Intern in Project Management Review

by abrdn

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    4.4
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    3.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Overall the experience of doing an internship at Standard Life Investment was a great opportunity to get new insights into the area of Change and Project Management. We were given access to all documentation and project process documents so that it was not just possible to gain valuable information for our own project for those 5 weeks at Standard Life Investment but at the same time to broaden the horizon of Project Management as a whole. What I liked most was the attention given to us during those 5 weeks and especially the time employees shared with us to help us progress in our project.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • For ' just being interns' we were treated so respectful and were highly valued by all employees as they made space in their calendars whenever we asked for it even though our time of 5 weeks was so limited. When having further questions after interviews they always highlighted to come back to them in case of any further questions. Most importantly when having the final presentation we were able to share our findings with a lot of employees from all hierarchical levels who clearly showed their interest which is quite impressive for just having been here for 5 weeks.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Our supervisor provided us with valuable input from day 1 and was always there to help and support when things had to be clarified and the deliveries to be broken down. The supervisor was also connecting us with the right people and arranging meetings so that we were able to get interviews with the right people in this short period of time of the placement.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Our team was quite busy with conducting interviews and getting deep down to the problem of our project. Given the fact that were just here for 5 weeks we were really busy to get all material that we needed to be able to find valuable solutions that are helpful for the company. Some days were more busy than others depending on the amount of interviews but overall the project had the right scope to be busy and to deliver the right things in terms of expectations from company side.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Again, for being just interns on a short basis of 5 weeks we were given the highest responsibility. This is reflected in the fact that we were handed over projects to work on that were not made for keeping us busy but which were of high importance for the overall company. Being able to work on this kind of project in 5 weeks really meant that we were given a high amount of responsibility supported by a final presentation where we were given the responsibility to present this topic in front of a sizable audience. It was a good motivation to be handed over a topic of such a high degree of responsibility.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I think the skills that we got in terms of project management but as well the social skills that are important in the context of project management are very valuable for my future placements. It was a great experience to know how project management works in practice and to see which technical skills as well as soft skills are needed and most importantly I was able to get a first insight into if this job and job environment fits my personality and my strengths.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere was really good and open. It was a nice environment and people were very open-minded to us as new 'employees'. I found an open culture which was based on values such as respect and politeness. People were very helpful and eager to share knowledge and experience. The casual Friday as well added to the picture we got from this placement in terms of atmosphere.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The internship was very well organised as the whole placement time was planned through with interviews with people having different roles in the Project Management context. We had a clear supervisor and even mentors which our team was meeting once a week in order to get feedback on questions and things that were in progress of being delivered.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I think in such a short time it is not really possible to really invest in us. I think the investment was already done with the fact of giving us such a high responsibility and respect for this short placement and giving us this opportunity I think this was the highest investment personally for us which Standard Life Investment was able to do in such a short time.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • After finishing the internship the company was clearly showing us the possibilities that we may have after our graduate program. They were offering us to stay in touch and a lot of times highlighted that we may be candidates to be taken into account for a graduate scheme. This was very helpful and motivating as a change to come back and make a career.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Employees seem to be very much concentrated on their work but there was always time for a small chat and people seemed to be very nice and interested in the employees. But with those having done an internship like us or those being graduates we were socialising a lot in order to get the most out of it. They organised meetings with us and shared all experience.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • If this question means the cost of living and socialising for the city were we were placed, Edinburgh, it is a very expensive place for living and for going out. This didn't really promote to be going out much after work when being on a student budget and there are not a lot of cheap alternatives around the office area. That was a bid sad. Still we were able to attend company events which were great.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife is kind of good in Edinburgh was again it is a too expensive place to regularly going out giving the fact that there is no source of income.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • The company offered us to take part in every kind of company event. So we were attending a Marketing event once which was really interesting and which gave us the possibility to grasp the atmosphere and culture of the company. After all it is all about self initiative to attend those kind of events

    3/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Business Management

Scotland

February 2016


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