Internship Review at John Lewis

The Role

Role Description

Being in charge of the department for periods of time, whilst organising staff and breaks and being on hand to make decisions to balance the customer demand.
Taking on the role of Customer Service Manager so as to prioritise and keep customers happy.
Keeping the department looking at its best, whilst have vision and creativity in looking for ways to improve for the future.
Looking at daily and weekly figures to establish what products are doing well and what need looking at.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on my placement. There were times when I did wonder if retail was the job for me but there was lots of variation within my placement that allowed me to get a feel for a lot of different areas within the company.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

All the people were lovely and welcomed me onto the department and I was very sad to leave.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My manager on my 'home' department was incredibly supportive and she made the time I spent on my department very enjoyable. She was very approachable, as were the other managers, and I felt they gave me an excellent level of guidance.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Some days I actively worked on the shop floor with my team and so had very full days. Sometimes the flow of customers was almost too much but other days there was a nice balance.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There were numerous occasions when I was left to run the floor on my own, which I felt was a huge responsibility and this did occur quite early on in my placement so I was pleased with the level of trust my manager put in me. There were numerous tasks that I was given ownership of as well.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I feel my interpersonal skills have heightened no end due to having to work with the public. I do feel like I have worked on a vast amount of other skills as well though that I will take forward into the next thing I do, such as communication, presentation and organisational skills to name a few.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Some days people needed to get on with work but generally the atmosphere was relaxed and we were able to have a laugh as well.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I think the assessment process was set up fine and once I was carrying out my internship, the organisation was set up well. The process that informed my branch that I would be interning with them and them contacting me however was a little lapse in terms of communication and there were times when I had to seek my branch out to find out pieces of information that I felt I should have been told.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

My managers on my 'home' department took time out of their days to coach and train me on various topics and aspects of the job, which was invaluable. I was also given support and help to be able to develop my skills and shown ways that I could demonstrate my behaviours.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

• Subsidised Canteen

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The outcome of my internship is that I have been fast-tracked to the last stage of the application process for their graduate scheme so I am very hopeful and would like to work for them.

Other Information

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

There was only one other summer intern and we only overlapped for a couple of weeks so there wasn't really any opportunity to socialise.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Relatively cheap as I lived in my university house and it was a student area so manageable for socialising.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

It was a student area so the nightlife was great. However I only experienced this a few times as I was working full time.

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

I made friends with some members of staff who I could have socialised with outside of work but other that that there wasn't anything in particular in terms of activities.

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?

I felt like I learnt and achieved a great deal during my six week internship and I think that was down to me wanting to do this. I believe this is very important and even though the resources are available to you its up to you to seek them out and get out of your internship what you can.

Review 19/20 for John Lewis

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