Product Marketing Intern Review

The placement was on the whole an enjoyable experience. There were plenty of other interns there and they are all from such a variety of backgrounds which was really interesting. Some days it would be not very enjoyable as the tasks I had were not motivating but on the whole it was enjoyable and looking back my experience is positive.

Not everyone valued interns the same, some colleagues were appreciative of your skills and give you more challenging tasks and trust you with them, however some members of staff would give you meaningless tasks that made me feel not valued as my skills were not being put to use and I was running simple errands for them.

Half way through the placement when I was comfortable with more, my days got busier but mostly they were busy enough to handle. When corporate events were coming up it would get much busier for me, but after time you learn what to prioritise and how to balance your time more effectively.

Depending on who assigned the task and what the task was the responsibility varied. Some managers would give me much more responsibility than others, at first the responsibility was daunting but after a while I was comfortable with more responsibility and it was frustrating when I wasn't given it. But overall later in the placement I had more responsibility.

Some things I learnt I am now seeing back at university.

The office was split in to different departments and there was a change in atmosphere depending on the department. Marketing was a lively department to work in and a very friendly and positive atmosphere. There was often food shared for the whole office and the general atmosphere was quite relaxed.

The only down side was the lack of introduction to the building and teams on the first day, Although this was being worked on whilst I was there.

There was a real lack of training for interns here. The only options available to us were online training that was very general and things like simple Microsoft office tips. Other staff members were on training very often and a lot of this even involved going to Germany for it. The only training and development I had was from my manager guiding me through the stages of the process but this was to be expected.

To get a job with them after graduation would depend on their need for employees. If they needed one then I believe candidates who have previously worked there as interns would be highly considered. Depending on the urgency of the candidate either just an interview would take place or if there isn't a rush then the usual application and development centre process would happen.

Every friday afternoon (as we had friday afternoons off) the students would go to the local pub. Most weekends the students would have plans, as many of the students were from outside the UK they would like to travel around the local area. If there were birthdays with other employees in the team there would be a lunch meal at the pub or after work food somewhere.

As I lived at home, the cost of living wasn't really an issue. The students would mostly be spread across 4 houses that had been split in to rooms. Some rooms had their own bathroom and small kitchenette and others shared these. The price depended on what you chose. The cost of socialising was reasonable.

The town where the site is based is small and there is not great nightlife (several pubs and 1 or 2 clubs) but there are towns nearby that you can get by train, about 15 mins away and they have a bigger night life scene. Although with a large group of students, there would be house parties as well.