Internship Review at Standard Life

The Role

Role Description

As a Human Resources intern, I was split between two teams, Employee Relations involved Group-wide policy implementation planning and work investigating Standard Life's diversity monitoring and the Organisational Development & Design team involved contributing to and reporting on a cultural engagement initiative as well as developing a leadership portal for the executive team.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Excellent range of activities and alot of responsibilities given to the interns. Great support network & advice available but also autonomy, allowing me freedom to shape my projects as I saw fit and maximise my input.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Excellent at giving feedback and advice and a great deal of trust entrusted to me within my projects, stretching me to my full potential and making me feel a valued member of the team.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

A huge deal of support was available and everyone went out of their way to help out, both inside and outside the job. The only slight thing that I would change would be to have more constructive criticism to help me work on areas of development but, once I asked for this, excellent support and help from my managers who went above and beyond. The company also very much facilitated my learning, through courses etc.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Busy days but was able to finish at 5pm daily if I wished. If ever left with spare time, was always given work if I sought it out from my managers and they also kept in touch to ensure that I was not over/underworked so a great balance could be maintained.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Given huge amounts of responsibility, with parts of projects being pivoted on my input which meant I learnt a lot on the job and could see the contribution i was making.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Hugely useful in helping me to learn more about human resources, an area which I am extremely interested in come graduation. The things I learnt, not only in work but also outside through interviewing people from different areas of the function will help with applications and allows me to make a more informed decision as to whether this career path is for me.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Hugely friendly teams and nights out.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Very well organised, ideal for learning opportunities and extremely good at tailoring to your needs

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Allowed me to complete various training sessions (i.e. Strengthsfinders) to improve my knowledge and to further my skills.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Travel loan

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Excellent organisation which would be fantastic to work for- genuinely care and invest in their employees

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Socials almost every night. There were 10 interns which meant we could hear about each others functions as well as having the craic.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

As the company provided accomodation, cheap cost of living and normal supermarkets were very close by. Ok prices on nights out, depending where you go

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Huge range of clubs & bars and 'lively' people at them

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Range of clubs and societies including film, softball etc, all were happy to accept interns and had multiple events during our time. Also excellent CSR volunteering opportunities as well as the Edinburgh Festival throughout August.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

If you are interested in human resources as a career, I thoroughly recommend this placement as it really does provide you a fantastic insight, with a large HR department meaning you can see a huge range of projects and teams. The training and support throughtout the internship is immense and the company are flexible and understanding with any queries or issues.

Review 20/26 for Standard Life

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