Girls Brand Activation Intern Review

I loved my placement year at Mattel. I was given a lot of responsibility from Day 1, and this responsibility paired with the fast-paced environment meant I was able to develop all my skills from the get go. My team were fantastic and never let me feel overwhelmed by any challenges faced, which meant I always felt supported. The experience and skills I've acquired are completely invaluable and I have Mattel to thank!

I felt completely valued by my team - my colleagues cheered on all my successes and were always recognising how far I'd come in terms of my development. I felt empowered within my team to be able to take on responsibility and make decisions with confidence - they were just the best. They were and still are like my family!

My managers gave me endless support. They made it known to me that they were always available to have a chat with if I was feeling stressed, which was incredibly important to me in the first 6 months of the role when everything still felt new, and I was still balancing the transition from University. This paired with the regular 1:1s meant I was given regular guidance with any concerns I had.

Mattel has an extremely fast paced working environment, which means you're always busy. The workload was challenging to me at first, as coming from University I was not used to managing multiple projects and deadlines to that extent. However, the interns are given lots of training on how to time manage effectively, which I know we all found incredibly useful to put in practice. You get used to it in no time!

My team was always busy, so I was given lots of responsibility with the opportunity to get involved with any extra projects that seemed of interest to me. I value this opportunity so much, as it was this responsibility that allowed me to live up to my potential and develop my project management skills. Wouldn't say running the show at all, but was definitely never bored!

Everything I've learned and developed over the year has helped me invaluably. My drive and focus at University is better than it was before - am able to spend hours in the library without my self-motivation faltering. In terms of the future, my experience and skills have developed me into the young professional I want to be, which I hope future employers will recognise.

Very fun and sociable environment - everyone busy but still up for a laugh.

Very well organised - the interns had a full year training programme which introduced us to all the Mattel operating systems as well as workshops on skill building. The placement programme has been running at Mattel for a long time, so definitely felt well organised.

Mattel invested so much in us - the extensive training programme was invaluable to our development, but also made us feel like Mattel cared about our development. It really was a highlight of my year.

Mattel do not offer graduate schemes, however when job opportunities arise within the company interns can be considered for the role before other candidates applying. I would not hesitate to return to Mattel if the opportunity arose!

As there were 12/13 interns, we were a tight knit group. Apart from that, the social scene was great - loved socialising with everyone.

I lived at home for the year in Stoke Poges, so didn't have any living costs. In terms of socialising, as it's outside London, Maidenhead is a lot cheaper in comparison.

Wouldn't really recommend Maidenhead for nightlife, but Reading and Beaconsfield are very nearby - and London if you want to make the journey.

Yes lots of opportunities - i.e. Charity Committee, Social Committee, Sports clubs.