I want to push myself, I want to learn as much as I can!
A rainy Thursday night in Amsterdam. STAETS Restaurant. As I enter, I immediately spot where I’m meant to be: a group of well dressed young women stand clustered, shaking hands and introducing themselves. And that’s how it starts, the Dinner with Deloitte. In this case Deloitte is two women: a Consultant from Human Capital Consulting and a Business Analyst from Strategy & Operations Consultancy. As the first course is served it becomes clear that these women are only too willing to share their experiences and thoughts about their current employer. All of them positive, of course.
The dinner group is varied, which leads to a wide range of questions. “Do you get to choose where you work?”, “What kind of background do I need?”,”What’s the best thing I can do to prepare?”,”What are the options for international transfer?”,”Are you provided with mentoring?”, “What kind of training do you get?” And of course, “why did you choose this?”
“The challenge and the variety” answers the Consultant. “I’m still relatively young; there’s so much out there that I want to learn and experience. Consultancy offers one of the best ways to do that. To be honest, I wouldn’t have expected to find myself in the company in which I’m working now, but I’ve discovered that I really enjoy it. And the project that I’ll work on next is in a totally different sector. Those kinds of possibilities, that kind of variety, that’s what makes it great!”
The three courses allow for plenty of time for each of the participants to pose their individual questions, be they related to internship possibilities or work-life balance. The answers are candid. The atmosphere is genial. And as we head out into the crisp night, my mind is abuzz with the possibilities.
