Social Media Analyst Review

I enjoyed my placement with varying enthusiasm. Some elements of my job role were very menial and gave me no transferable skills; in essence my primary focus for more than half the placement was glorified data entry. However, the people at the organisation were amiable, engaging, and genuinely interested in what I had to say and what contribution I could make during my tenure with the group. I feel the networking opportunities and it being a Corporate Affairs role, aside my day-to-day work, was the underlying source of enjoyment for me.

I felt fairly well-valued by my colleagues. I feel the nature of the work meant that measuring/bestowing value onto a person only in the role for two and a half months would be challenging anyway. Outside of the office I was made to feel very welcome and very valued, attending multiple workshops, away days, and meetings as a team; with myself even arranging one such day.

My line manager was very supportive and understanding of me throughout my placement. He dealt with my initial grievances about the nature of the work not giving me any skills very constructively, ensuring I would have a meaningful placement. He was also very supportive of me during my absences and surrounding my general wellbeing, as there was a lot of external pressure on me during the placement.

I was never left wanting something to do, and had relative freedom in pursuing networking opportunities and investigate the wider business area and functions. Although I wasn't left busy for time, per se, some more challenging work from the offset would have been most welcome; although I am keen to stress that some of the projects my LM had set for me fell through for reasons beyond his control.

I had some very significant responsibility in terms of seeing the work I was doing end-to-end, but the impact of a lot of this work I feel will be quite short-lived; although it's perfectly possible that I'm being conceited in wanting to leave some sort of legacy after I have gone!

Unfortunately this is where I feel my placement was the most lacking. As mentioned in my first point, the nature of the task I was given (which was all I was doing for the first half, and continued in a reduced role in the second half), left me with no transferable skills at all. The second task I was given provided me with slightly more scope and creative license, but even then I couldn't develop the writing skills and other skills I had hoped to get out of the placement.

Due to the physical layout of the office, my team was somewhat cordoned off from the rest of the Corporate Affairs function, which meant the distinction between 'my' office and 'the' office was markedly different. Furthermore, my team was only 4 people strong (with myself included) and that impacted the potential to create any atmosphere. Although relations between us were all pleasant, and we got on well and had a laugh.

The placement was pretty well set-up overall, I had clear direction and deliverables and my manager worked hard with me to make sure we achieved all of them. Once element of the work placement that I did find lacking however was the 'Intern Challenge' that centred around producing a mini-budgeted campaign about what the Group could do for its Charity Week next year. This was really poorly planned and executed, with mixed communication about the aims of the task, the process, the timescale(s), and the reporting line all persistent throughout the placement.

It is hard for me to judge, so this score may be inaccurate. But, in terms of training and development there was very little aside the two programmes I was taught to use - more as a matter of being able to do my day-to-day tasks than for anything 'personal development' related.

My views of the appeal of the future employment prospects within the organisation have fluctuated greatly throughout my placement. I feel that the area of the business I am in has the greatest appeal to me personally, but within it there are very limited margins for me to find something I would genuinely enjoy doing.

It is difficult for me to comment on this aspect of the placement as I am based in my university city, meaning I am commuting from my term time address to work and not socialising a great deal with the other placement students and colleagues.

With the same reasoning above, the cost of living and socialising is something I have been used to after 2 years of study, although with it being London the price is always a bit on the higher side.

It was really good, lots of variety and things to do!

Due to my living situation, it is hard for me to say.