it consulting high five zeb karriere

8 reasons why IT consulting at zeb may just be exactly the right thing for you

Release date: 16 June 2023

Are you planning a career in consulting, but you’re not yet sure which employer to choose? My name is Christian, I’ve been working in consulting at zeb for more than six years and I’d like to tell you about my personal reasons why (IT) consulting at zeb is exactly the right thing for me. And maybe one or two of my reasons also apply to you. 

1. A wide variety of tasks

One very important point for me is the wide variety of tasks that I can take on at zeb. The topics that we work on together with and for our clients are extremely diverse. My focus, for example, is on IT consulting, and I have already supported many projects in this area: from IT strategy to data management or advanced intelligence topics, right through to an entirely self-developed software. The respective task strongly depends on the current project: does the client need support in selecting a method for natural language processing, do requirements need to be specified, or is it about project management assignments? The range of tasks is immense, and there are ample opportunities to explore new topics.

2. International projects

zeb is an internationally operating company with 15 locations across Europe. This means that we also offer project opportunities outside of Germany. As a rule, we staff projects according to employees’ skills and not according to location. In other words, you are assigned to projects where your skills are best placed – and this throughout Europe.
In most cases, we are on the client’s premises from Monday to Thursday. Most of my projects, for example, have been with various clients in Austria. This provides exciting insights into a different market with its specific business focus and challenges faced by the institutions, which makes it really interesting!
Nevertheless, zeb also makes it possible for you to work on projects close to home if, for private reasons, this should become necessary. In this respect, I have always found zeb to be very flexible.

3. Project work is teamwork 

We prove ourselves to our clients by combining a wide range of skills within a project team. Always keeping an eye on the common goal, work packages are adequately distributed within the team, taking into account both personal interests and development goals. But even outside of project work, we usually get together for team activities: be it a joint lunch, an after-work beer or – if the project situation allows it – meeting up for an evening run. From all the years I have worked at zeb, I have particularly fond memories of the great team spirit and togetherness, which made me feel comfortable at all times.

4. Reasoning beats hierarchy

zeb not only relies on teamwork, we even take this one step further and also live by the “reasoning beats hierarchy” principle. Whether you work as an Intern, Analyst, Manager or Partner – everyone is entitled and expected to express their opinion freely. If your argument is valid and helps solve a problem, then it doesn’t matter what position you hold. I have experienced many times that people at zeb live by this principle, and it is very encouraging in everyday project work to jointly achieve the goal.

5. Generalist and specialist

Whether you are a jack of all trades or a topic specialist, a database expert or an eminent authority on risk management, zeb offers a place and numerous opportunities for everyone. What’s more, you can steer your own personal development in one direction or the other with the help of your mentor (CDC). When I started at zeb, my focus tended to be on business administration. With the help of my CDC and suitable training courses as well as hands-on project experience, however, I was able to significantly expand my IT knowledge and can now honestly say that, in terms of content, I am at the right place in IT consulting and feel very much at home here. Consequently, I would now consider myself more of a generalist in the field of business administration and more of a specialist in IT consulting (in the field of data management).

6. Mentoring at zeb

The so-called Career Development Counselor (CDC) is an important anchor at zeb. Upon joining zeb, each employee is assigned a CDC. The CDCs are mentors whose task is to define and implement a personal career path together with the mentee. It is important to note that they are not traditional line managers, but act purely as trusted advisors. In the years I have been at zeb, I have met many CDCs and mentees who have cultivated relationships of a very friendly nature.
The mentoring concept is also applied thematically. Each person who joins a professional network group (a so-called Practice Group) is assigned a PG Buddy. 
For female newcomers, zeb offers a mentoring program even before they actually join the company, with Female Buddies on hand to answer any questions they may have about starting their career.

7. Thematic and personal development 

Thematic and personal development are among the most important cornerstones at zeb. While Monday through Thursday is dedicated to project work, Fridays are usually free for topic work. This is the time when you can explore the topics that interest you personally and professionally, and learn more about them. Frequently, topic work also takes place within the framework of Practice Group work. A Practice Group (PG) is the thematic home of the employees, which can be freely chosen and also changed, if necessary. It usually consists of 10 to 60 colleagues who work on a topic area, such as IT strategy, digital financial services, retail banking, accounting, advanced intelligence or regulatory topics. I am part of the Advanced Intelligence PG. By working in the PGs, you constantly expand your knowledge and become well acquainted with the trends in your topic area.
In addition to PG work, zeb also offers a very broad range of training and development opportunities (offline and online), which you can actively pursue. 

8. Flexible working models and time off

zeb places a great deal of trust in its employees. You can therefore schedule your working hours flexibly (apart from client appointments and deliverables). Another big advantage for me: zeb also offers part-time arrangements and sabbaticals! If you have to take a break for personal reasons or simply need a breather, zeb makes it possible, and our HR department will initiate the necessary steps within the shortest possible time. 
On projects, for example, I have teamed up with colleagues with part-time arrangements of between 90% and 40% – and it has always worked smoothly.

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contact author

Christian Rother

crother@zeb.de

+4925197128337