our most valuable asset, our people. Do I use these assets? Yes. Do I use them everyday? No. But these tools are a perfect starting point for a new engagement or even your first day on an existing project. You can find industry information, examples of similar work experiences and other insights that will make you more valuable to the company and to our clients.

Maintaining a work/life balance

I’m a big advocate of the 5/4/3 work schedule, which is an official policy. This means that in a week you work five days, spend four nights a week away from home and work three days from the client site. This policy has been a lifesaver for me as it allows me to feel like home is still home because I sleep in my bed four days a week. Also, working from my local office on Friday is a huge help when it comes to doctor appointments and all those other things you can’t get done on the weekend. Some project teams have also come up with create options, like having team members rotate the weeks that they travel to the client site. In the end, a happy employee is a productive employee. Just prioritize and be flexible.