Placement Review at AstraZeneca

The Role

Role Description

Below is a list of tasks that would give a good description of what my duties were during my placement year:

• Create and maintain applications for customers using a variety of coding languages.
• Have frequent meetings with customers to discuss project requirements.
• Investigate/Repair problems with servers.
• Test applications to ensure that they are compatible with Windows Vista operating system.
• Giving general technical support to inexperienced IT users.
• Update wiki pages relating to projects assisted.
• Do presentations at meetings.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I found every aspect of the work placement extremely enjoyable. The work I was asked to do was challenging enough to keep me entertained and the site that I worked at was very large and contained many unexpected advantages such as a gym, a restaurant, a costa coffee shop and a break room with a tv, darts board and pool table.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

All of the work that I was given at AstraZeneca was important enough to influence the business which made me feel like a very valued member of the team. I was delighted that there were occosions were I would be asked for advice on a matter that I had more experience with.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Not only was my task magaer very supportive and helpful but if there was a more knowledgeable colleague that could help me with something, I would merely need to ask and they would give as much support as they could. The monthly meeting with my line manager allowed me to have a serious think about the tasks that I am working on and whether I could be doing anything better to help the team.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There was always work that I could have been doing and if I ever found myself bored, I would find a colleague to assist. The best part was the programming wasn't my only task which meant my work would also involve having a break from using computers and socialising with other colleagues and customers to discuss the projects we were working on.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

My main project was to do the behind the scenes work of a project that I could see was influencing the business in many ways. The work appeared as if it would have no impact but I was shown other projects that used the outcome that my project was making to do very impressive things.

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

My task manager and myself ensured that I worked on a variety of projects to allow me to learn many different languages and skills that I might need for my career. If there was anything that I was interested in and thought would be useful, I would ask someone in the department to help me learn it. I feel that my placement has gave me the skill and knowledge that I need to get a high degree and the year overall has definitely made me more employable for the future.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

My office consisted of myself and two other students who were doing their placement year as well. It was good to work with people that were going through the same situation as me. We managed to have a lot of fun and easily communicated with each other if any of us were having problems.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

It was obvious that AstraZeneca had been doing placements for some time because the year was very organised. The interview day was set up very well and the interviews included questions that would allow AstraZeneca to employ the best candidate. I was never confused during my year and always knew what was going on. If there were any problems, I knew I could contact the departments PA who was very helpful.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

All of my training was done by colleagues helping me when I required it. It was a very relaxed and informal way to develop my skills and I really enjoyed it. It would have been good to go on more specific training courses.

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

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The company was very generous towards it's employees and everybody I worked with had a great attitude towards the work they were doing. The only downside to the placement was that there was no travel involved but this would be different if I was a full time employee. The company made my placement year better than what I expected it to be.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The social aspect of the job was the most appealing part. Everybody in the company had a lot of passionate towards their work so the conversations were always productive. The company also did a lot of out of work activities such as football, summer ball, and various trips.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was lucky enough to live at home and pay very little rent so most of my money went towards savings and socialising. Loughborough is a small town that has mostly University students living in it so it is a very cheap town to live in.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

Because Loughborough is a small town there is not much night life. Despite this, the places that do exist are very good and cater a lot towards students so they are normally cheap and full of students.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

AstraZeneca encouraged social activities a lot by advertising various things around the sight. I joined the gym, played football, attended the summer ball and went tobogganing. There were many other oppotunities such as walking, learning another language and go karting.

Review 2/5 for AstraZeneca

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