Marketing Assistant Review

I am struggling to find the words to express how much I've enjoyed my placement at 3M! The amount of knowledge and skills I have developed has exceeded all expectations, but over and above that I've had an outrageous amount of fun at the same time! Without a doubt it has been the most interesting and enjoyable year of my life, and I couldn't recommend a placement at 3M more highly to anyone. I've enjoyed it so much that i'm staying on an extra few months until University starts again!

3M is divided into a number of different business groups and divisions. I am lucky enough to have worked within the Personal Safety division, which is one of the largest. With this comes a big team, and I have felt valued all my colleagues. I have never been made to feel like my opinion isn't wanted, or my work is insignificant just because I'm the youngest and most inexperienced. Placement students are an important part of 3M, and this is reflected not just in the attitudes of your colleagues, but through the work you are given too.

This part has been exceptional for me. I have an excellent manager who has done all that she can to support me. Regular catch ups are scheduled in our calendars, which are a perfect opportunity to discuss what I'm working on and if I need any help. During busy periods, it has been useful to discuss my workload and seek her advice on what projects I should be prioritising. Aside from in the catch ups, she will go over and above to support me at any time if I need help. Additionally, I have had regular performance reviews which have been incredibly useful in providing feedback on my strengths and guidance on areas for improvement.

Naturally, the workload comes in peaks and troughs throughout the year, although I have never felt bored and sat there with nothing to do - there is always something to be working on. Generally speaking, you will be balancing a few larger projects with smaller everyday tasks. At times I have felt very busy and overwhelmed, but this doesn't last long and it's all the more rewarding once you complete projects. There has also been a lot of variety in the projects and tasks I've worked on, which has retained my interest levels throughout!

As mentioned previously, placement students are really valued at 3M and this is reflected in the amount of responsibility you are given. At the beginning of the year, I played more of a supportive role in the team while I was settling in & getting to grips with it all. As time went on, I began to gain increasing responsibility and ultimately took on leadership and project management roles in my projects. At 3M, if you 'prove yourself' and deliver results, this is recognised and further doors are unlocked to you. Never did I feel like I was working on a meaningless project with no impact.

Through working at 3M, I have developed a skill set that I just couldn't have at University. To name a few, my time management/organisational/prioritisation skills have greatly improved. Furthermore, I have had the chance to develop leadership and project management skills that I just didn't have the copportunity to before. Beside the skills you gain through your everyday projects and workload, there is a continuous range of extra training programmes, courses, workshops, webinars (and so on!) which are all incredibly useful and interesting. I have learnt an overwhelming amount from these alone, and personal highlights for me have included a 2-day course on how to give effective presentations (life changing!), and a session on how to develop your personal brand and market yourself. I feel very well set up for my final year at University, and onwards into my career.

Fantastic! The head office in Bracknell (where most placement students are based) is modern and open-plan. There is very much a culture here which promotes collaboration, and everyone is entirely approachable and friendly. You will find yourself sitting near people much higher up the org chart compared to you (they don't have their own office), and they're just as willing to help as anyone else. Of course everyone is there to work hard, but people do want to get to know each other on a personal level too. I've found the atmosphere to be fun and encouraging, and I've discussed everything from 3M's strategic business objectives to the Kardashians with my colleagues!

Placement years have become very popular recently, but 3M has an established placement scheme which began long before the more recent hype. To summarise: at the start of the year, the recruitment and on-boarding process was very organised. During the placement, my manager has been very organised in integrating me within the team and everything has felt very slick. There is also a programme called 'Emerging Talent' which all the placement students are enrolled on (run by HR) which involves structured learning opportunities, and this was well organised too. Overall, seamless organisation!

Very heavily! 3M put a great emphasis on personal development, with every employee having their own structured development plan. You are greatly encouraged to pursue any development opportunity you can get your hands on! This is extended to placement students as well - all training and development opportunities that are available to other colleagues, are available to placement students too. There has only been one example of a course I wanted to attend, but was initially prevented from doing so as it wasn't typically offered to a placement student (due to cost). However, I kept pushing for it and eventually got permission from my manager.

This is the only part that I could criticise. In terms of whether I want to return to 3M, that's a 'yes' without needing to think about it. It really has been a fantastic year, and I would love to stay on. However, 3M are very much lacking in their graduate intake. You should not start a placement here thinking that if you do well you will be guaranteed a graduate role,, as this is not the case. 3M are very strict with their head count, and seem particularly reluctant to hire graduates more recently due to the current business environment and pressures. I think this is something that will change in the future (no doubt it has to!), but for the near future sadly it looks to stay that way. Regardless, I wouldn't let this put anyone off. The pro's at 3M far outweigh the one con, and I feel in a great position to apply for other graduate roles elsewhere.

The social scene has been great. Although it's probably subjective depending on the group, the placement students all naturally become friends and there are plenty of opportunities to organise dinner/nights out together. I am lucky to be in a very social business division, and the team has been a fun bunch! There's been team building exercises in the pub, regular nights out in Reading, a girls holiday in Spain, a 26 mile trek in Yorkshire, running the Reading Half Marathon together and so on. Couldn't have asked for more, and I've made best friends for life from it.

I grew up in Reading, and have spent my placement year living at home to save money. I am very used to the prices in this area so have not noticed anything significant. I go to University in the North, and I do know it's much more expensive here for rent but luckily I've not had to face that.

As mentioned, I grew up here so I am incredibly biased and very familiar with the nightlife but I think it's great! Bracknell and Wokingham offer a great variety of pubs, and you would head into Reading for the clubs and bars. Obviously it's not a patch on London, but it's perfectly adequate and there are some great nights to be had!

There are lots of socials within the teams and friendship groups, but there are also some great wider 3M social activities. These include the Christmas party, quiz night, and outdoor cinema. I've never felt that my social life was lacking outside of the working hours, and have done a variety of things with a variety of different people at 3M.