Placement Year Review at Research In Motion UK (RIM)

The Role

Role Description

Testing devices and new updates for the BlackBerry smartphone

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The job that I was undertaking had a massive impact of the testing the rest of the team was involved in

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

At first there is a massive amount of information to take in. But as time goes on I was relying less and less on my colleagues

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There was always things to do. At some points it was extremely busy which required you to work late but othertimes it was less busy which enabled you to come in late and leave slightly early.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Except for having 'Intern' in your email you were treating the same as any other employee with all the responsiblities that come with it

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

My soft skills such as time keeping etc have improved however this job did not have much to do with my degree as I study IT and not telecomms. It was an excellent but very hard placement. Would recommend it to anyone

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

My team were very hard working however the office atmosphere was generally very relaxed and quiet

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Was kept informed throughout every stage of the recruitment phase. The recruiter was very helpful.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There were courses that I was able to go on as well as payment for learning foreign languages if you required it

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Above 25 days holiday
• Healthcare/Dental

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I would take any job offer with RIM

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There is a student social committee that works closely with the sports and socials committee to organise social events such as sailing, basketball, football, paintballing and racing days at Ascot

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I lived in Reading prior to coming to Slough so didnt notice any difference in the cost of living

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Slough has no real night life however you are so close to London or Reading that you could get anywhere

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Many opportunities to get involved if you wanted to. The sports and socials committee offered a lot of events

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?

RIM is a fast growing organisation that are putting a lot of effort into their employees and products.
RIM give each of their employees a BlackBerry to use whilst they are employeed.

Review 2/6 for Research In Motion UK (RIM)

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