Marketing Assistant Review

I absolutely loved this role. I was varied, challenging and great fun. I was involved with so many different projects, each requiring different skills. I could really see how i developed throughout the year, and my C.V. looks great!

The whole department were really welcoming, but especially the team i worked with. I was given more and more challenging projects as my skills developed and really felt that my contribution was adding to the success of Fleet Services. I got on extremely well with my colleagues and was truly sad to leave them all at the end of my placement.

I had weekly meetings with my Manager to discuss what i was working on and how i was progressing. However i was always asking questions as well; my Manager was very approachable. In addition to this we set objectives at the start of my placement, reviewed them after 3 months and then formally reviewed them after 6 months. At that point i was then set new objectives for the remaining 6 months of my placement. I was always given the opportunity to say what sort of projects i would like to be involved with, or what sort of skills i would like to develope.

This depended on how close i was to a deadline! Generally i was always on the go, which suited me perfectly because i do not like being idle. When deadlines approached there were, of course, a few late nights to ensure that everything was in order. However i knew it would be well worth the extra effort to complete the project to the best of my abilities.

I was really surprised about the level of responsibility i was given during my placement. The more i proved that i was capable of working on complex projects, the more responsibility i was given. The second half of my placement especially was full of proud moments for me, and this was reflected in my final review at the end of the year. It is a rather cliqued saying, but the more you put into your placement, the more you get out of it.

I found that when i started my placement i thought i had really strong skills in certain areas. However you soon come to reassess yourself as you get into the role. Now, though, i can truly see the extent to which i have developed and i am approaching the task of finding a graduate job with much more confidence. I have a real understanding of what my skills are and how they can be applied to the benefit of a future employer. My placement also made me aware of the areas that i need to make more improvement on, so i can concentrate on this in my final year of university.

Fleet Services is a very hard working and busy department in a highly competitive market; so it was easy to get so involved with your own projects that you became less aware of everyone elses. However the team i worked in recognised this, and set quarterly days out of the office for some team building time. The department was a really friendly one, though, and we did make time for a bit of a natter during the day.

Volkswagen has been running their placement scheme for a long time now and the process is well established. Everything was clear and comprehensive from the initial introductions to the final feedback sessions.

Volkswagen has a variety of training courses available to improve your developement. I attended an 'influencing' course, as well as sessions on 'team working' and 'giving and receiving feedback'. I also had an advanced driver training day, which was really useful for learning to increase your safety and economy on the road.

I have been contacted by Volkswagen as they would like to keep in touch with me throughout my placement and after i graduate. So, if there is the availability, my job prospects there could be very promising. However i will also be looking for other graduate jobs as well so that i have lots of options available.

There was about 15 placment students in total and i lived with 4 others in rented accomodation. As we were close to the centre of town there was plenty of opportunity to go out (restaurants, theatre, cinema, snow dome, shopping centre).

The cost of living was not cheap but your wage will definitely cover it. In fact i managed to save quite a lot of money.

Not exactly my cup of tea but i am sure it would suit many. The trouble is you have to drive if you want to get anywhere in Milton Keynes.

I actually took spanish lessons after work at a local college. I can't really comment on anything else, but i am sure there are plenty of things going on if you look for them.