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"The unique thing about the consulting profession is that no two days are the same."
Published: 11 June 2021
"I would recommend an internship at zeb to anyone who would like to be a 'temporary consultant' and make first contacts for a later start."
Katrin completed her internship in consulting at zeb from october to december 2020. Here, she tells us how the coronavirus affected her internship, whether her expectations have been fulfilled and what she appreciates most about zeb.
Why did you decide to take an internship at zeb?
I decided to do an internship at zeb because I was hoping for a steep learning curve in the areas of presentation creation, evaluations and client communication. I wanted to deepen my existing banking knowledge from my training as a bank clerk in the varied consulting environment and at the same time, get to know the day-to-day work of a consultant. Furthermore, I wanted to find out if this profession suited me for after my studies of “International Business” at the ESB Business School in Reutlingen.
What did your (typical) week look like?
The unique thing about the consulting profession, in my opinion, is its versatility. No two days are the same, and last-minute changes can completely upend the planned course of the day. Thus, there is no typical day or week - even though zeb has the same “4+1” week that is customary in consulting. This means that we work four days at the client’s site and one day from home or at our office location. Through COVID-19, I have only been able to partially experience this model. I was able to spend around half of the time at the client’s premises and thus get to know their way of working, the project team and the structures in the bank better. The rest of the time I worked out of my office at home. Here my day was dominated by many virtual team meetings. This included, for example, the weekly jour fixe with the entire project team to discuss the topics relevant to all. The team evening held about every three weeks was also an integral part and demonstrated the corporate culture at zeb, which deserves special mention.
How was your internship supervised/supported?
Each Intern is helped along the way by a so-called CDC (Career Development Counselor). The CDC assumes the role of a mentor and is not a classic supervisor, because, strictly speaking, there is no such thing in consulting at zeb. My CDC mentored me, assigned me tasks, and put me in touch with colleagues when I was idle. Since we also often worked together at the same space, I had my contact person nearby, so the exchange was very close. When I was working from home, we spoke daily and made sure plans were adjusted as necessary. Because my CDC was working on different projects at the same time, I was even able to gain insights into different kinds of client projects.
How would you describe the atmosphere at zeb?
I would describe the atmosphere at zeb and throughout the whole company as collegial. Due to working directly at the client’s site and having different contact persons, a mutual agreement and thus a functioning exchange of information is very important. Another example is that from the Partner to the Intern, everyone works in the same room next to one another (currently, of course, only digitally). The fact that everyone is on a first-name basis also contributes to a pleasant working atmosphere. I would describe the colleagues with the words “human and approachable”, because the tone is very appreciative.
Were your expectations of an internship at zeb fulfilled?
My expectations of the internship could be divided into challenging activities at the client, direct involvement in a team and insights into various banking structures and issues. All three points could be fulfilled! I would recommend an internship at zeb to anyone who would like to be a “temporary consultant” and make first contacts for a later start! Many thanks to zeb for this opportunity!
