Franchise Reporting Specialist Review

by Vauxhall

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

Rating

2.7/5
  • The Role
    3.4
  • The Company
    2.2
  • The Culture
    2.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Overall, I have enjoyed my year at Vauxhall. Industry experience has been phenomenal, confidently say I have been pushed outside of comfort zone and tested personal skills for my own benefit. However heavy undergraduate workload at times, limited recognition of hard work, no flexi time despite being in the contract and a long commute for myself were big negatives.

    3/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Rarely, really feel as though I have worked hard to adapt the undergraduate role for the future following big company changes amongst other jobs and haven't seen any reward. Sometimes work gets passed down to undergraduates to do, then passed back up to senior management to pass off as their own. Only positive is the friendly interaction with some members of the business and department.

    2/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • (First Undergraduate Manager - 7 months) Friendly and easy to talk to, however did not understand or appreciate the undergraduate roles and so I received limited help with my own workload - sometimes gained more of their work than help with my own. (Second Undergraduate Manager - 5 months) New manager made up for the first few months. Being a previous undergraduate, they had first hand experience of being an undergraduate and were able to help and push me to achieve more in the second part of the year. If I had any problems (big or small), my manager would help me.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Rarely not busy, with the company changes, my undergraduate role has demanded new reports and monthly job tasks to be developed for the future. When monthly tasks are completed, there is always more ad-hoc work passed on to you.

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • For a temporary undergraduate, I was given a fair amount of responsibility. Highlights being producing reports for MD and department director on numerous occasions under time pressure, organising the department corporate social responsibility day at a nearby charity, developing a new full suite of reports for future undergraduates following company takeover changes.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • There is no doubt the skills I have developed will help me to finish university, and also aid me in future career roles. - Communication skills (telephone and F2F) - Presentation skills (department Who Am I? presentations and retailer meetings). - Excel - developed from beginner to advanced excel skills. - Time Management - confidence to work under stress and time pressure to meet deadlines.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Following company changes since the takeover, uncertainty in the office. 'Subsidised' canteen still very expensive for an undergraduate salary. Office dull and old fashioned. Some nice people in the office made up for the lack of atmosphere.

    2/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Well organised for setting up industry experience - went out on a retailer placement, many retailer visits and CI inspections. Handover was fairly organised, major positive was the social events planned for the undergraduates in the first two weeks. Big negative was undergraduate job documents went missing at the start of placement.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Various members of the department look to give undergraduates various work to expand industry experience. Off-site experience was great - opportunity to try the company cars on various occasions and visit retailers.

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • 1/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • - Limited company benefits. - Dull working environment. - Lack of hard work recognition. - Poor car scheme. - No flexi time. - Old fashioned work practices. - Various roles across the business. - Good external interaction.

    2/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Social timetable in the handover period was good. Over the rest of the year, there has been nothing with other undergraduates. Department Christmas celebration was a meal at a nearby pub at lunch, then coming back to work.

    2/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • I commuted from Cambridgeshire, so did not have to live in Luton. Traffic through Luton centre isn't great at peak times, and the M1 has alot of bad days. Being on the edge of London, Luton is fairly expensive and not a safe place to be around when dark - would not recommend doing anything in Luton socially.

    1/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Did not live in Luton for the placement, however for the handover social events there wasn't anything in particular for a good nightlife in Luton.

    1/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Lots of opportunites to go outside of the office on work, including: - retailer visits and meetings - retailer placement - External company meetings - CI Inspections - retailer ad-hoc work - CSR Days

    5/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Accounting, Business Operations, Automotive Engineering, Business Management, Economics, Information Technology

West Midlands

May 2018

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