Hello everyone, I am Suranjan Lahane from Pune. I graduated in 2025 with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering. I’m currently working at Accenture Strategy as a Management Consulting Associate, based out of Bangalore. Professionally, I’ve gained diverse experience through internships at PwC, NephroPlus, and Venky’s, wherein I explored different domains ranging from finance and strategy to product and operations. On campus, I served as the Overall Coordinator of Abhyuday, and was also actively involved with the HA Council and Team SHUNYA. Outside of work, I’m passionate about Table Tennis (I have competed at the National level). I am also an avid follower of Formula 1.

What was your motivation for getting placed in this company and what was the recruitment process like? How did you prepare for this role? I was motivated to join this company so that I could explore the consulting space and try something beyond what I had already experienced. I’ve always believed in gaining diverse experiences to truly understand what I enjoy doing in the long run. Over time, I’ve worked in areas like finance, product, strategy, and supply chain, and I wanted to explore consulting next, just to see what it felt like. The recruitment process started with an aptitude test, which served as the first shortlisting round. After that, I had two interview rounds, the first with a director and the second with a consultant. Both the interviews were quite interactive and focused heavily upon my resume and past experiences, especially on projects where I had used or explored AI concepts. For preparation, I created my own HR questionnaire and a resume explainer document to be ready for any question about my profile. I also practiced consulting case interviews using standard case prep books and online resources. Talking to seniors who had recently joined Accenture really helped me understand the interview expectations and the mindset that the recruiters were looking for.

Can you explain your role in the job? What tasks are you expected to perform and what kinds of projects are you involved with?
As part of my current role, I work in the Contact Center Technology domain, primarily focusing on building work flows for managing customer interactions across multiple channels like voice calls, chat and email. Most of my time goes into designing and configuring call flows and integrating agentic AI into the systems. I design these flows, connect them with backend databases through data actions, and set up smart routing, allowing calls to reach the right agents. The projects I handle are all about improving the overall customer experience, making interactions smoother, faster and more personalised.

How is the culture in your office? How does the company treat newly recruited employees and what are you provided with? Mention aspects such as work life balance, job satisfaction etc
The people here are extremely supportive and welcoming, especially for new joinees. From the very beginning, we were made to feel comfortable and well-guided. Each of us was assigned a buddy and a people lead who helped us settle in, answered our queries, and mentored us throughout the initial months. We have to go to the office just once a week, which gives us a really good work-life balance. The hybrid setup lets us stay connected with our team while also providing us with the flexibility to manage our schedule efficiently. The company also focuses on continuous learning and growth. We went through multiple sessions right after joining (ranging from payroll sessions to hobby groups), and there are always new learning modules and knowledge-sharing sessions happening on different systems and technologies. This was to ensure that we stay up to date with the latest tools and best practices.

What are the most exciting and challenging aspects of the job?
One of the most exciting parts of my job is that I get to learn something new every single day, especially in the rapidly evolving AI space. We work closely with agentic AI systems, so there’s always scope for innovation, from exploring new tools to understanding how AI can make customer interactions smarter and more efficient. On the other hand, the most challenging aspect revolves around learning to adapt to change, as quickly as possible. Things move fast here - priorities can shift, and you could be asked to work on something completely new within a very short notice. It definitely keeps you on your toes, but that’s also something that makes the work dynamic and interesting.

What are the future prospects of this job and how do they play along with your long term plans?
This role has opened up my eyes to a lot of exciting possibilities. Working in the consulting and AI space gives exposure to both technology and business strategy, which is a great combination for long-term growth. In the long run, I see myself building a career that blends technology-driven problem solving. This role is helping me build the right foundation by making me understand how real businesses use AI; I am learning about managing clients and working on solutions that make a tangible impact.

In the brief period of time that you have spent in the company, what have you learnt? What advice would you like to give to your juniors?
You have to grow while you work, pick up new tools, adapt to new systems, and keep up with change. You have to build your unique portfolio to stay relevant; the goal is to stand out in the space. Try exploring a few projects outside your comfort zone. It helps you understand how different teams work and gives you a broader perspective. See to it that you don’t spread yourself too thin. While talking to people and looking around, I've realized that in the long run, depth matters more than breadth. So, while exploring new things, make sure you’re also building strong core skills that you can truly master.