Graduate Digital Transformation Consultant
Eviden, an Atos Business
Background
Having played and worked in sport for most of my lifetime, I graduated with a Masters in Applied Sports Psychology aiming to enhance my coaching and consulting work with athletes and coaches, to eventually become a Chartered Sport Psychologist. The COVID pandemic led to a pause in sport, significantly affecting my development and employment. Fortunately, I was recommended to work at a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school by a parent of a tennis student who recognised my approach to coaching/teaching.
This role had a significant impact in my life, as it led to me suspecting I was Autistic and had ADHD. Unbeknown to me, this had been strongly refuted by my family throughout school, likely due to the stigma and implications of it. I then understood why I had initially chosen a career in Psychology, as I often found how people think and behave to be very different and confusing, which fuelled my desire to learn.
First step into Consulting
The more I developed a career in sport, the less I wanted to play. This was a significant personal clash which led to me re-evaluating my career, needs and motivators. I realised I had a passion for learning and performing. This is reflected in my vast experience across a variety of fields, including management, coaching, teaching and analytics.
This is when I discovered Eviden, an Atos Business, and applied to be a Graduate Digital Transformation Consultant, as part of a new direction in my career at 28 years of age. Working in a fast-paced digital environment, assisting, and engaging with clients in projects, crafting and detailing their digital transformation journey, seemed very appealing as it would provide me with endless opportunities to experience and develop myself. The interview process reflected how consultants can have a variety of backgrounds and that their individual knowledge and experience can have a unique benefit.
Life as an EVIDEN consultant
I often omitted Autism/ADHD from my dialogue with the fear pre-judgements being made. I quickly learnt that Eviden actively promoted Neurodiversity, which has provided me a platform to both speak for myself and listen to others with similar experiences.
The flexibility to work from home also has provided me with the opportunity to adjust my workspace to best perform, as well as work with colleagues who all promote a collaborative and supportive environment.
My days are relatively flexible (outside regular meetings). Typically, I work from 9am to 5:30pm, but tend to adjust based on how I am feeling. As a result, I have performed very well as a graduate and been praised as a result. Most importantly, I feel comfortable with who I am, where I work and who I work with.
Client Projects
I recently worked on an NHS England project, primarily as the manager for their Blueprinting and Knowledge Sharing platform. This has provided me with the opportunity to work directly with the client, which allowed me to showcase my skills while learning and developing some new ones.
Key Reflections
I would strongly consider a career in consulting if you are interested in learning and developing a variety of skills and enjoy identifying and resolving problems, in meaningful projects alongside a variety of people. There is a place for everyone to shine in this field.