Celebrating Women In Consultancy
Our Journeys
Hear from....
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Sabina - Snr Finance Business Consultant
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Amanda - Head of Columbus Academy
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Emily - BC Support Team Leader
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Amiee - Business Consultant
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Sarah - CE Functional Consultant
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Robyn - Service Delivery Manager
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Angela - CE Functional Business Consultant
Head of Columbus Academy
Read Amanda's Story...
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I joined Columbus In February 2019, originally from customer side, I transitioned into the consultancy world as a Business Consultant within Dynamics 365 F&SCM with support from Columbus. It was as this process unfolded that led to the discovery of my perfect job. Head of Columbus Academy.
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I think this is where it kickstarted. There are many stories on how the Pandemic in 2020 changed people’s lives and careers. Even at Columbus some projects went on hold. However, it offered me a unique opportunity for self-discovery and learning within the Columbus Academy. I spent days immersed in both trainer-led and on-demand courses, which sparked in me a newfound passion for the Academy's potential.
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Curiosity for sure, I feel that this is how we get that edge and get ahead of other partners and businesses. We allow curiosity to happen at Columbus. We allow people to take the time to learn and explore new areas. Being curious is key for me and my top value.
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Columbus offers you a platform to grow. I also feel that Columbus shares with you where they are going on their journey and it’s clear that they want you to join the journey. You are not on the periphery; you are part of that journey. I can feel that I’m contributing to that and to our growth. I can feel that I’m part of a team, almost like one big family. And I think it’s important for people to feel that way – a sense of belonging.
CE Functional Consultant
Read Sarah's story...
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I worked as a helpdesk support analyst in another company for several years and when there was a position going for a consultancy role – I decided to take the plunge as I wanted a new challenge.
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I love that there is a big support community out there, from webpage blogs to YouTube videos – everybody seems to want to support each other and enable the growth in tech to grow new heights! I love finding out how customers work and seeing how I can help improve their processes to make their lives easier and also make their business more successful.
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Don’t be afraid to ask questions! No question is a stupid question if you don’t know the answer. Even if you think everybody else in the room knows what you need to ask them, they only know it by finding it out, the same as you.
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There is flexibility in the working day. As long as your daily hours are completed and no customer meetings have been interrupted, its okay if you need to take a longer lunch or finish a little earlier/start a little later. Columbus also promotes self-learning, which helps you grow in your career. There are really useful internal academy courses as well as having the ability to use the online Microsoft Learning centre.
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I worked in Retail whilst I did IT at college, and then managed to go straight into an IT job at a computer repair centre. I then worked for an IT supply company and I was headhunted for a helpdesk support analyst role as they wanted someone with a variety of experience in the industry.
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Being a helpdesk support analyst, everyday was different from new questions and issues to solve. I really enjoy problem solving but wanted to be able to see more of what happened of the customer journey before the customer went live and how they managed to come to the decisions they did for their new custom processes – that’s when I knew consultancy was a good route for me.
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Being able to ask all the questions that the customer has not thought of. Almost like being the 3rd eye and seeing things from an outside perspective to help them make decisions on how they want the system to work and how they want their business to process.
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Many consultancy roles are fully remote working and I had a specific requirement when moving jobs – I wanted a local office so I could work hybrid, a diverse company, and a team that I would see face to face every so often as I feel connecting in person is important. Fortunately for me Columbus offered this as well as being a top software provider to many large companies that I’ve heard of.
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In Software, things move very quickly, there are always new things to learn – so I would advise to try and keep on top of understanding what features the product can offer where possible as this will really help you!
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Flexibility of working, the paths it can take you – I feel like because there is so much to constantly learn, you would never stagnate so there are so many routes you can take in your career because of this.
BC Support Team Leader
Read Emily's story...
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I sort of fell into it, it was never really a plan for me, I just knew I wanted to grow and evolve at whatever career I got into. Through charm and foundational knowledge of Nav09 I got my foot in the door to a 1st line Nav Support Team. Swiftly progressing to 2nd line responsibilities and even taking on out-of-hours duties, I quickly absorbed new skills.
As my aspirations outgrew my initial company, I made a shift to work with partners, actively honing my expertise. This period of dedicated skill development paved my way to my current role as the BC support team lead at Columbus. In which I hope to continue my growth and my thirst for advancement.
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I am passionate about several aspects of the industry and my work. Foremost, I gain immense satisfaction from the opportunity to assist and support individuals, living by the rule of “there are no silly questions.
Looking at complex challenges motivates me, as it allows me to exercise my problem-solving abilities and discover innovative solutions. Moreover, I am an avid learner, and this field constantly presents me with opportunities to expand my knowledge and stay at the forefront of developments, which is something I truly cherish.
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Embrace curiosity and fearlessly seek understanding by asking questions. Remember that it's perfectly acceptable to decline tasks beyond your current capacity, prioritizing quality, and your own growth. And should you encounter missteps along the way, seize the opportunity to take ownership of them, demonstrating integrity and a commitment to learning from every experience.
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I’ve worked in quite an array of industries, which I have took some skill (believe it or not!) from each which has prepared me for anything that comes my way. Highlights being:
Children’s entertainer – if you can deal with sugar high children, and their parents, who are considerable worse than the children, whilst nursing a hangover (I was in my early 20’s) you can deal with anything.
Shop Assistant and Cleaner – it makes you appreciate how hard these jobs are, and to treat everyone with the upmost respect. Treat people how you like to be treated is born from these roles.
Call Centre – the job that showed me my biggest weakness, sales, I was useless at it, but I stuck to it and tried hard, which demonstrated and exposed some my greatness strengths which led to my first IT based role in a Project Team for the company and it ultimately brought me into my career.
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Each day presents an opportunity not only to apply my existing abilities but also to continuously grow and expand them. This role serves as a stepping stone towards my larger goal of acquiring developer skills, propelling me towards a future of even greater proficiency and expertise.
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It was an opportunity to take a step upwards and lead a team. Not just to endorse growth in my own skills but to help everyone on my team build their confidence, their skills and to take great strides in working towards their own individual goals.
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Be confident in what you do know and worry less about what you don’t know. The right attitude and willingness to learn are powerful tools.
Service Delivery Manager
Read Robyn's story...
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Weirdly! I was working for the Local Authority on a one-year contract and was after a more secure role with better prospects and more day-to-day challenges. I asked my sister who works at Columbus and she mentioned the Service Delivery Manager role. I had no previous experience but had transferrable soft skills that I was able to apply, and I got the job!
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Every day is different and it keeps me on my toes!
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Ask for help if you need it and take the initiative to try new things. Eventually you’ll get to the point where you don’t need as much help and you’ll be coming up with the solutions on your own.
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It’s good! Sometimes you may need to work late if there’s a release or a critical case pops up, but my manager lets me take the time back another day. There are semi-regular social events, and we always try and meet up as a team at least once every two months.
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Public sector! Specifically: education, housing and employment. My background is psychology/an MA in special education.
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As much as I enjoyed working in the public sector, there weren’t many opportunities for progression. I’d also gotten comfortable in the role and wanted a new challenge. Switching careers to consultancy gave me access to opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Also, I enjoy people-facing roles and love problem solving. This role is great for me!
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Meeting and working with folks from all different backgrounds. Every day is different, every day is a challenge and every day is a learning opportunity.
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Amongst other things, future job prospects, competitive salary and a permanent contract. I’d heard about the Service Delivery Manager team and how great they are and wanted to be a part of it. I knew I’d be in good hands while I learned the ropes!
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Even if you don’t have any experience, go for it. Think of the soft skills you have that you can bring to the role. Do your research and show a willingness to learn – that’ll get you far!
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It keeps you on your toes! Every day comes with it’s own challenges, problems to solve and clients to support.
Senior Finance Business Consultant
Read Sabina's story...
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I worked on an ERP project in my previous role and after a couple of (ahem drunken) conversations with a friend, she thought I’d make a decent fit into the industry!
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I love that there’s always something new to learn, and the support and cooperation from colleagues to help with that learning is invaluable.
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Just get stuck in!
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I can honestly say Columbus are truly great for work/life balance. There are some days when I’m travelling, and work back in the hotel after a day of sessions and can feel drained by the time the weekend arrives. But then on the flip side I’m able to manage my calendar and make sure we can have a family meal on the evening, do the nursery run etc when I’m not working away. I’m trusted to do my job in the hours that work for me, Columbus and our customers.
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I've worked in biomedical labs, pharmacies, in a procurement team within the Retail sector, and as an end user in an ERP implementation project.
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The previously mentioned conversations with a friend, who gave me the confidence to take the leap.
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There are genuinely so many aspects of consulting that appeal to me about consultancy. I love a challenge and meeting new people, learning new skills and about new topics. The progression opportunities are great, along with the associated remuneration/benefits associated with progression.
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The feeling that Columbus cares about their employees. Now that I’m here, I love that Columbus encourages cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing, and it shows throughout the team. This really has made the transition into consulting for me so much easier.
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Try and speak to someone who is already in the industry and get some advice based on their perspective – the good and the not-so-good, and see if you think it would work for you.
Business Consultant
Read Aimee's story...
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After working on an implementation as an end user 10 years ago, one of the contractors we worked with offered me a role as a Finance consultant.
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Learning and problem solving. As well as the chance to meet new people.
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Ask questions, learn from Senior consultants, don’t be worried if you can’t answer a question on the spot – no harm in saying you will get back to the customer.
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One of the reasons I enjoy working for Columbus is the fact that they understand we have a home life. I am allowed the flexibility when needed regarding my daughter, but will always ensure I put in the hours to make up for anything (even though my manager tells me off for working too many hours sometimes) 😊
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Being an Accountant in my past life, I have worked in manufacturing, Not for Profit, import and distribution, Service industry
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Chance to try something new. Being an accountant, each month was pretty much the same just different numbers!
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No day being the same / problem solving / meeting new people
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Previous colleagues moving to Columbus and being positive about their role and the company
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Come into the industry with a mindset that not each day will be the same. Differences from Customer to Customer provide a great learning.
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Salary / continual learning / transferrable skills
CE Functional Business Consultant
Read Angela's story...
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I was made redundant from my job and decided to use the opportunity to move to a consultancy role.
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I love the energy and the speed at which things change and develop. It feels as if we are working at the front edge of the latest innovations in business applications technology.
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Don’t feel that you need to know everything. You can’t - but be open to new experiences and learning something new every day.
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I love being able to work from home as this allows me to balance my work and home life more effectively.
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I started my career as an administrator in a business consultancy company, I then went on to work as recruitment consultant, then a sales analyst and a marketing manager in the construction/manufacturing industries before becoming a functional consultant.
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I have always been interested in consultancy and redundancy gave me the opportunity to switch at the right time in my life.
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I enjoy working with lots of different teams, companies, and industries. Working together towards a shared goal and helping customers to understand and adopt the new technology.
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Go for it! Get (MS) certified and try to get involved in a technology project first, so that you understand/appreciate the processes involved in delivering a successful IT project.
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The variety; every day is different. The opportunities to grow and learn as well as using my experience to advise customers and colleagues.