testimonial: what’s it like to work as an ausy consultant?

In theory, working as a consultant has lots of advantages: you learn a lot, your job is varied, and you’re always supported by your account manager. But what’s it like in practice? This is the ideal moment to talk to IT consultant Arne and account manager Laurie.

In short: who are they?

• Arne works as IT consultant at Ausy. He didn’t study anything IT-related: he’s an art historian. Still, when he saw the job offer for an Ausy consultant he was immediately convinced. He loves the freedom and independence that come with a job in consultancy!
   
• Laurie is his account manager. She makes sure Arne (and the other consultants in her team) like their projects and are able to realize their ambitions. If someone doesn’t feel at home at the client or if they reach the top of their learning curve, Laurie looks for a new project for them.

We are curious as to how they both experience the world of consultancy at Ausy, and what they think the biggest advantages of consultancy are…

your soft skills are appreciated.

At Ausy, consultancy is not just about technical knowledge. We think our consultant’s soft skills are just as important - that’s the human touch in our DNA. Working as a consultant means that you’re training your soft skills all day, every day: thanks to the variation in projects, you quickly learn how to deal with different personalities. But we also help our consultants to further develop their soft skills if necessary.

“That’s true”, Laurie confirms, “I can see it in all my consultants. The client Arne is working for at the moment always has 3 Ausy consultants working for them. New consultants often come into play, so if someone is working on this project for the long term (like Arne is doing now), that person gets to know many colleagues and learns how to cooperate with different personalities.”

Arne: “I studied Art Science. That’s where I got my analytical skills. I’m studious as well. These are 2 skills that you definitely need to work in IT! I’m also attracted to the project-based approach of consultancy. You learn so much when you’re tackling one project after the other, and by cooperating with different colleagues. That’s how I ended up in the world of IT: by learning quickly and efficiently on the job.”

always focused on your development plan.

Working as a consultant at Ausy means that you are supported and followed by an entire team. Your account manager will answer all your questions, but the recruiter that hired you and even your learning officer will always be there for you as well. Your learning officer would also love to help you if you’re not 100% sure what direction you want your career to take!

“I eventually want to take on the role of project manager”, Arne tells us. “Laurie knows this, and she supports me by recommending the right projects. The project I’m working on right now is 100% in line with my development plan. I work at the helpdesk: the first line is a callcenter, the problems that can’t be solved there go to my team.”

“But I do a lot more than first line support. Whenever a new consultant joins our team, I’m the one that trains them. I love passing on my knowledge, and at the same time it’s a great stepping stone towards the role of project manager.”

Laurie: “Our consultant team at BOSA also gets to brainstorm the processes that are used on the floor and help out with any changes. That’s why this project is ideal for Arne: he gets to make his first steps in the world of project management.”

“The world of consultancy is vast”, Laurie continues, “and the world of IT is even bigger. Our consultants get the chance to learn a lot in a short period of time: if they feel they are too much in their comfort zone or have reached the peak of their learning curve, there’s always a new, even more challenging project waiting for them!”

tailor-made training possibilities.

As a consultant, you learn quickly because you take on multiple projects in a short period of time. But what if you find a project that you love, but you don’t have the necessary skills for it yet? Ausy University to the rescue! Our inhouse Learning & Development team makes sure all our consultants have the right skills. They follow them closely from day 1 and work out a personal training trajectory. 

Laurie: “For me it’s always nice when consultants know exactly how they want their career to evolve. Not everyone does, of course, but even then we come up with a solution. Our Learning & Development team will offer them some general trainings that can help the consultant discover what it is they are interested in. At that point, I can start looking for projects in those fields, and that’s what I love about my job!”

Arne: “Of course there are also things that I can’t just learn on the job. For example: I would like to get my ITIL certificate. If you want to follow extra trainings or get certificates, it’s also beneficial to work as a consultant. Ausy offers me a wide range of trainings, and I can get the ITIL certificate for free.

Recently, we’ve also started to collaborate with the Udemy for Business platform. All our consultants and internal employees have unlimited access to this platform. It offers countless online trainings on for example Cloud Computing, Development, Data Science and project management. 

our human touch.

When working as a consultant, you risk ending up in a big corporation where you’re ‘just a number’. To avoid this, we always focus on the human touch. 

Our core values are entrepreneurship, trust and team spirit: we honestly believe that it’s important that every member of #teamAusy is happy with what they do.

That’s why we often organize events for the entire company. At these events, our consultants can get to know each other better. And our account managers can take the opportunity to check in with their consultants in an informal setting. And if we are to believe Arne and Laurie, this approach works!

“I often go to lunch with my consultants”, Laurie tells us, “and I regularly run into my teams during the events organized by Ausy. These are the perfect occasions to check in with my consultants.

Arne: “I think the human aspect is very important, and as an Ausy consultant I feel this in every one of my projects. I get to know new people every time and I get the chance to do some networking everywhere I go.”

“Even during the pandemic, my team found a way to reinstate those important informal moments”, Arne continues. “We often work with our camera’s on, even when we’re not in a meeting. In this way, you can hear and see each other while you’re working, and it feels like you’re back at the office. Another advantage: all the pets that walk in front of the camera… ;-)”

just do it.

Not convinced about consultancy at Ausy just yet? Arne and Laurie have some final tips for you!

“If I can give just 1 tip to everyone who’s hesitant to get into consultancy, it’s this: just do it!” Says Laurie. “The world of consultancy is so big, you’ll definitely find your thing. If you go work on a payroll somewhere, you’ll never get the opportunities that you’ll get as a consultant. You will not be able to switch jobs easily without your future employers accusing you of job hopping.”

Arne: “I 100% agree. If I had to do it all over, I’m certain that I would opt for consultancy and for Ausy again. Nowhere else will you get the freedom to try out different projects and follow so many trainings.”

“However, the Ausy team that’s behind me and supports me definitely also adds to my positive experience in consultancy”, Arne continues. “I honestly feel that I’m supported in everything I want to do. If something is bothering me, I can go to Laurie. She’s always approachable and ready to help!”

If you want to know more about consultancy at Ausy, check out our infographic.