Finance Placement Student Review

I really enjoyed my year at Lubrizol! The role was varied which meant I was never doing the same task week in week out and also gave me the opportunity to work with many different people across the site and the globe. I was given real responsibility within the finance team and the support I received from my colleagues helped whenever I faced any issues.

I did feel valued by my colleagues as I was given real responsibility within the team and wasn’t just left to carry out basic tasks. Many of the tasks I completed were important to the business and in some cases involved large sums of money. The team were really helpful and supportive if ever I had any issues and would also value my opinion during discussions.

I was always able to ask for support and guidance from my supervisors and anyone within the team when required. I also had monthly 1-1’s which allowed me and my supervisors to discuss what had happened during the month and what was required going forward, but their door was always open if I required it.

I was given real responsibility within the team and so I was always busy. My role was split between two elements of the finance team which meant I was never stuck doing one task for too long and would always be involved in month end closes with many deadlines to meet.

Many of the tasks that I would complete were very important to the business and in many cases would involve large values of money, for example carrying out weekly payments of suppliers. This of course meant that I had a genuine responsibility within the team as tasks like this are imperative for the wider business to able to carry on with their normal functions.

The skills and knowledge I have gained from my year at Lubrizol will benefit me in my future studies and in my career. My year has helped me in deciding where I would like my career to go and I now also have the ability to use real life examples during my degree studies.

There was a positive attitude within the office and everyone was always very friendly and welcoming to me. Everyone was willing to have a laugh while also making sure that work was completed. The team also tried to go to lunch together when possible.

I was the first finance placement student that Lubrizol had employed for many years but I was still given a clear working timetable which helped with my role being split over two areas. I was always clear on the tasks I should be completing each day. Lubrizol have employed many placement students across all of their business functions across a number of years and so they know what works well.

I would say I received a good level of training and development throughout my year. This involved mainly on the job training in different elements of my role and an exposure to many different experiences – I was able to spend a few days at another site in the UK which helped my development in being part of a new team. I was always able to use online training tools that the company has which helped in my understanding and knowledge of the more advanced features of Microsoft Excel.

I would love to go to back to Lubrizol if the opportunity arises as I enjoyed my placement year so much. However at present there isn’t a formal graduate program and with the finance team only being quite small it is highly unlikely that I would be able to go back once my studies are completed.

The sports and social club on site always made sure that there were plenty of different activities to get involved in should you wish – one being 5 a side football which I played in each week. The restaurant on site was always a good place to socialise with other employees on site.

I rented my own apartment near to the city centre while being on placement and was still able to live reasonably comfortably. As with most places you can live as cheaply or expensively as you wish.

Although the Hazelwood site is a little in the countryside it is still reasonably close to Derby city centre and due to the fact the city has a university there are plenty of nightclubs, restaurants and bars to go to.

With having the sports and social club on site there were always different activities going on that employees could get involved in and on many occasions could also bring other family members/friends along with them too.