Internship Review at Standard Life

The Role

Role Description

My main tasks involved writing a business case for Workforce Planning - a recruitment planning process which aligns recruitment drivers with long term group strategy - and developing proposals for ways in which social media can be used as a recruitment tool. In addition I helped the Recruitment team and the graduate recruitment team with business as usual jobs such as developing recruitment marketing campaign materials and interviewing job candidates.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

I think other interns at Standard Life had a much more positive experience than me. I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy the work as much as the others was because the area I worked in experienced a major restructuring just before my start date; this meant that the work I was given had only been planned at the last minute and wasn't particularly relevant to HR. As a consequence I didn't feel very engaged with the work. I would reiterate, though, that in comparison the experience of the other 2010 interns was overwhelmingly positive.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

In my experience, Standard Life has a very positive company culture: people in my time were open and friendly, offering their help when needed and including me in social activities.

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

As a consequence of the departmental restructure, the line managers for my internship changed at the last minute. I didn't feel that the line managers I had for my internship had the time available to offer enough support and guidance.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

A difficult question to answer as, while I was busy, I didn't feel it would have mattered greatly if the work I did wasn't done.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I had freedom to set up meetings with senior managers within the company and, on occasion, was given jobs, such as assissting in interviews, normally undertaken by HR professionals.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Through structured learning sessions, I received a great overview of many aspects of the company including Investment operations and Marketing - this enabled me to see how much of the theory I have studied at university works in the real world. As for HR, I gained an insight into the practical implications of theoretical HR subjects such as Workforce Planning.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The general atmosphere was, as I have already mentioned, very good. Generally, everybody was friendly and open.

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

In broad terms the internship was very well organised as for instance all interns received structured learning sessions which gave us an insight into both the company and enabled us to develop useful business skills. My specific placement was badly organsied however. I was unsure of my role on the team and the work I received did not enable me to gain a very good idea of what a career in HR would actually involve. I would add again, though, that my experience was an exception among the interns at Standard Life and I think the negative aspects of my experience were largely a consequence of the departmental restructuring.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

All interns received lots of learning and development sessions throughout the internship. These were all very useful.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop

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

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

Less so than when I started - For reasons given in my previous answers I feel somewhat underwhelemed by by experience. My key objective in comoing here was to determine whether I wanted to focus on a career as a HR professional or keep my options open, but I feel that the work I have been given has not enabled me to decide that.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

All the interns got on very well. Standard Life facilitated this by organising social events at the beginning of the placement and then left us free to make our own plans.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

As you would expect with a national capital, Edinburgh is an expensive place to live and socialise in. However, Standard Life helped greatly in this respect by paying the cost of my accommodation in addition to my salary.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Again, as you would expect with a national capital, the nightlife is very good. In addition, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes place in the last few weeks of the internship and during this time the city comes alive!

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Standard Life has numerous social and sports clubs which as an intern you are able to join. These are all easily accessible through the company intranet.

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?

Although my personal experience has been more negative than positive, I would still recommend students apply here as some of the internships are still new and should, as a consequence, improve year on year.

Review 10/26 for Standard Life

Previous Next