Eva Traylor (she/her)
Human Capital Consultant, Deloitte
Tell us about your career journey so far.
I graduated from Indiana in May 2019 with a degree in Human Resources and a minor in Business. While at Indiana, I was involved in several clubs and organizations. I worked part-time at the Career Development Center and was also a member of Women in Business through the Kelley School of Business. I built a strong network of friends there.
The summer before graduating, I worked at Chewy.com in their Learning and Development Department. This experience helped me learn more about myself and what I wanted to do post-graduation, ultimately leading me to explore consulting. At the beginning of my senior year, I started looking into consulting careers. I felt I had transferable skills and set up many one-on-one chats with people. My first conversation was with an alumna of Women in Business who worked at Deloitte. She shared insights about her career that resonated with me, particularly the variety of projects available at Deloitte. I asked if I could connect with her peers, whether at Deloitte or other consulting firms. I continued learning about Deloitte, consulting, and human capital consulting, which aligned well with my degree and my work at the Career Development Center. I ended up interviewing with Deloitte and a few other firms. Interestingly, when I first spoke with Ali, the alumna from Women in Business, she mentioned that Deloitte wasn't hiring for full-time roles. I set up many conversations to explore consulting and my career interests, and one day, I received an email inviting me to a pre-night event with Deloitte. Deloitte Nationals had reached out to Indiana's recruiting team about a newly opened full-time position, and because I had been networking extensively, I was invited to the event. They interviewed four of us for the role and ended up hiring two of us because they were impressed.
Throughout my life, I've pursued opportunities for self-development and growth, leading to pivotal moments and doors opening for me. At Deloitte, I've worked with various clients since starting in July 2019. I've been involved with life sciences, healthcare, financial services, consumer clients, and large hotel chains. As a change management professional, I help organizations implement new technology by bridging the gap between their current and future states. I identify changes and their impacts, whether minor or significant.
One of my favorite experiences at Deloitte has been working at the Deloitte Greenhouse Labs. These full-day sessions allow clients to step outside their daily routines and address core issues, whether innovation challenges or leadership goals. As a certified Greenhouse Lab manager, I've coordinated and managed these sessions, which have been very fulfilling.
What skills have supported your success?
I'll start with hard skills and then move to soft skills. For hard skills, taking K201, Computers in Business with Kelley, was huge. I know there are other computers and business classes, but I took K201. I am now very comfortable working with Excel, much more than when I started at IU. Learning all the different formulas and functions was crucial in my role. My manager was very impressed with my Excel skills and how little help I needed. Excel was a significant skill for me.
Another hard skill I developed is the art of summarizing conversations and identifying the key points. This is essential in my role as a consultant because I often need to summarize meetings or take notes, especially when some people can't attend due to calendar conflicts. It's important to be able to accurately summarize meetings for others.
Overall organization is another critical skill. Being able to stay on track, keep a team focused on their goals for the day, and ensure that everyone is delivering what they're supposed to is vital.
Women in Business helped me with my professional interactions. At the firm, when looking for a new project or about to roll off a project, you need to network with others at Deloitte to find your next role. Sometimes resource managers place you in a role, but I have found that finding my own projects helps me identify the type of experience I want or the specific person I want to work with. Women in Business helped me build the confidence to have those conversations succinctly.
The Career Development Center (CDC) also helped me understand my strengths. It’s about having self-awareness and self-knowledge, and then using that to pursue the right opportunities.
What would you recommend to a student looking to get into consulting, human capital consulting, or really any area of business?
Staying up to date with the news, especially in areas of interest, is really important. Reading headlines, the Wall Street Journal, or sources like the Brew helps keep you informed about industry impacts. These are good exercises to stay relevant.
Consulting firms often release studies or thought leadership papers. For students interested in specific companies or consulting firms, I recommend looking at their most recent publications. For example, Deloitte releases the Human Capital Trends report annually. Reviewing these trends can provide valuable insights. At Deloitte, I helped put together papers on topics like attracting, retaining, and rewarding frontline talent in the consumer industry. Staying updated on company releases is crucial.
Deloitte also releases reports on generations, such as Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X. These reports are very insightful, though not as consistent as the annual Human Capital Trends. They also have reports on consumer trends, financial services trends, and more. Other companies likely release similar reports.
Anything else you would like students to know?
We talked about connecting with people and setting up chats, no coffee needed, just a chat. If you're interested in consulting, look at the organizations you've been involved in. For me, Women in Business was an easy connection point. Think about whether you're in Greek life or any other student-led organization on campus and see if any alumni are in a field you're interested in. It's a good way to connect because you already have something in common.
Major does not equal career. I can confirm this. At Deloitte, I've worked with many people from diverse backgrounds, including veterans and those who did Teach for America. I had a friend who started at Deloitte, then went to McKinsey, and is now in medical school. Career paths are not linear; it's more of a jungle gym to success rather than a ladder.
What equates to a successful career is doing what feels right and being willing to get a little uncomfortable by putting yourself out there. Try new things because you won't know if something works unless you try it. If it doesn't work, that's okay. At least you know.
The best opportunities in my life have come from things I almost didn't try. I encourage people to pursue the things they've been thinking about because the best opportunities often come from unexpected places. For example, I almost didn't apply for the National Honor Society Scholarship because I thought others would get it, but I ended up receiving it. There are many things like that which have worked out for me.