Placement Year Review at Intel Corporation

The Role

Role Description

I managed all sales and marketing training within Europe, the Middle East, and Africe. This included the quarterly planning, budgeting, and deployment management of a variety of training services; and working with the world wide training team in training initiatives and developments.

As well as the training service management I initiated various programs to improve the internal training service credibility, and increase training completion stats and employee training experience; i.e. industry benchmarking, building internal stakeholder relations, internal training communications, extensive process efficiency streamlining, and training program expansion and developments.

As well as this I took on a 6 month role as a Community Manager (social media) and was responsible for project managing website developments, raising the awareness of social media with key internal stakeholders, recruiting and motivating bloggers, and analysing website metrics to help inform online marketing and general strategic direction.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

This job was truly amazing and the +50 intern community made the place a very entertaining place to work. I've made friends for life, and even gained a few mentors to guide me professionally. The Intel-american culture is like nothing I've experienced before but something i'd highly recommend. I'd do it all over again if I could.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

My job required the management of training for over 900 people. Sometimes I felt like my efforts were underappreciated, and that people didn't realise how much I had developed sales and marketing training. I realised that at the end of my year that my role wasn't about internal recognition, it was about providing a service to support employees. So, looking back, this section doesn't really bother me. Especially when those that I worked with closely appreciated what I did and knew the difference I made.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I had 3 managers over my internship, and was unmanaged for a few months. This could have been to my detriment but I always felt that there were people around me to help out. I had training partnerrs on the world wide team with years of experience, and a few Intel dinosaurs sitting around me who were extremely willing to give advice.

My 3rd manager, who I had for a few months, was the best I could have asked for. I learned more about myself in a weeks F2F with him that I did over the whole year. All I wish is that I had longer with him!

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My workload was easily 120% but that's because I liked being busy and enjoy new work/challenges - sometimes a bit too much. Even though I was working my guts off, I knew I could say at any point that I had too much on my plate and that some work had to be ZBB'd (zero business benefit).

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

If there were 15 stars for this I would rate 15. My role started off as an admin one but, over time, I proved that I was competent and could take on more work and responsibility.

After 6 months I was the acting Sales and Marketing Training Manager which meant I was responsible for a quarterly training budget of $100k-$180k. It was a lot of fun spending it! Overnight the level of work expected from me sky-rocketed, and I bloody loved it. After the Training Manager was hired I retained 95% of the responsibilities.

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

The environment I was exposed to has given me a great insight into the real world of business. I can't begin to explain how this exposure helps when you start your final year of university. Anyone can critically analyse theories and principles and IMAGINE how they would be applied in the real world, but to know how they are applied is invaluable. This is a huge benefit of a placement year.

Now, I feel competent in myself and confident that I was get a top calibre graduate job. I've developed my core skills in ways that I didn't think possible over 1 year = truly greatful.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

All of my team were in Germany so my part of the office was quiet, with little ambience. This suited me though.

The block next to me were always chatting away and having a laugh though!

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

The assessment and induction processes were faultless. After everyone had ramped into their role (3 months) there wasn't a structure in my line of work.

THIS IS GOOD THOUGH!!! It leaves your year open to development, and doesn't prescribe what you'd be doing every month, etc. If that was the case then I wouldn't have experienced 10% of what I did.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Working in training means that I'm pretty clued up about it's goings on. I don't think Intel, as a company, invest enough time or money in training and employee development. Granted, some departments train their employee very well but the fact that there are inconsistencies isn't very good.

Saying that; there isn't a huge 'TRAIN ME!' culture at Intel, so demand for training isn't very high. It takes two to tango and neither side were really dancing.

I'm bumping this rating up to 5 because my last manager was great at helping my personal development and really pushed me out of my comfort zone to ensure I bettered myself.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• National Travel
• International Travel
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Above 25 days holiday
• Working from home

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

Intel is an amazing company, there is no doubt about that. The only problem is that it doesn't offer a stuctured graduate scheme - which for me is very important. The jobs made available to graduate, however, are brilliant.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Interns were always doing things on a weekly basis. Whether it be going out, cinema, pub quiz, going out!

Swindon is a pretty boring place to live though - that's the only bad thing.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Rent was £275 a month for a massive family house - cheap.
Thursday nights out were £1 a drink in one club. What more could you want?

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

Swindon is pretty bad, i'm not going to lie. We always had a good laugh though so as long as you had hooty people to go out with it was alright. Bristol is only a 30 min drive away which more than makes up for it.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

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?

Intel is a top 10 global brand. To have it on your CV is a real benefit as graduate employers will grant you instant credibility What other companies offer this?

Review 121/121 for Intel Corporation

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