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
Since the moment I've joined JnJ I've loved my time there! The environment created within the office reflects the credo, people are always happy to help you whatever ranking and position they are in! Moreover there is a beautiful woodland walk behind the office which is a perfect break to take from work at lunch time!
Even though a placement student position means that the knowledge compared to a full-time employee is considerably less, my team helped me every step of the way and they never made me feel like I was worth less. On our team meetings my work was always part of the achievements of the quarter!
My team within JnJ was regional, meaning that out of 25 we were only 5 based in the UK office. My manager and sub-teams colleagues were based elsewhere in Europe making it challenging at the beginning. But even though this was the situation, I was always followed by my manager and my teammates and they were always happy to help me and promptly replying to my questions.
Depending on the time of the month and quarter, it happens that some days I've got a lot to do due to deadlines. Other days are quieter, but there is always more work to do if you ask for it, so I've found myself to have a good balance. Otherwise my manager was always happy to discuss it.
The more the time was going by, the more responsibilities I was given. Some tasks were more important than others, but I always had someone who to ask if I had questions or I was unsure on what to do. I was getting more and more knowledge as well, which helped on being able to provide more complete answers and discussions.
I am confident that now my capacity of understanding complex concepts and ideas has developed considerably and will for sure help me on my final year studies. The routine and habit I've developed will for sure change the way I'll live at university. Content-wise I've now gain knowledge in some fundamental parts of finance.
The Company
The atmosphere in the office was somewhat relaxed. The dress code is business casual, and on Fridays is even more casual. Every month there was something organised by the teams within the company. We had events like mental week awareness, credo day, inclusivity week to name a few.. with cupcakes and speakers coming in!
I believe it depends from how long the placement position has been put in place. My position was fairly new, only one previous placement student before me, which comparing my experience to his, mine was far more developed and I could get out more from it and learn much more.
There are some day trainings organised by the company and some are online. Actively I didn't take part of many, and the majority were delivered remotely due to my team. But it was because of the team were I was allocated, it was rather difficult to find out when and where there were trainings happening within the office.
Flexi Time
Subsidised/Company Gym
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Working from home
Healthcare/Dental
They are highly appealing, particularly the graduate scheme that JnJ offers in finance. The programme is rotational, meaning that one year will be abroad in one of the JnJ offices, and the benefits you'll get out of it are incredible, with very valuable opportunities after the termination of the programme.
The Culture
Yes. We were around 13 placements within the office in Pinewood and 4 of us lived together. That helped us all to get closer and organise more activities together or days/nights out. We all knew each other and some have become friends for life! We are definitely very close to each other.
Where I was living it was quite expensive. Houses in Reading are quite expensive, but Wokingham and Bracknell (the cities nearby the office), are even worse! Socialising costs are quite priced too.. it is similar to London prices. A drink outside is around 8£, but there are a lot of franchise restaurants and bars in the area.
The office is located quite distantly from the city, around 45 minutes commute from Reading. The nightlife there is not that bad, depending on the places you choose to go. I'd say the city is more for a cocktail drinking evening, as there are not many choices of clubs around.
I'm not too sure on what to answer to this question. I believe there is a rock-climbing centre in the area, recommended by my friends. There is also a nice canal walk and a few parks around.. Me and my friends used to spend our weekends travelling away from the city, and we never got too involved in the city.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Accounting, Business Management
South West
June 2019