EU Regulatory Strategy Review

by Pfizer

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

Rating

3.3/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    2.9
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Pfizer. The opportunity to work for such a prestigious pharmaceutical company and really hone my skills in the workplace has been invaluable. There are many other interns also employed, so there is also a social aspect to the placement as well. Overall, the extent to which you grow within your placement really depends on how keen you are to make contacts and experience new things.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt well valued by my colleagues, they were dedicate some of their personal time to arrange meetings and trainings with extra colleagues to further our development. As mentioned previously, colleagues were very supportive if you decided you would like to see extra parts of the business or participate in courses outside of your functional area.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • One to one meetings with my manager were scheduled to dicuss workload and how things were progressing. But this really varies from manager to manager - some are a little more proactive, checking up more regularly and allocating work, whereas others are a little light touch and prefer to sit off.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • This is a tricky one, as in my personal department, the work comes in peaks and troughs. Therefore there have been periods where I have been extremely busy and those where I have had little to do. Once again, this depends on what work your manager is willing to allocate you, and how proactive you are asking for work.

    2/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • On certain projects I was given a lot of responsibility, basically handling the whole project and liaising with colleagues to ensure they completed work for me. This didn't come until later on in the placement, once I had learned the ropes. But it was extremely empowering leading a team of people and knowing that you were responsible for the overall regulatory approval.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills, contacts, and experiences I've received will, without a doubt, put me in good stead for my future endeavours. To be able to apply the "working mindset" in my final year should ensure that I aim for the highest grade possible. Beyond that, being able to draw on specific experiences and skills will enable to demonstrate competence in a wide range of situations. Finally, from speaking to a number of people- having "Pfizer" on your CV will certainly help you stand out from the crowd.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • In my particular office, the atmosphere is generally quite quiet. People tend to get on with their own work at their desk and in comparison to other departments' offices, a lot less lively. In particular, Monday's and Friday's are very quiet, as a number of colleagues work from home on these days. As such, on a Friday- there is really only 10 or so more people in the office (in addition to the 6 other interns), whereas on a Tuesday, there is approximately 40-50.

    2/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • 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 in myself with regards to furthering my personal skills and development. This involved onboarding talks from members of the same department, as well as those from other departments. There were opportunities to attend training courses run by colleagues in say, the marketing department, as well as first aid training and technology training. Furthermore, trips were organised to other sites, such as: Sandwich, Havant, and even the manufacturing sites in Ireland. However, this really depends on your manager, as I knew people who were not able to futher their delevopment as much since their supervisor was reluctant to allow them extra time to pursue these opportunities.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • 3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • At the time of writing, there is limited graduate opportunities within the UK organisation. This is only based in the marketing department and still in its early stages. As for within regulatory (and other departments) there are no immediate plans for any graduate scheme which means it may be quite difficult to get a job immediately after graduation. That said, there is a number of colleagues who were on previous internship years and have returned (in quite senior positions) several years later, meaning that a return is not out of the question.

    2/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There was a decent social scene amongst the majority of placement students. At the beginning, this was facilitated by a facebook group set up by the Pfizer HR team. Additionally, there is a group breakfast set up at the beginning to get to know the other interns. But after the first couple of weeks, the onus is very much on yourselves to organise things. Those living in larger houses, closer together tended to have a better social scene than those living on their own or out of the way.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • 2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • As for nightlife in the immediate area, there is not much going on in Surrey. However, the nightlife of London is just a short train ride away from most of the surrounding, which is extremely handy.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • 4/5

    Report this review

Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Pharmaceutical

International

June 2017


View More Reviews