Good leadership

I spoke to someone from Deloitte Consulting at a recruitment fair at my university, and they inspired me to search for graduate opportunities that very afternoon. The way they described their role was exciting and it seemed like the projects on offer were really varied. In terms of the application process, my advice would be not to overthink the online situational and behavioural tests. Just choose the answers you genuinely think are the best fit for you, rather than what you think you should say. If you’re asked to complete a video interview, I recommend finding a blank wall to film from, with no distractions from housemates, parents or pets!

Deloitte has a wellbeing app for work phones which gave me free access to Headspace, and there’s a wellbeing representative in each team to talk to, as well as your People Leader. I do feel supported and while I haven’t needed to use this service, it’s reassuring that there’s a confidential number you can call at any time if things are getting overwhelming.

In my first week we were encouraged to bring our full selves to work and I think this is only possible in an inclusive environment, which Deloitte has. I’m a member of the Deloitte Black Network and the Multicultural Network, and was able to put my academic background to use as a Lunch and Learn Lead for Black History Month. I found it really empowering that this role was able to be a form of practice development, because it made me feel like Deloitte valued these events as a core part of the culture.

I think for a lot of people, management has traditionally been associated with giving orders and pyramid structures. But for me, good leadership is having the strategic awareness, as well as the emotional intelligence, to identify an individual’s strengths and empower them to bring their best efforts to the table.