Placement Year Review at GlaxoSmithKline

The Role

Role Description

The job involved analysing different drug products on a daily basis using chromatography equipment and other physical testing methods. I was involved in work such as cleaning validation and stability studies and industrial method validation for quality assurance. My daily duties involved running chromatography samples, collecting and analysing cleaning validation samples, and general office based work of report writing and analysing excel data sheets.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Met some great people and learned so much from supervisors and managers with a lot of experience in their field. Was arguably one of the best experiences of my life.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Department was welcoming from day 1, the minute I walked in the door after my induction I was treated as if I had always been part of the group. Even despite coming from the opposite end of the country I felt welcomed and at home within the first couple of weeks.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Always there to help without question, without a word of exaggeration my supervisors and co-workers were at my beck and call whenever I was struggling or confused with some new work that I had been given, and never once did they make me feel stupid or incompetent when I asked for help.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was given my own project to manage and develop during my placement year, and in times where I found myself with nothing to do there was always side tasks or something needing done to help the department.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Not quite running the show however I was given charge of my own personal project for the year after my training was complete, and I was expected to give weekly reports to my team leader, I felt like my own boss yet an important part of the team.

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

The people skills and life experience I gained from my year were invaluable and it gave me a great new out look and respect for those involved in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

A fun yet professional environment, the socialising was never dull but was serious when there was work to be done.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Everything fell in to place after day 1 however it would have been good to have had more support from the company when arranging accommodation, my team leader and department were fantastic in helping me move and sort reference but the intern program when joining took no part in the help for finding a place to stay, it wasn't necessary but would have been appreciated if this help was there.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

They made sure I was up to date on all procedures and training protocols throughout the entire year, I didn't once feel I was under qualified or had not been taught the correct procedure, these life skills were drilled into me and I felt I took a lot away from my placement as a whole.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Above 25 days holiday

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I got offered a place on the fast track graduate scheme, which implies that when I reapply I should hopefully be taken to the final stage of the interview process rather than having to go through the selection procedure again.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The students and colleagues made an effort to go out and socialise at least once or twice a month, I was staying with a couple other placement students so the social scene was a constant thing.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

The location was rather expensive but the pay by the company was good enough to make sure that we were never scraping to get by.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The location had a few of it's own nightclubs but was 20 minutes from the nightlife of Brighton, so it was always good for a laugh.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Local gym an plenty of events happening in the town kept things interesting, work also threw various social events throughout the year which was also good and entertaining.

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?

Not much else to say other than the placement was brilliant for people who are going in with a keen interest to learn and develop themselves, I'd say the placement/internship program is a great way to introduce yourself to the world of work.

Review 231/231 for GlaxoSmithKline

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