Assistant Development Manager General Merchandise Review

by John Lewis Partnership

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    3.5
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I have really enjoyed my placement year. Waitrose have been a great employer to work for as they have given me lots of responsibility and given me lots of opportunities.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • The partnership ensure that all their employees are valued and that their opinion is listen too. My personal experience is that I was very much valued and that my role was essential to the business - I didn't just feel like the 'placement student'.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was given lots of support and guidance by my manager. They were very understanding that this was my first full time office job. I had regular catch ups with my manager where we discussed my objectives, and what projects I was working.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Its is inevitable that work load varies and I found this quite a bit throughout the first few months of placement. Some weeks I was really busy and some weeks I didn't have much on at all. My manager purposefully didn't want to overwhelm me as they wanted to understand how much workload I could take. Once I settled into my role my workload is constant with some peaks, which I enjoy.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given lots of responsibility during my placement year which I really valued. I was able to present my opinions and ideas and run with some of them. I was also given projects which were soley mine, therefore, I was responsible for completing it to the best standard.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Throughout my placement year everything I have done and the skills that I have developed I will value for life. I feel as though I am now much more employable with the skills and knowledge I have obtained. I feel alot more prepared and confident to take on the world of work once I graduate with this year under me.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere in the office was a good balance of hard work and good fun. I had alot of fun in my office, but also everyone understood and accepted when people needed to concentrate and get work done.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • My placement job was well organised, I knew roughly what I would be doing when I first started. The actual placement scheme, however, I personally feel was not so organised. We were meant to have 5 development days, however, due to restructuring of the business we did not hear about these days until half way through our placement. As a result this only meant we had 4 development days - which were well organised and structured.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The partnership have a huge focus on personal development. Personal development became one of my personal objectives. Throughout my year some of the things I did for my personal development included an IGD conference, BOBI training and a difficult conversations seminar.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • The graduate scheme is currently on freeze, however, there are opportunities to enter the business not on the graduate scheme.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I lived with 5 others on placement at Waitrose and I loved it! I couldn't have asked for a better house, I feel as though it has helped to make my year. As for the placement students who I didn't live with they would often come round and we would organise to do things such as: nights out, Ascot, Dublin holiday, Weekends away etc.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • As head office is located in the south the cost of renting is more expensive than where I am at University (Newcastle). This year I have paid £500 a month + bills. The social side of living in the house with follow placement students has been great. One thing which I would have liked would have been to have the option to go for drinks after work, however, Bracknell is not really set up for this.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in Reading has been adequate for my placement year. I have been out in Reading numerous times with my housemates and placement students. The nights have been great fun mainly down to the people I went out with. There are about 3/4 main clubs in Reading and lots of nice bars to go to.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • The partnership have lots of societies and clubs such as the sailing club. There are also partnership hotels where you can stay for a discounted rate. I have stayed at the leckford lodges this year with others on placement which was a great weekend.

    4/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Sales

South West

April 2018


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