Marketing and Research Assistant Review

My team was really welcoming when I joined the firm, giving me an insight into the role and the responsibilities to come. I learnt a great amount during my year at the firm and feel that my knowledge and skills have greatly developed throughout the year and prepared me for my future career.

I felt from early on that I was a valued member of the team and given my own responsibilities and projects which I was able to see the benefit of my contribution in the final projects. Throughout the year I was given feedback on individual tasks that I had completed, discussing what went well and any ways that I could improve for future projects. Which highlighted the extent to which my skills and opinions we valued and appreciated.

I was allocated a 'buddy' when I joined the firm who was a placement student from the previous year, this helped me to learn about the firm and what I could expect from the role over the year which I found extremely useful as I was worried I would be thrown in the deep end. I had weekly catch-ups with my line manager allowing me to discuss my workload, any issues and any was that I can improve in my day to day work.

My day to day workload was quite high and I was always busy. This was due to the high levels of responsibility that I was given in my role and the various departments that I was able to work with and learn about during my time. At times my workload was very stressful but it allowed me to develop my time management and prioritisation skills and I was also able to go to my line manager for advice if I felt that I had too much on.

I worked supporting one of the largest sectors within the firm alongside my general marketing tasks. This role involved several ongoing tasks that I had ownership of and had to complete on a monthly basis to ensure the marketing and databases for the sector ran as smoothly as possible. As I progressed throughout the year I was given more responsibility and creative control over projects, leading on projects and having a key role in the organisation of events by the end of the year.

I attended several internal training courses provided by the firm such as Advanced Excel, Time Management and Presentation Skills which I feel will greatly benefit me when I return to university and in my career afterwards. The skills I developed throughout the year in time management and the ability to prioritise my workload which will also be extremely useful upon my return to university.

The office had an open-plan setup which meant you felt comfortable approaching others within the firm. Within my department there was a professional but relaxed atmosphere and which allowed you to talk to different people within the team and ask others for help or opinions if needed.

Overall the placement scheme was very well organised and structured. Our employment start date meant that we overlapped with the previous year's placement students who took on the roles of our 'buddies', this was great in introducing us to the firm and the team. We were also given an induction day to learn about the firm and it's services as well as receiving in-depth training on all the systems that we would use throughout the year.

With 5 placement students within the team there was a great social scene with regular lunches and after-work drinks with each other and others within the team. As social secretary for the department I organised the team Christmas party which was a lot of fun and great team bonding experience.

Moving to and living in London was very expensive, especially compared to living in a university town. However living in zone two allowed me to explore a lot of London in my spare time and commute easily to work which to me outweighed the high living costs.

Working in Central London meant that there was lots of bars, restaurants and clubs nearby which made for a great social scene.

The firm offers several CSR activities throughout the year that you can get involved with. I took part in the Standard Chartered City Race and the London International Shipping Week Dragon Boat Race during my time at the firm, both of these were a lot of fun and allowed me to raise money for charity and get to know others in the firm.