#Gradathon: People make it matter at Capgemini

Hi everyone! My name is Ian Hollenberg, and I am a Data Analyst within the Insights & Data (I&D) Global Practice at Capgemini based out of Atlanta, GA.

I graduated last December from New York University with a major in sports management and a minor in economics. While in school, I was planning to combine my passions for sports and statistics and work in the sports analytics field. However, I soon realized that sports analytics jobs were hard to find, and I expanded my search to analytics positions within other industries.

This past March, Capgemini visited NYU’s campus for on-campus recruiting. While I was unable to attend Capgemini’s information session, I still sent in my resume, and I was fortunate enough to get an on-campus interview.

Heading into the interview, I was nervous that my lack of technical skills (in comparison to those in more technical majors such as engineering) would hinder my chances at a company renowned for its IT capabilities. However, once I got to the interview, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many skills I did have (i.e. presentation skills, assembling PowerPoint decks for upper management, SQL) were applicable do the work that I’d be doing at Capgemini.

About a month after my interview, I heard back from Capgemini, and they invited me down to Atlanta for a second-round interview. I was confused – I wasn’t intending on leaving New York at the time – but given the positive experience I had with my first-round interview, I decided to give it a shot.

I was told that the second round consisted of two behavioral interviews and one case interview. I read up as much as I could about case interviews and brought some practice interviews to review on the plane ride to Atlanta. After reviewing the cases over once more and getting a good night of sleep (I flew in the night before), I headed into the office. I was nervous walking in, but I immediately felt at ease once I saw the smiling faces of the Capgemini employees. I kept my composure during the three interviews, and I left thinking that these are the type of people I would like to work with. I received my offer a week later, and after some difficult discussions with family and friends about moving to Atlanta, I excitedly accepted the offer.

I began my Capgemini experience with five weeks of on-boarding. During these five weeks, I had the opportunity to learn about the company and its internal systems; improve my public speaking and presentation skills; learn important technical tools (i.e. Microsoft Azure, Python, Power BI); and receive key industry certifications. I will start working on a client site next week, and thanks to the robust training program, I have the confidence that I can thrive in my role.

In my short time at Capgemini, I’ve been constantly impressed by the people. The more experienced employees I’ve met have been knowledgeable in their respective field, but perhaps more importantly, they’ve all been happy to help in any way they can as I start to navigate my way through the company. In addition, it’s been great to learn with and from the other consultants in my onboarding class. These warm relationships make working at Capgemini so rewarding, as they turn typically stressful consulting environments into something more fun and collaborative.

I am happy to answer any additional questions you may have about Capgemini! I can be reached at ian.hollenberg@capgemini.com.