Consultants claim that no two days are the same, but we caught up with an Analyst at Alpha FMC to hear about the closest thing to a typical day and what this might look like.
08:45 - 09:00
Arrive at work and catch up with colleagues over a coffee. The Alpha offices are open plan and a social place in the mornings as we get ready to start our days. If you’re based in the Alpha offices, we use a hot desking system – this means everyone has to book a workspace each day, so you never know who you’ll be sat next to, but also that you’ll move around and get to know everyone quickly.
09:00 - 10:00
Meet with your project manager and team to update everyone on the work that’s been completed, and plan out what progress needs to be made today. At Alpha, teams can be small and that means you’ll be working closely with Senior Managers and Principals right away, so there’s plenty of experience to draw on and learn from.
10:00 - 13:00
Once the day’s been planned out, we get to work on completing our tasks. The work can be very varied depending on the project, but the level of responsibility given to Analysts is high. You’ll be doing hands-on work from the get-go, which will impact the project’s success and will be contributing to key deliverables. Tasks could include anything from building out frameworks for analysis in a workshop, to conducting quantitative analysis in Excel.
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch time! Being in the City means there’s a huge range of options. It’s also a great chance to meet up with colleagues who may be working in different client offices nearby. On occasion there may be a ‘Lunch & Learn’ session in the office, which gives you a chance to learn about a range of Alpha related topics – from Wellbeing initiatives, to Practice areas and trends in the Asset Management industry – where, of course, lunch is provided!
14:00 - 18:00
The afternoon will consist of continuing the work set out in the morning brief to meet the day’s objectives. You may also have client meetings with key stakeholders. Alpha’s expertise means that the key sponsors within client organisations are often C-Suite or Senior Management, which is fantastic exposure for a new Analyst when you first join and will rapidly build your confidence to conduct work with clients. It also means you can add value to the client’s business from a very early stage, as work you produce will be presented to these senior stakeholders.
18:00 - 18:30
As Alpha is a young and growing firm, every employee has the opportunity to take on an internal role that allows them to contribute to the growth and development of the business, outside of project work. These are called ‘Business Management’ roles and they involve taking ownership for internal tasks including socials, recruitment, marketing and knowledge management. It's rewarding work and really makes you feel at home at Alpha, and that everyone is responsible for the company’s operations, and in turn, its success. Usually you’ll fit in this work ‘side-of-desk’, once all client work is complete for the day.
1830 - onwards
Alpha believes its people are its most important assets and so, work-life balance and social culture are key here. As most consultants spend their week at various client sites, towards the end of the week you'll almost always see a large group heading for drinks in or near the office. There are also plenty of ‘extra-curricular’ Alpha events, from matches for our company Softball team (AlphaDogs!) to Charity FIFA tournaments.
Alpha also has a company-wide social once a month to make sure we all stay connected and updated on the company’s performance and any initiatives that may be taking place during the month, like the #balance4better initiative that ran throughout March 2019, to celebrate and highlight International Women’s Day. Turnout is always high so it’s a great chance to catch up with colleagues of all levels of seniority.