Why did I choose a placement with St Leger Homes?

I chose to apply and work for St Leger Homes because they are a very flexible employer. The working culture is great and in my team there is a constant aim for improvement and excellence.

During my placement I was given a variety of different tasks that made my job interesting and not one day was the same as the other. I also got to work with many different colleagues from St Leger Homes which kept me exited as I was meeting new people all the time.

In addition, working in the public sector you are in an environment driven by quality of service .You gain a sense of accomplishment working with an organisation whose main aim is to help others and support the local community.

My colleagues were also extremely welcoming and helpful, and I never felt uncomfortable asking anyone for help.

Why HR & OD?

I’ve always been a very social individual and have always loved helping others in different ways.

Working in the HR&OD department gives you the opportunity to help the organisation internally.

You get to shape the company’s values and behaviours, and support colleagues to feel confident and happy in their working environment.

Working in this field helped me gain a variety of transferrable skills, and what I found most appealing about my role is the variety of jobs I had to do - such as recruitment, well-being campaigns, ED&I projects, career fairs for apprenticeships and placements, planning open weeks and many more. Not only was it different every day but it also gave me the skills to peruse different career paths.

What advice would you give to someone planning their placement / internship?

Don’t be scared to apply because you feel underqualified, you might be surprised how many of the skills you have already acquired doing day to day activities or your university course.

Another piece of advice I would give to students applying for a placement with St Leger Homes is do some research of the company and make sure your application form is done correctly (double or triple check if possible). From that point onwards if you secure an interview and get the job, you definitely won’t regret it.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge for me was starting my first official full time job in the middle of a pandemic when everyone was working from home and you didn’t get to meet your team face to face. For me starting in a company especially online is like starting a TV series from season 5 episode 10 (you are basically clueless on how things work and what’s going on).

Now we are trying to work agile, meaning you don’t have to go to the office if you don’t need to but most teams have an assigned team day when they go to the office and get to meet your colleagues face to face.

Describe your biggest achievement

I got the opportunity to lead on the quarterly staff survey - from coming up with the questions and writing reminders, to analysing the results and presenting to the Head of HR, and suggesting a plan of action. It was a very interesting experience and I got to read so many different opinions and ideas from my colleagues. Most importantly I learned a variety of different skills such as being able to present or analyse large amount of data and bettering my critical thinking and problem solving. Furthermore I am very proud I managed to contribute to the improvement of the working conditions for all of my colleagues.

Any final thoughts?

My time at St Leger Homes has gone by so quickly and I have very much enjoyed the experience. I would definitely recommend doing an HR & OD placement especially with St Leger Homes. It is a really good break from university and it makes the transition from education to working full time really easy. Not only that but it makes you stand out from the crowd to secure a graduate job.

St Leger Homes gave me an opportunity to experience the real work while supporting me all the way until the end and I have enjoyed every minute of it!