Aftersale Marketing Coordinator Review

I had a great year at Nissan. There was a good balance between working and learning and getting to do fun activities which you wouldn’t normally have the chance to do. There were plenty of opportunities to learn and understand different roles in the business and understand how the company works as a whole.

I felt very valued by my colleagues; we were a very tight team. I was welcomed from the start and built close relations with the people I worked with. I feel my work was valued by other members throughout the business who were not in my team and felt my ideas and my knowledge were appreciated and I was always supported with any questions or assistance I required.

I was given great support all year from my manager, from the start of the year through to the end. If something didn’t go to plan it was never a problem, it was just seen as a task which needed to be overcome. I was interested in apply for the graduate scheme and I was given guidance as to what I should do to improve my application. Overall I was given great support from my managers and greatly appreciated all the guidance given regarding the graduate scheme.

I had a set amount of work that needed doing plus projects to do on top of that. This ensured I had a consistent good level of work to do as I could keep up on my regular work and fit projects around it. Obviously there were times were I had quite a lot of work to do, like catching up on work after holidays but overall the amount of work was ideal.

From day one I was given responsibility. I found this very motivating because if tasks were not completed there would be a direct impact and I would be held accountable. The amount of responsibility grew throughout the year as I become more capable and understood the business more. I think responsibility is vital on a placement year as being given responsibility as it makes your work seem more valuable.

I developed numerous vital skills on my time at placement which I would have never developed at University. These include presenting, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, communications and analytical skills. These are all important skills to have experience in for the jobs I am looking for in the future, I’m sure I will also see the benefits of having developed these skills in my final year at university.

The atmosphere in the office was very different depending on which floor of the office you’re positioned. My floor was quiet in comparison to the other two floors however I did feel that I got on with my work better with the floor being quiet. It’s not to say that we didn’t have a good atmosphere and enjoy each other company.

I think the placement was very well organised, even before I started and had my assessment centre it was very well organised. I moved into a role which was previously filled by another intern and had been for numerous years. As a result my role was very well organised and clearly laid out and I understood my role.

When I first started I felt the firm had really invested in me. During handover I was given the opportunity to go and visit the some of the suppliers to meet the people I would be liaising with and understand their role more. This was very beneficial and this has helped my decision making throughout the year knowing the impact of decisions on suppliers. I also had inductions with everyone in my department so I was able to understand everyone’s role within my department. Having these opportunities developed my confidence in my job role.

The graduate scheme is very appealing and in turn has makes it very competitive. The future employment prospects I feel are stronger having already worked for the company. However getting on the graduate scheme is very competitive and its unlikely that there are as many positions on the graduate scheme as interns who want them. Nevertheless, there are opportunities to go back and not into a graduate scheme role.

There was a good social scene amongst the office. There would be numerous events organised like curry nights, quizzes, laser tag ect for everyone to get involved in which were really fun. There was also a good social scene amongst the placement students and the graduates. Between us we would try and arrange nights out or simply just going to the pub after work.

Being on the outskirts of London it wasn't cheap however there were ways round it by going out in places like Watford. There is also student accommodation in Uxbridge where Brunel University is so that's another way around the living cost in the area. There are also a few restaurants in Rickmansworth which have good deals on certain nights.

It being based on the outskirts of London meant that we had good night life. We could go basically wherever we fancied in London like Covent Garden. Or if we fancied something on a bit more of a budget and with easier travel we would go out in with Watford or Uxbridge.

There were loads of opportunities to get involved in activities outside work. There is a Football team and cricket team. There are curry nights and quiz nights organized by a committee for all employees. We had numerous opportunities to go to the o2 arena. There are also other events such as we had a big football tournament and the winners got to go to the UCL finals.