Internship Review at John Lewis

The Role

Role Description

The john lewis retail management internship is focussed on giving interns a taste of what being a manager in a john lewis store is like. Your daily duties are split between working on the shop floor assisting as well as managing staff and attending meetings and working on your individual project.
The main aim of the internship is to get an overall understanding of the business operations of john lewis through shadowing managers and completing a project on an area of the business.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I throughly enjoyed my internship with john lewis. I enjoyed going to work and was sad to leave after the 6 weeks.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

All the staff in my department were really friendly and made me feel part of their team very quickly. Furthermore they were eager to help me or answer any questions i had during the internship. It was good to meet a range of people and I have made some great friends through my internship at john lewis.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There was a lot of support provided by management and if i ever asked for assistance there was always someone to help. I had a buddy throughout my 6 weeks also which was really good. However they do not dictate all your activities and you are left to your own work many days.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Most of my days i was busy but i enjoy being busy! There is always something to do if you ask somebody if they need help and most days i had something scheduled in for part of the day, such as a meeting, to balance out my time on the shop floor.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I feel that i was given a high amount of responsibility. You are treated as a manager through the internship and therefore get to do nearly everything a john lewis manager would do on a daily basis. I found that the more responsibility you ask for the more you get and therefore i asked to be involved in many opportunities. I had my own small section of the shop floor and was responsible for its sales figures and for coming up with any innovative solutions to problems in that area.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I think the skills i have developed will assist me beyond my degree the most. I feel more prepared for interviews and assessment centres, especially as I have developed my presentation and confidence skills greatly through lots of practice at john lewis. I think the fact that i have had a taste of working life as a manager and have had so much responsibility before i graduate will also benefit me when i apply for graduate jobs and set me aside from many of my peers.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The atmosphere was great, the staff are all really friendly and upbeat and most really like working there! I found the atmosphere to be a very positive one to work in.

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

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

The internship organisation was not amazing- i only found out many of my details such as my working hours or my uniform a few days before i started the placement which was a bit late compared to what i had prepared. Also many days they have not organised something set for you to do and for the first week this was a bit daunting. This can be overcome though by organising things for yourself and getting to know the team for yourself and asking them what jobs they would like help on. After a few weeks of the internship i felt fine to organise my own activities many days.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

John lewis as a company focus very heavily on personal development and there are opportunities for you to go on training courses and days. If i had been there for longer i fully believe they would have invested in my personal development.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Company Parties/Events

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

After my internship i got recommended to the second day of the graduate assessment centre for the graduate scheme 2012. This is a great opportunity for me as it means i will get to bypass many of the application stages next year. Employment prospects within the organisation are therefore positive so far! They also said that there is the opportunity to come back and work part time during university holidays.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I did my internship with one other girl which was great. We got on so well and i'm really glad we got put together for the 6 weeks because that made it lots better at times! It was really good to have someone else to do the internship with as this increased my confidence and i had someone to talk to about the whole process throughout.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I lived at home while i was doing my internship so the cost was nothing! The cost of socialising in Nottingham is about average, similar to most cities in the North/ Midlands.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The nightlife in Nottingham is good! I would recommend it and there are quite a few john lewis nights out in Nottingham if you want to go to them.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

John lewis nottingham has its own bar which is really good and there was a summer party there while i was doing my internship. I also went on a night out with the staff which was fun! If you were there for longer there is the chance to get involved in sports teams and holidays etc.

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?

The assessment process is really tough and the internship is competitive- make sure you focus on the people and your behaviour at the assessment day as this is what they judge on!
I found that you get out of internship what you put in. If you ask for responsibility or express an interest in an area of the business you get far more opportunities and great experiences than if you just coast along with the tasks they give you to do.
The 6 weeks are quite hard, with long hours and sometimes stressful work- especially leading up to your presentation! But as long as you're self motivated the internship is really great and i would recommend it.

Review 14/20 for John Lewis

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