This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with Johnson&Johnson. From day 1, I was made to feel apart of the Jnj family, the work environment was relaxed yet productive, and my colleagues were friendly and supportive with whatever questions I had. Although I was thrown into front-line industry early on, I was supported well by those around me, and as a result I now have a rich understanding of the Medical Device industry.
My colleagues made clear that although I was a temporary employee, I was a valued member of the team, and as a result I was confident enough to take on a large amount of responsibility early on.
In the early stages of the placement where it is easy to feel overwhelmed, I had regular meetings with my line manager, tracking my progress and highlighting any areas that I can work on to improve my industry experience. As I came to the end of this placement, I was more independent and these meetings eventually stopped.
I was very busy on a daily basis. My first priority was to meet base-business deadlines, once these had been met I was able to focus on other CV-building areas of the business.
As a student fresh out of the 2nd year of University, I was given a huge amount of responsibility. I took ownership of 2 test methods and guided by a metric, it was my duty to complete these tests within set deadlines. I enjoyed this experience massively, and I was given the independence to structure my working day the way I wanted it to be structured.
As far as my degree is concerned, the time management, deadline meeting and organisational skills will be invaluable. I now have a much broader understanding of industry standard test methods and I am looking forward to applying these to my final year project at University.
The Company
I worked in a Lab throughout the placement. The lab team were very close, and worked very efficiently while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere.
My first 2 months consisted of valuable training, after this period I was free to organize my day how I pleased, being given this opportunity meant I have now developed strong independence.
In terms of training, I was heavily invested in. I shadowed a lab technician for the first part of the training period, before I then moved onto carrying out the tests with supervision. I am very grateful for the time the team invested in me.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
I will be applying to the Johnson & Johnson Graduate scheme this summer. This is a company I can see myself working for in the future.
The Culture
Social events were only organised at Christmas, or for fellow colleagues birthdays/ leaving party's.
The cost of living was incredibly cheap, but socialising without significant travel was hard.
During the summer nightlife was very busy, but in the winter months the area is very quiet.
Jnj offer 5 days of paid voluntary work a year, these involved working with a local hospice or helping out at a local gardens. An annual charity day is also organised site wide and there are opportunities to volunteer at various careers fairs.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Science
North East
June 2019