Internal Communications Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my work placement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, having developed numerous skills and abilities in the workplace through working on senior events and projects. I enjoyed a high level of responsibility and dealing with a great number of both challenges and opportunities that pushed me to excel continuously over the year.

I have felt highly valued by all of my colleagues throughout the year. I’ve received eight peer-to-peer recognitions from seven colleagues, on top of ongoing feedback in calls and via emails about my progress and performance. I’ve never felt like ‘just an intern’, always being a valued member of any team and carrying a powerful employee voice that commands attention in conversations.

To a great extent I was given support from management and colleagues. I’ve never been ‘left in the dark’ and have always been guided throughout my journey. I’ve never been afraid to ask for management assistance or clarification, and they have not hesitated to help me in any way necessary. I have continually been encouraged to develop my skills and abilities.

On a day-to-day basis I have always been kept with plenty of work to do. I’ve had the perfect balance between fixed, ongoing projects versus ad-hoc tasks to ensure a very varied working pattern which evolves from one day to the next. I have never been micro-managed, being responsible for my own daily working pattern and chasing management if I need more work, which I have liked.

Over the year I’ve been responsible for leading many senior projects and being involved in senior events. This has been the case right from the offset and has only increased with time as I have continued to demonstrate my skills and passion. I have helped to run executive webcasts, create executive videos, manage executive intranet sites and lead projects such as the internal UK&I magazine and two European-wide talent programs – to name a few!

The personal and professional skills I have developed this year will undoubtedly help me for the rest of my university degree and beyond. I have learnt a lot about business, the IT industry, internal communications and gained many transferrable skills such as communication, project management and teamwork. It has also boosted my confidence significantly and heightened my enthusiasm for a career in business and communications.

The atmosphere was always friendly and warm, but ultimately felt like a typical corporate office atmosphere. It was nice to see events running every so often and that there is no strict uniform policy, bringing a nice feeling to the office atmosphere. The layout was functional, all rooms and equipment of good quality.

The placement overall was organised very well, with intern-led events throughout on behalf of an intern committee and plenty of work to do as well. There were always activities to keep me busy both in and out of the office. This made the year fly by - in a good way!

The company invested in me through a one-month handover during July 2016 for me to learn all I needed to know from the previous intern, as opposed to being thrown in at the deep end! I was also invested in through being able to travel to the London office, being paid to attend a four-day corporate event in London and a two-day corporate event in Geneva.

Unfortunately the role I have been in, internal communications, is not an entry-level job, nor is there a graduate scheme similar to this. The graduate schemes are more technical and sales-based roles which I am interested in but would not necessarily be my first choice. Re-entering the company in internal communications would be ideal for me but I don’t feel that this is likely, so am unsure of my prospects for returning.

There was a very good social scene with a lot of intern-led activities outside of working hours, including trips to Ascot and an intern ball.

The cost of living and socializing was definitely manageable during the year, meaning I have been able to save a significant amount.

There is a good nightlife in Reading, nothing much in Bracknell but Reading is only a short commute away.

There were a lot of social opportunities and a lot of charity opportunities to be involved with out of working hours.