CRM Analyst Review

I found that the experience I had gained was excellent. Although I found the workload to be difficult to manage at first my colleagues and manager supported me to get the best from my placement. Adaptability would be the trait I can take from this experience as I was in a role which was not related to my university course, however I all the skill I gained useful in developing my personality and image to employees within General Motors.

As an undergraduate you do not expect to be treated as greatly in all companies and you expect there to be pressure to perform. This was not true, from the moment I had started the level of support provided to me was more than I can be grateful for. All my colleague would always give positive feedback on different tasks and activities I should try that would both benefit me and make the most out of my internship. I had two managers and many teams I had worked with and I had always felt like a permanent member of staff, the respect you earn and the appraisal you receive is unlike any other I had experience from my previous employers.

Management supported to build on my current skills and learn new skills that will benefit me in the future. An instance I can give an example of is the reports I had to generate for my role, which had gone through multiple iterations for it to be useful for many users - clients and colleagues to use for making decisions. This was also used at a directorial level to measure the progress of the different projects deployed.

I had a great balance of having a challenge with a lot of workload, supported by my team to ensure that I am able to tackle each task. The IT side of things were split up into two segments, your current role duties and tasks to preform throughout the year as an intern. This challenged me in particular to see how my organisations skills from university can be used in a working environment, and learning to prioritise throughout the year was key here.

Initially the start of the internship was training so the responsibility wasn't high. However as I had mentioned previously you are seen as a permanent member of staff there as appose to an intern. This meant that the work given was of a nature that was critical to the company and where a lot of money had been invested. I had also had the opportunity to cover for my team and even my manager on several occasions! They really do help you to build your confidence and make sure that you are capable of achieving greatness

Although the role which I had selected was not of a technical nature as to my degree, there was more that I could've imagined when I had accepted. I have no regrets in choosing my role as there were chances to explore other roles within your departments and even in team events. There are also global challenge events where you can put yourself forward to go into a role that you are not comfortable with and try and develop this segment. I feel more confident especially for the documentation side of my final year and coping with pressure. I now know the expectation when it comes to professional standards and how to delegate tasks and manage effectively.

The office had a family aroma. Everyone was super friendly and approachable, we have regular team building activities such as quizes and prizes given out to recognise those that go above and beyond. If that is not a motivation factor I don't know what is! I had even asked a lot of colleagues to support me for making decisions for my final year of university and they have been very helpful.

There is a clear and well organised structure updated every year to ensure that it is applicable for the new inters. There are several opportunities which you also have to shape, giving you a chance to test your communication skills by networking with others and being able to organise your own tasks and mini projects. There are several presentations and timetable structure to inform you of the year ahead, there is also regular review meetings - weekly and monthly to ensure that you are working towards an end goal and make the most out of your internship.

The company spent several weeks organising multiple presentations and activities with managing directors across all the departments. They had also taken a lot of people out from the production sites to demo and explain the products and what the apprentice/ internship scheme includes and how it is valued. There are multiple opportunities such as becoming better at your presentation and even driving safer setup by the company through a 4 hour course for improving presentation skills and making sure that you are safe. Although the duration seems long, it is much shorter, enjoyable and can be applied to almost everything in the future!

There are many new projects and new opening the company are looking at for the future. It seems that there are a lot of cost savings however as with most companies if you are able to showcase your talent then you have a higher chance of being retained. There is no guarantee immediately, however you will be notified at some point during your final year that there is an opportunity to come back to the company as a permanent member of staff.

The department, colleagues and interns always hold socials every week almost so there is no shortage of it. It gives you a choice as to what you feel like doing on a particular time, and it is great to recognise and know people that you work with but on the social side. There are a lot of parties to be involved with and a lot of memories to be made!!!

I was commuting regularly everyday throughout the year but I had never felt short of not being able to socialise. The company salary provides interns sufficient fund to be able to pay for my fuel cost and maintenance of my car, as well as for food and drinks. There are a lot of bars, restaurants and alternate food places which are reasonably priced of cheap.

The nightlife is amazing, a lot chances to go out with your colleagues to the local bar, Harpenden or Batchwood. One recent experience, the local bar manager was very cheerful and attentive. He enquired how long we were waiting for our food order, as we had been waiting 18 minutes he offered some free drinks! (I assume this is not procedure but the gesture was very appreciated). The food arrived shortly after and was great for pub food! The battered fish was done just right & the chips were fresh and crispy!

Once you are working within your department you are set into different teams where you will would get a chance to work with people who you do and don't know. There are activities such as quizzes and egg and spoon race that allow you to get points for your team. The competitive nature of this makes working here a fun environment, we also go out to places such as Winter Wonderland for team-building challenges!