Product Marketing Assistant Review

by Panasonic

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

Rating

3.7/5
  • The Role
    4.1
  • The Company
    3.6
  • The Culture
    3.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Very good to gain real life industrial experience working for a large electronics company. Get to gain an insight into corporate working life, and get to work with Panasonic on a global scale. Can work closely with managers to help with business planning for Panasonic UK, promotional activities and competitors intelligence.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I was given a huge amount of responsibility and treated as an equal member of staff for the entirety of the placement. Managers and product managers were always asking for my help with jobs and you can go to them with any issues or problems. As you become more competent and confident throughout the year, you are given more challenging tasks, to stretch your ability.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I had a 3 month probation period, with monthly check ups, to ensure I had all the material and help needed to carry out my job to the best of my ability. You are set targets to achieve over the year, and monitored and helped with them. If I had any questions, the whole team were very helpful in trying to resolve the issue. I also worked closely with many different internal teams, who can help with different aspects of the day to day work (E.G use of internal systems)

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • For the most part, I was busy for most of the day for most of the year. The job is very email based, meaning I had a mixture of tasks - some tasks were set, and I had to carry out them every week or month. Others were spontaneous issues/queries from both internal employees and external clients and agencies. You do also get days out of office, working with agencies and attending trade show events, if that is something you are interested in.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was very pleased that Panasonic gave me a huge amount of responsibility on my placement. I did feel like a valued member of the team. In some aspects of work, I was solely relied upon to carry out tasks that no one else could. Throughout the year, I became solely responsible for the management of all camera and camcorder accessories, meaning if I did not order in stock, there would be none in the market. I also created camera kits that were sold countrywide.

    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 was provided with a huge amount of training from the day I started at Panasonic. All the skills I have learnt can can be used both at university and in my jobs to come. Time management and quick careful work are key when working in such a fast paced environment. If you want to take additional training courses, managers encourage it and will assist you where necessary. Training included: Excel Intermediate and Advanced, Email Training, many internal systems training and Interview/Telephone Interview Training (How to conduct an interview effectively).

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • All the different teams are friendly and approachable. The office atmosphere depends on which period of the year we are in. Can get very hectic and busy, during the lead up to new product launches and Christmas period, but it is usually quite quite and calm atmosphere in the office throughout the weeks. Managers and product managers are in a lot of meetings so are coming and going from their desk throughout the day.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well organised. Induction days, and training days were all set up and accessible with ease.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company invested a lot of time and money into training all the placement students and encouraged you take on as much training, in as many relevant aspect, as possible. Training provided includes: • Excel Intermediate and Advanced • Email Training • Lotus Notes Training • Desmond Training (Internal stock management system) • BEX Analyser Training • SAP Training • Interview/Telephone Interview Training (How to conduct an interview effectively) • Time Management Training • Presentation Training

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Company Car

    National Travel

    Financial Bonus

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Because Panasonic have such a broad product range, there are opportunities for everyone who wants to work for a corporate company. Lease with as many internal and external people as possible to build up relations, because of the huge amount of contacts Panasonic has. The opportunities do not have to come from Panasonic UK head office itself, but all the agencies and partners that you will work with throughout the year also.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There were 12 industrial placement students and 8 apprentices working at Panasonic. I lived in a student house in Reading with 4 other students who worked at Panasonic. There was also another 5 Panasonic students living around the corner from us. Because everyone was in the same boat when starting work, it was easy to get along with everyone. Everyone was there to gain as much experience as possible, whilst still going out at the weekends and socializing.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The rent was relatively standard with no bills included in the house. We shared lifts in every morning to reduce costs. Because the placement process happens quite late, it is relatively difficult to find a nice house. Attend a few company events, including team building activities and a Christmas party.Usually bring in cake, and then have a meal/drinks/night out for birthdays.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Lots of clubs and pubs throughout Reading, and lots of other students about because of Reading university. Have a few DJs, artists and bands that come to Reading from all genres of music. Reading train station goes straight into London Paddington so nights out in London are easily accessible, although slightly more expensive.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were many team meals, a Christmas party and team building exercises outside of work. Opportunities to do charity events for Macmillan/charity of your own choice. Can be sponsored by the company if you want to do a charity event outside of work . 2 times a week there is an option to play football in lunch. Monthly free Yoga classes that run for an hour. Can socialise with the other students at the weekend outside of work.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

London

June 2017


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