Industrial Trainee - Junior Brand Manager Review

My placement was really valuable experience and some aspects I enjoyed very much indeed. However, it was sometimes difficult to completely enjoy the day-to-day due to high pressure situations and feeling slightly in the deep end.

Colleagues frequently reminded me of the value I added to the team and continued to give both positive and constructive feedback through the year. It was more difficult in very busy times for colleagues find time to support me.

I had regular 1 to 1 meetings with my manager and other more senior colleagues to monitor my progress and involvement with the team.

Most of the time the level of busyness was at a good level. This meant I had lots to do during the days but didn't have to work on evenings and weekends. There were times when the workload was much higher and also times when it dropped off a lot.

I was given routine tasks to complete as well as my own projects to be responsible for. The level of responsibility increased through the placement as I grew in confidence.

This experience will be invaluable in my future life. I have grown in confidence in so many skills such as teamwork, presentation skills, written communication and working with different cultures. I will use these in my degree, in my career and in my personal life.

Being on a European team meant that the office was often quite empty due to people travelling or working from home. However, when colleagues were in there was a good atmosphere.

I was given lots of training and shadowing opportunities at the start of my placement. I then began to gain more and more responsibility through the months as I grew in confidence and skills. I wasn't always aware of what the next project was that I was going to be working on and I don't think there was a full 12 month plan for my placement.

The company invested a great deal in my development. I attended a number of different training workshops through the year and as also given the opportunity to shadow a number of people. The company also invested in me in terms of travel opportunities as I went on 11 overseas trips through the year.

Pfizer is an excellent company to work for with fantastic employee benefits. However, I don't think that a career in the pharmaceutical industry is one that I am going to pursue long-term.