Buying Assistant Review

My placement year helped me to develop skills that I know will be very beneficial to my final year at university and also my future career. I worked with an amazing team and there's a lot of support to develop you both in your team and in the company.

I felt part of a team from the start of my placement, everyone was friendly and supportive. I felt my opinions were heard in meetings and I was given credit for work completed and support if I needed it at any point.

I had 2 6 month reviews with my line manager to ensure I was on track for completing the stages of my placement. I regularly met with my line manager to set me tasks/ensure my work load was balanced and I felt comfortable with it.

Retail has peak points and I enjoyed being busy and working as a team to ensure everything was done. As the year went on and I grew more confident in my role I was able to take on more tasks so I always felt I had tasks to complete.

As I grew more confident in my role I was able to take on greater responsibility, but from the beginning I was included in important meetings and given tasks that developed me and built my confidence.

The skills that I developed through my job role provided amazing insight into areas that I had previously only studied in theory at university. I also had the opportunity to do a training programme to develop leadership skills which is invaluable for my future.

The atmosphere in the office was conducive of a good working environment. The seating means you're able to easily communicate with your team and wider teams and leads to a friendly atmosphere. There were also lots of different activities you could get involved in throughout the year from sports to craft!

This was the first year Dunelm has run the placement scheme, it was well organised and there was a lot of support from different departments through the year to make sure we were getting the most out of our time. We were able to give feedback that was taken on board in a constructive way for our placement and also the next placement students.

Overall I felt placement students were invested in. I had a training plan for my first few weeks to make sure I settled in well, understood the systems and key skills for my role and also deepened my understanding of the wider functioning of the business (i.e. the distribution centre). Further into my role the placement students were given the opportunity to do leadership training which was a fantastic opportunity.

I had a really positive experience working for Dunelm and will be applying for the graduate scheme as it's a fantastic company to work for.

We were encouraged to meet up with the placement students which lead to making really good friends, which meant the first few weeks were less daunting because you had support from other placement students. There were team days organised at work and as a team we often went out for meals and socialised outside of work.

I commuted from Loughborough where I live as a student for university, the cost of living really depends on the area you live in. You're close by to Leicester and Nottingham for bigger days/nights out.

There's Leicester and Nottingham for bigger nights out, or a couple of clubs in Loughborough

There were several different activities outside of work you could get involved in to raise money for the charity supported by Dunelm (i,e doing the London Marathon).