Global Operations Services Undergraduate Review

Despite a few challenges along the way, my placement year has been an incredible year. It has been an invaluable experience and the skills I am walking away with are second to none. Pfizer and all the teams I have worked with have been so supportive and I will walk away from this year feeling like I have truly made an impact and been an asset to the company for my short time here.

Throughout the year I felt extremely valued by colleagues. From the start my opinion has been valued and managers/colleagues have always put the time and effort into introducing me to projects so I can have the biggest impact possible. Colleagues have always been there for support when something was challenging as well which I feel is a big aspect of being valued in your role.

At the beginning of my placement the support and guidance I received was fantastic. I was fully on boarded and felt comfortable in my role very quickly. I transitioned manager about 6 months into my year and then started to receive less guidance. This was decided between myself and my manager however, we both felt I could effectively work without the need for weekly catch-ups. Understanding the trust from my manager is there has definitely increased my confidence in my ability to be successful. The support has always been there whenever I have needed it.

This definitely varied across the year. There were some weeks where I was not stretched with tasks and projects directly given to me. This wasn't necessarily a negative thing however as it gave me time to complete work for university as well as reach out and network with others in the business. For the majority of the time I have been busy with multiple projects to be working on. This has been extremely beneficial as I've been able to develop my time management skills.

As I moved through my placement year the level of responsibility I had definitely increased. I now work as anyone else within our team would with equal responsibility of tasks. I am also project manager for a project within one of the business units (outside of my team). Joining this has been very interesting and I was immediately trusted with sole PM responsibility because of my experience throughout the year. It was nice to see that your skills gained in one specific part of the company are valued everywhere!

Although this placement is not directly related to my degree I now have countless transferable skills for my transition back to final year. Amongst these skills is my ability to time manage, communication skills, resilience and determination. I was also lucky enough to receive a lot of training across the year, most importantly presentation skills which will be invaluable during my final year of university as well as job applications.

A great atmosphere. Everyone you interact with is super friendly and willing to help. At some times during the year the desk areas were quieter but there was never a time I couldn't find someone to join me for a cup of tea! It is definitely a focused office but everyone is keen to take breaks as part of energy management.

My experience of the organisation of my placement year was very positive. I've never felt like I don't know where I fit in, even during a company wide reorganisation. Several measures were put in place to ensure that the undergraduates had a fulfilling and worthwhile placement year and because of this I feel like I have got everything possible out of this year

I felt a lot was invested into my personal development. On joining the company I was lucky enough to receive a full set of training to contribute towards my personal development. Then, throughout the year if there were areas I wanted to improve and training I found to fit this I always had full support of my manager to go forward with this.

Pfizer offers a fantastic graduate employment programme in sales and marketing. I am in the process of application to this. There is also the opportunity to apply to entry level positions upon graduation from university. Because of my extremely positive experience this year these are incredibly appealing and I hope to be successful as the pharmaceutical industry is definitely what I want to pursue a career in.

At most points there was a great social scene amongst fellow placement students. Some weekends were quieter than others but most weeks things were happening after work, trips to the pub etc. I socialised with colleagues at bigger times of year like Christmas. I can't complain about the social scene.

Cost of living was significantly more expensive to what I am used to at university. However, this is something I have got used to across the year and it is definitely manageable with the salary we receive. Socialising again was expensive but worth it as it was often getting to spend time in London.

The nightlife isn't the best. There are a few bars and clubs in Reigate and one club in Epsom but they aren't the most exciting places to visit. This has meant as an undergraduate circle we usually socialise earlier in the evening in a pub for example. If you want a big night out there is always London which you can travel to!

I haven't personally joined any but I know in this area there are a number of sports teams (netball, hockey, cricket) that can be joined. A group from the office also hire a football pitch every week to play a 5-aside game. It should be said though that if you want to do activities outside of work you have to be proactive at the beginning of the year and reach out yourself.