Site Visit #1: Deloitte

Today was our first site visit for the summer and we started off with a great experience at Deloitte.

Dr. VP and I met the students outside their apartments at 9:30am. Everyone was on time and dressed ready to represent NC State University well!

With so many students this year, we have to be prepared to move smartly on and off the tube and across the street. We debriefed everyone to get to Blackfriars station if we got separated.  By 9:30, much of the commuter traffic has died down, but it was still pretty crowded. The students moved like experts through the tube station--even remembering to stand to the right on the escalator!


After a brief moment of confusion about which direction to walk, we were on our way!



We were greeted by Lydia and Fabrizio from Deloitte and they showed us the Greenhouse space. The Greenhouse is a collaborative environment where companies/groups meet to work through complex problems and develop solutions. For more information about the Greenhouse: http://www2.deloitte.com/kr/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/deloitte-greenhouse-overview.html

After a brief presentation, the students asked lots of excellent questions. Again, this group really makes NC State look good! Questions were thoughtful and relevant. We enjoyed a lively and sometimes humorous discussion with Fabrizio.

Some of the most important take-aways:

• Deloitte looks for new hires who 
• are creative and have good grades
• have an opinion
• demonstrate leadership qualities during a group interview process
• ask questions / engage
• have passion
• have communication skills
• can work in teams
• use Excel and PPT
• can be "authentically you"
• have a diversity in skill set
• show a positive attitude

Best quotes relating to ENG 331:

• "Communication is the most important thing we do."
• "Managing stakeholders is about avoiding (negative) situations."
• Communication "distinguishes real professionals from those churning it out."
• "Thinking about your environment/situation and adapting is important."

After the tour, we had a break for lunch and then met at Asa Briggs hall for class in the afternoon--ISE first, then ENG. Busy, but good day!