We caught up with Lauren Proudlock, an Accounting & Finance graduate from Nottingham Trent University, to find out how her career at Deloitte took off after a successful industrial placement with this Big Four firm.
Today, I work in Technology Risk & Controls, part of Risk Advisory in Deloitte's Leeds office. I joined this service line during my year in industry and applied for the position during my placement. As I'd already worked in the team, I was able to start my graduate role early.
Technology Risk & Controls is primarily focused on IT security controls to see whether they are robust, as well as advisory work such as project management and process improvement. The purpose of the Risk Advisory team more generally is to go into different businesses and test their security and IT systems to see whether they are robust - no two days are the same.
Staying local
I love working in a regional office. It feels like home - I'm from the area so my family and friends are nearby. However lots of my colleagues have moved to Leeds from other places and equally love the atmosphere - it’s a really friendly office and there's a real sense of community. We usually have a team night out on a Friday.
At the Leeds office, we have the benefit of being part of Deloitte so we attract big clients but as a smaller office, you get to know everyone you work with.
More than just a job
My Deloitte highlight so far has been partnering with a local school in Bradford on a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. I'm particularly interested in CSR and it's a great way to gain exposure outside my area of the business. For example, the CSR team regularly have lunch with the Deloitte CSR chairman who is incredibly senior in the firm.
A career at Deloitte is more than just a role - there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in acitvities and initiatives outside of work. I am also part of the Women’s Network - we organise internal events such as the recent workshop on office politics. We regularly have guest speakers or Deloitte partners speaking on topics such as negotiation skills. This means I meet people who we wouldn’t normally come into contact with.
Moving up
Progression in the first four to five years of your career at Deloitte is speedy. Graduates start out as a consultant and move up grades based on performance. You could become an assistant manager after two years and manager two years after that.
My plan is to work hard to get promoted to manager level. Knowing I could make this happen in just four years is a real motivation.
Final thoughts...
My advice for anyone looking to pursue a career at Deloitte is be open-minded about the range of opportunities at the firm. There is such a brilliant life outside of London and in different service lines, and you can always transfer areas as you progress by using your network.
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