Marketing Trainee at Johnson & Johnson

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Johnson & Johnson. The year had everything I would have wanted; a wide range of experiences, great people and a fantastic culture for someone just starting out in their career. I was able to tailor my work at Johnson & Johnson based on what I was interested in which helped to make it an enjoyable experience.

Placements are very well valued at Johnson & Johnson and your hard work will not go unnoticed. There are schemes to recognise your achievements and hard work, for example, monetary awards are sometimes provided when you have gone above and beyond your normal day job. As there are so many placements at Johnson & Johnson, I think the employees realise how much of an integral role they play in the company.

I felt fully supported by my manager and as though I could go to them with any issue or concern. My manager was able to provide sound advice whether that be about a specific work task, general career advice or even uni work. I also felt supported by the rest of the more senior people within my team.

I found that within the first 6 months of placement whilst you are still learning the job the work often came in fluctuations - sometimes I would be really busy and other days I would have noticeably less to do. However nearing the end of the placement the work was more constant as I understood more about the projects I was working on and could create work for myself as I had the knowledge I needed meaning I could be more proactive.

I was really surprised by the amount of responsibility given to me at Johnson & Johnson. Although of the tasks you may do might seem small, they have a massive impact on the business and one small mistake could cost a lot. I really enjoyed this level of responsibility as it made me feel trusted and that the work I was doing actually made a difference.

There is so much I will take away from my placement year. Even just working in a corporate environment for a global organisation teaches you so much about people, business, your specialist degree subject, yourself and also specific skills you learn throughout the year. I feel like my year in business has taught me so much more than my previous 2 years at University did.

The was a real effort to make the office and fun and enjoyable place to be. The ‘Ministry of Fun’ put on events to encourage people to get up and step away from there desks for a bit. The office was never an unpleasant environment as everyone at the company is genuinely friendly.

There is a clear progression structure within the department I worked in. There would often be announcements of people getting promoted internally which I believe is a really positive thing, especially for a junior member of the team. There is also a graduate scheme which you can apply for at the end of your placement year.

There were over 20+ placements all living farely locally which meant there some social events- these were organised by the placements rather than Johnson & Johnson however. I think the social side of work will be what you make it - you will meet some great like minded people on your placement year.

Living at home meant I could keep my costs farely low.

Maidenhead head doesn’t have much night life however there are good trains into London where nightlife is x100 better. Don’t let the location put you off this placement!! You may also be asked to travel to London and occasionally some of the placements would stay after work for a drink or dinner.

There are lots of opportunities to get involved in different activities where you wish. During the summer there was a netball team set up where we played in a local league. There was also a tag rugby team where both boys and girls could get involved. There were also different volunteering opportunities.