Rare Disease Marketing Undergraduate Review

I really enjoyed my placement as I had real responsibilities within the team, I also had a really varied workload and had ownership of my own projects. There were really busy times, however, I was part of a really supportive and friendly team so the overall experience was very good.

Being part of a really small team meant that I had responsibilities from the start and was working independently really early on. I felt really valued by my team as when I had done a good job it was always acknowledged. Pfizer have an 'OWNIT' scheme where you can send someone an OWNIT if they have done something that is worth recognising. This goes to the individual and their manager so receiving one of these every so often made me feel really valued.

I had weekly 1-hour catch-ups with my manager to discuss my projects, timelines and workload. These were really helpful as they gave me the opportunity to ask any questions I had and to ask for support if I needed it. My manager was really approachable and available to provide support if I needed it but allowed me to work independently which I really appreciated.

For the most part my workload enough to keep my busy but not so busy that I got stressed which was great. At the start of the placement whilst going through training I was a bit bored as I couldn't really get stuck in because there was a lot to learn but that was to be expected. There were also really busy periods where I needed to put in a few extra hours and felt a bit under pressure but with being treated as a proper member of the team, i.e. not 'just an intern', this was also to be expected.

I had ownership of several projects on my placement year, some internal and some public facing, which allowed me to work on a wide variety of skills and meet lots of different people. My manager was quite hands off when it came to my projects (other than if I needed help/asking for updates) which meant I felt really in charge of the projects that I was working on and the responsibility of getting them completed on time and to a good standard was down to me.

Doing project based work has improved my time management beyond belief which will definitely help going into final year. This placement really improved my communication skills and confidence as working in Pfizer also means communicating and collaborating with lots of people from different departments and different hierarchical levels. The attitude to additional training at Pfizer is really positive so if there is a specific skill that you want to develop the likelihood is that there is training available for that.

All of our team sit together and creates a really nice environment. The team are really friendly and its easy to ask questions as people genuinely want to help. Whilst everyone is working really hard there is also time for chats and cups of tea and a lot of the time people bring in snacks for the office which is always nice!

This year there was 60 interns at Pfizer in so many different departments. Each placement year is organised by the line manager of the placement student rather than it being a generalised scheme. I think this works really well as my experience was tailored to the specific department I was working in and allowed me to really learn a lot about the area. My projects for the year were outlined to me at the start so I knew exactly what I would be doing and the timelines meant that I could achieve everything I wanted to achieve within the 12 months I was there.

There are so many training opportunities at Pfizer and you are actively encouraged to participate in training opportunities that come up. I completed training in 'leadership without authority' which I found really useful as it can be challenging to take ownership as an intern. Pretty much any skill you want to develop, there is a training course for it.

The Pfizer Graduate Scheme is really challenging to get on to as they only take 5 per year, however, the idea of the scheme is to develop future leaders within the business so is also a really great opportunity if you see a future in pharmaceuticals. The grad scheme is two years, however, there is no guarenteed job at the end of it which makes me more hesistant about pursuing that option once I graduate.

For the majority of placement students the social scene was really positive as many of us lived in the same area so regularly met up at weekends/evenings. Whilst there isn't a massive amount to do in the areas surrounding the office, I was based relatively close to London which had much more going on.

As someone that is from a bit further up North I found Surrey to be quite expensive, however, the salary is also pretty good so I definitley felt better off than when I was living off my student loan.

I lived in Epsom where there were 2 not so great and quite expensive clubs. There are a lot of pubs in the area though which are nice for a casual night and there's always Clapham or Kingston for bigger nights out.

I got involved in a local charity that supports adults with learning disabilities and spent one evening a week at a social club that they run. Several other interns joined me doing this and it was a really rewarding way to switch off from work and to get involved in something local.