Adam Stephenson

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: EY

 In the competitive job market, I felt it was important to select a degree course with a compulsory placement year to gain vital work experience and differentiate myself from other graduates. I chose to undertake my placement at EY given its reputation as a leading professional services organisation to determine whether consulting was the best career path for me.

During my placement, I held the role of a Consultant within EY’s Advisory service line, which involved working on projects to improve performance at large client organisations. I was assigned supporting roles in projects, with opportunities to take on additional responsibility as I gained more experience. It’s also worth noting that consulting usually involves a lot of travelling (I spent about half of my placement working at client site in Manchester), long hours (I recall 1am was my latest night in the office!) and expectations to learn very quickly when joining a new project. However, I found these points also contributed to the challenge and variety which make consulting such an exciting career. In addition to client-facing work, I was also involved in managing the development of a thought leadership document, supporting bid work, and organising various events, including a charity cake sale which raised £2,500.

Overall, my placement experience was highly enjoyable, with many opportunities to learn and meet talented people. Throughout the organisation, leaders are accessible and the culture is relatively consistent with a focus on community, development and flexible working. I learnt a great deal about ways of working in professional services, gained industry insights during client-facing work, and developed technical and ‘soft’ consulting skills.

My favourite part of the placement was the variety of tasks, clients and teams. Each project (and even each day) brought an opportunity to do something new, working with different people and across industries. To say that I’ve organised process mapping workshops for clients in the water industry, managed the finances of a £multi-million project for a consumer goods client, and completed a change impact assessment for a public service client, all in one year is a fantastic credential.

LUMS played a vital role in my placement preparation by providing the opportunity to meet with employers on campus; I believe speaking directly with representatives of an organisation is one of the best methods to get a feel for the kind of employer that’s right for you. I would also add that my role within a LUMS society allowed me to acquire the skills and insight needed to succeed in the recruitment process.

My placement experience has confirmed that consulting is the correct employment choice for me, and following the completion of my final year at university, I intend to continue my career in the consulting industry. I expect that the knowledge, skills and motivation acquired over the last year will greatly help me during the final stage of my degree; from team-working and dealing with people, to completing tasks quickly and to a high standard, I feel sufficiently prepared for my return to Lancaster.