PR and Social Assistant Review

by Sony Europe

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

Rating

3.4/5
  • The Role
    3.7
  • The Company
    3.0
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I've thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Sony Professional, and learned lots of valuable skills that I will take into my future career. Placement year has definitely been one of the most eye-opening experiences. I've had lots of opportunities to go to events and see different parts of the business. I've learnt not only a lot about the industry and PR, but I've learnt a lot about myself during these 11 months.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • My team were extremely welcoming and always made me feel like part of the team rather than just a student on placement year. They constantly gave me opportunities to work on my own projects and learn. Also, whenever I was working with others internally, they always made me feel like a full-time employee.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My line manager/ rest of my team were always willing to take time out their day to help guide me and explain more about something I was given to work on. Whenever I had a question, they were always there to answer it. They would always give constructive criticism too, which would help me learn as a person.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • At the beginning of my placement, my team were very busy with prep for big trade shows and therefore couldn't dedicated much time to providing me work. After these finished work picked up and there would be some days which would be super busy, and then some where I'd have barely anything to do.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Unfortunately I feel working in a corporate company, there is only so much responsibility you can be given as a placement student. I was given responsibility to some extent, where my line manager expected me to meet deadlines which were business critical. My responsibilities changed based on what I was working on.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I have learnt are completely relevant to my degree and will assist me in my final year when needing various case studies. I have been given exposure to different areas of communication, developing my skills in PR, marketing and social media. I will be able to take what I've learnt at Sony and apply to whatever I choose to do in the future.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • It was a very corporate environment where lots of people sit at their desks and don't speak for hours. Lots of strip lighting, the Basingstoke office could definitely do with being refurbished. Luckily there was a games room and a chill room which was a great way to socialize and escape from your desk for a bit.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • I was given various tasks and project throughout my time at Sony by my management. I felt that structure of the placement year was good. The development/SPY days were a great way to meet up with the interns from the Weybridge office. However the company Sony use for the interns payroll (Hays) was a nightmare to get set up with at the start, constantly messing up payslips.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • In terms of training, I just learned on the job and observed the one others were doing things. Online resources were available to me in order to expand my knowledge on the business and solutions. I had a personal one-on-one with my line manager every week to go over what I'm working on and how I could improve. These were very helpful in giving me guidance on how to become a better at my job.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    International Travel

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Despite really enjoying my placement, I think I want a fresh challenge. The location is not great, I don't really fancy living in Basingstoke again. HR have given us no guidance on applying for graduate jobs within the company. This is something that could definitely be improved on for future placement years.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • The interns in Basingstoke were always up for going to the pub, doing an activity in the week/at weekends. We'd all each lunch together. This has made my time at Sony really enjoyable because you're all in the same boat. We've formed a great friendship group which I hope to keep in contact with when we all part ways.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Basingstoke wasn't too bad in terms of living costs. It's probably cheaper here, than what I pay during uni. There is actually lots of activities to do here too and in surrounding areas. Whilst living in Basingstoke, I've explored all the towns around like Winchester, Salisbury, Reading and London which has been really nice!

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife is shocking, and only had one 'good' club called Fever. However, you grow to kind of love it being in Basingstoke for a year. There's various Wetherspoons and pubs too where the drinks aren't too expensive.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • I know that there were lots of sporting things going on outside of work, which I was not part of - but I know my fellow interns enjoyed it. The sports and social committee would host various cinema evenings which were really fun.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Journalism & Publishing, Marketing, PR & Communications

South East

May 2018


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