#GradStories, Caroline Willis, Financial Services Technology Consultant, EY

Last updated: 22 Jun 2023, 13:24

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What does a typical day look like for you?

As a tech consultant, I’m not doing the same thing every single day but at the moment I’m on a project. Some of the main tasks that I do on this project include supporting users with any technical issues that they might encounter and then I liaise with developers to create fixes for those types of issues. I also work on producing analytics and metrics, showing numbers and showing patterns of any of the main issues that arise in the system and then I present them to the main stakeholders on a weekly basis to show what we’re working on and how productivity is going amongst the team.

I also usually help with new joiners at the begging of every week, providing any information they need before they start at EY and then present a shot bio about the new joiners on our department channel.

What skills do you need to be successful in your role?

Effective communication is important. In consulting it’s all about communicating problems, plan of actions or tasks that we need to complete and ideas. Sharing knowledge to clients and stakeholders is also a big part of the job.

Another thing is adaptability, every day is different, so you must learn to adapt to new environments and deal with new people constantly. Empathy is very important to develop great and sustainable client relationships and relationships with your colleagues.

What was your career break?

I completed my undergraduate degree in commerce at UCD where I was exposed to different areas of business. I really enjoyed my IT modules which were modules like cyber security and machine learning. On top of that I was able to get an IT internship with a startup during my final year and that allowed me to gain a better understanding of the tech world. Then I went on to complete a master's in digital innovation at Smurfit which allows non-tech individuals to learn how to manage technology in different ways. I then applied for the consulting grad programme in EY to be able to utilise my business knowledge from my undergrad degree and my tech knowledge from my Master’s.

What advice would you have for people who want to follow the same path?

Have perseverance, everyday is different and you’re going to be thrown into different types of projects or tasks that you may have no idea how to complete or preform. There's a lot of learning opportunity for you there no matter how long it will take you to learn it.

How have you adjusted to working from home?

I joined EY in 2021, so I had orientation virtually. EY did a fantastic job with online orientation and was very accommodating to everyone. They created virtual social events for us to get to know each other and sent us office equipment to be able to work well from home. Now we are working with a flexible hybrid model that allows us to work from the office as much as we want.

What do you love most about your job?

First of all is my team. I have received great support and mentor from everyone on the team. The have provided a great learning structure for me. My team is also supporting me to lead the new people that are joining our team.

Another thing that I love is that there is always new opportunities for me to expand my skillset through certifications or other internal projects.

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