adminHere’s a new interview from the NAPA interview series on our LinkedIn site. In this post, Kristin Keller interviews Elizabeth Schill, an anthropologist at the consulting firm Deloitte.
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As a Senior Consultant in the Federal Human Capital Practice at Deloitte, Elizabeth Schill works with the U.S. government to assess the supply and demand of people and skills, and determine what resources employers and employees need to be successful in the workforce.
“If I look at the world around me, what will it look like in 5 years? What skills should I look for now to be prepared to attend to the world and its needs in 10 years time? Do we have enough people to do the job, and do they have the skills they’ll need? Looking beyond the fact that someone has a degree and excellent writing skills, how do you know they can analyze the data and translate the information?”
Since her work entails reviewing organizational policy and observing office politics to assess the formal and informal nuances of practice, Schill explains, “I definitely use my anthropological training to recognize patterns…I wasn’t hired as an ‘anthropologist,’ but I certainly utilize those skills.”
Participating in the NAPA Careers Expo, Schill hopes to inform students about emerging opportunities for anthropologists beyond academia, and connect students to colleagues who can offer insight.
“One thing about anthropology that people are talking about these days is how is this relevant? How do we take this seriously, and utilize anthropological skills? What anthropology has to offer in the business world is that it provides a very unique lens that not many other people have.”
Though students of anthropology may not be fully aware of the utility of their skills, Schill recommends that students who are interested in consulting start by networking at career fairs. While many companies like Deloitte primarily recruit directly from schools of business and public policy, there are always opportunities for anthropologists to make an impact in the business world.
NOTE: Elizabeth Schill has departed from Deloitte since this interview was conducted. She is currently a Research Program Manager at the Partnership for Public Service (ourpublicservice.org).