Business Placement Programme - Trainee Commercial Manager - Selling Review

In terms of learning, my experience at M&S was phenomenal, my level of professionalism and my leadership skills have drastically improved. When applying generally for a placement year the concern is you'd be 'the intern', the one who makes coffees and has no real responsibilities, but not at M&S. You are put in a senior position right from the beginning, which at first feels slightly unnatural, but as you get to know your team you develop into the role. I have worked with some amazing people over my time, the only reason I ranked it 8 rather than a 10, is there are some long days, especially in the run up to Christmas!

I really got along with my team, everyone was very welcoming and definitely supported me in my tougher times. When using the term 'valued' it is more challenging to explain, at the beginning I did not know anything about the ways in which the business ran, as I never worked there previously. It was therefore more difficult having teams trust in my opinions, as I was still the newbie, however, as time developed and I understand the processes better I could lead my team.

I have been blessed with some amazing supervisors, fortunately, one had previously been on the graduate scheme, so knew exactly what I needed in order to succeed. My other supervisors have also been wonderful in reassuring me at times when I wasn't feeling confident and being encouraging when I ask questions about the job. I only marked this down slightly as my line managers did not have as much involvement in my development as much as my supervisors.

YES! Very busy, at times it would be slightly overwhelming, but it was nice to have real responsibility as see that my actions that I had implemented were having great effects on the team and sales. I would have been extremely bored if I were stuck in a placement role where I was just photocopying and filing, whereas at M&S you are up on your feet constantly. On a working day I would do well over 10,000 steps, my record was 28,000 in one day (Friends and Family discount...)

My role was a Commercial Manager, you would therefore be responsible for a department and make commercial decisions to increase sales. You would therefore have a large team you were responsible for, as you are above Section Managers as well and just below Store Manager. If the Store Manager was out, you would cover the store for them, therefore the responsibility was enormous. You would also have plenty of visitors throughout your placement, you would then walk through your department with them highlighting your exceeding sales whilst being prepared for any challenges they may throw at you. Many of these visitors were from the Board of Directors, so there was a lot of pressure to have a good visit.

As I previously mentioned, I have developed my professionalism and leadership skills drastically. I understand what it is like to work under pressure, with potentially large consequences. I have learnt how to effectively manage a team but also the importance of stake holder engagement. I am very aware that these skills are still developing but they have enhanced majorly. A placement year is a fantastic opportunity and provides a huge advantage when later applying to graduate roles and at M&S, I have evidence of retaining plenty of responsibility and can apply them to future roles.

It is a very friendly atmosphere, everyone is in the same boat and all keen to help each other when necessary. There is never a dull moment in retail, there are consistently new every changing events that present themselves to you and it is nice to analyse the situation and work out a key solution, but it can be challenging when the solution is not what expected. It is also nice working for a company that is so heavily involved in charity work and fundraising, I've completed bakes sales, rowing and cycling, to raise money for a number of charities.

There is not a clear structure when entering the placement, there are general time periods that each BPP (Business Placement Programme) needs to situated in each department, but the experience could completely vary, depending on where you were situated and who you were with. If you are starting a placement at M&S you need to learn how to deal with ambiguity, because situations can change very quickly, you could find out (with a day's notice) that you were moving store, which can be quite unsettling. However, it is a very good experience to see other stores and their work practices.

There is an ever growing focus on learning and development at M&S. I attended plenty of training courses throughout my time there and at the end of each module, sat down with my supervisor and reflected of what went well and what I needed to work on. Everyone was also very receptive to my questions, whatever I needed asking, no matter how silly I thought I was for asking it, they would help me. They also encourage this, as it is emphasised that once you are in a job, you cannot make mistake and be so easily forgiven, in comparison to when you are in training.

I have been informed by my manager that I have been approved for re-hire, so am awaiting a job offer. However, there are so many branches of the business that you can go on to. It is extremely extensive, from International Business, to Innovation Technology Labs to Trading roles. There are vast opportunities, both in store and in Head Office.

In my initial store, I was with another Placement student, however, we later moved to different stores. There is not a large group of placement students, I believe they try to have 2 in one store but you may be in a store where are none. However, they do get you involved in the social aspects, such as Christmas Parties etc. You do meet placement students, grads and school leavers from across the region and geo, so you create more of a group and keep in contact and attend Milestone events together.

I was based on the border of Surrey and London, therefore as you can imagine, it is not the cheapest place to live! However, you do earn a decent salary, therefore can definitely go out for a drink after work, to go into the city spontaneously for an event that is happening. But it is up to you, you can live in a cheaper location and commute in, or have a short commute with high living costs...

As I was situated on the border of London and Surrey there is lots of venues around, and it would be a short train to go into central. So if you wanted to go to the pub for a beer and sit in the sun along the river, you could or is you wanted to go for a full night out. It was also available. So if that is your scene, there is lots of opportunities!

There is quite a young demographic of workers at M&S, therefore a lot would organise social occasions. From nights out, to footballs games or cricket. As I'm not a vary sporty person it was not my thing, but there were lots of free tickets to events. For example, you could march in London Pride, you can get free tickets to fashion shows, so there are opportunities. You also get a free paid day to help a charity!