Customer Journey Assistant Review

I really enjoyed my placement and the insight it gave me into real working life and the automotive industry. It was a steep learning curve at times as I had never even worked in an office before, let alone in an international business, but I really feel like I've learnt a lot from it.

I was given a lot of work by a lot of different people and sometimes my colleagues didn't acknowledge how busy I actually was and expected me to prioritise their requests. However, they always gave me credit where it was due and let me know how well I was doing.

The induction process was really helpful for me to settle into the company and my manager was always around to listen to any questions I had. He set me clear objectives and we met to review these regularly. I felt that if I needed any extra support that I would get it.

I was really busy on a daily basis and although I like to be challenged, sometimes it did get too much and I stayed past the time I was required to fairly often. However, this may have just been specific to my job role as I noticed that other interns didn't seem to be as busy.

I was given a huge amount of responsibility from day one and although this seemed daunting at first, it meant I picked things up really quickly simply because I had to. It really built up my confidence in my own work because I couldn't consult someone on everything I was doing and had to take responsibility for my own decisions.

My situation was interesting because I don't study a degree related to business or marketing like many of the other interns and so the year didn't directly impact my studies, but I feel like the skills I developed whilst at Renault would be useful to anybody going into the world of work, no matter what industry they want to work in.

The atmosphere in the office was very friendly and relaxed which suited me well as I like to be in a more chilled out environment. It wasn't stressful at all and you could always hear people chatting or laughing, but people always got their work done when they needed to.

The recruitment process was really well organised and I felt very supported by the HR department from the very beginning. The induction weeks were great because I had a handover from the previous intern who taught me everything I needed to know in a non-patronizing way. I had objectives set and reviewed often so I always knew what I was working towards.

We had basic Excel training, an introduction to the company and some legal training, but other than that there wasn't a huge amount of training events and the learning was mainly on-the-job. I didn't mind this too much and the main investment they put into you is the time spent with you by managers and supervisors.

I will definitely apply for the graduate scheme because I feel like I know the organisation well and I felt very comfortable there. The current graduates seem to be having enjoying the scheme and are well respected and appreciated within the company. It gives you a great head-start on working life.

We were lucky because we were part of a good, social group. We organised to meet up outside of work of our own accord. There wasn't many social events organised for us by the company, so it really does depend on the group you end up with, although they seem to always hire really great people.

We were working just outside of London so the prices weren't extortionate but were definitely not as low as uni prices! You are paid quite a lot however, so if you can budget then you'll definitely have enough money to get by and also to enjoy yourself outside of the office.

The area we worked is quite remote and you need a car to get to any of the closest pubs or restaurants. However, Watford isn't too far away and has decent nightlife, and London is easily accessible by train. I would just recommend always knowing how you're going to get back home again if planning a night out in London!