Marketing Assistant Review

I really enjoyed my placement, didn't want to leave! The culture and work environment is so friendly and welcoming.

You feel like your contribution is noticed and valuable to the wider team. The tasks/projects you are given are aligned with the plans and objectives of the team so your input, views and work are all valued.

You always feel like you can ask questions and there is always someone to support you. I worked in a large team and could seek help from anyone there, not just my direct manager. The guidance I received from my manager was excellent, we would meet on a regular basis to discuss progress with projects and solve any problems I had. The assistance I was given and the time that was invested in my personal development was great and I was given so many learning/development opportunities!

I often found I was quite busy however, as you would expect in any job, work can come in peaks and troughs. My workload never became unmanageable though. If you were to feel there was an issue with workload managers are very accommodating and can help you to work through it or find additional projects in quieter times. I was never bored, but equally never overwhelmed.

I was given a great deal of responsibility. I was given several projects and as I worked through the year the level of responsibility and complexity increased as I began to understand the business and products. I feel the opportunities and projects I was given were interesting and have really given me a great start to my marketing career.

Generally, developing skills such as time management, communication and organisation will assist me greatly in my degree and I'm sure in my future career too. However, most notable for me, was the support given to me to focus on my personal development plan. I selected a skill/weakness that I felt had always held me back and caused me to lack confidence (presentation skills) and my manager helped me to prepare a plan with several elements to improve on it. My whole team would support me in developing this and my manager always sought opportunities that would challenge me and build my confidence. By the end of my placement I felt I had improved dramatically and can now utilise new techniques when presenting.

The office was friendly and welcoming. People are often happy to chat and always prepared to help if needed. There were several socials organised throughout the year as well as events including an outdoor cinema. There are sports teams including netball, football and touch rugby for those who enjoy sports and are another way to socialise with colleagues and those outside of your own division.

The placement scheme at 3M was structured with sessions/tasks set up throughout the year. Projects and tasks are set by each division so will vary for each placement student but I feel the projects were good for developing your skills as well as giving you a variety of experiences. I was often asked by my manager if there was anything else I wanted to gain from my placement that had not been covered in my assigned tasks so you have the opportunity to let them know if there is a certain area of business or an activity you particularly want to experience further.

I believe this is something 3M excelled at. I had a lot of time invested in me by both my direct manager and my wider team to improve my presentation skills (something I had identified as a weakness) and to improve my confidence. There are structures in place for you to create a personal development plan and this was included in the placement scheme programme so will be clearly explained and accessible to you. There are often training sessions such as writing courses and marketing lunch and learns that you can attend to broaden your knowledge or improve skills.

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Many of the people at 3M are very sociable. Placement students arranged many nights out and trips amongst themselves but there were also wider socials organised, both formal and informal. Formal events such as the Christmas meal and outdoor cinema were offered and larger informal socials such as nights out were also arranged. I was part of a very sociable team so we would often arrange activities or social events within the division.