Human Resources Summer Placement Inter Review

I enjoyed the placement immensely as the working environment was welcoming and social making it a great place to work. My team were helpful and made me feel comfortable from day 1. I enjoyed meeting other placement students as well as graduates. The work was also a good balance of being challenging in terms of time pressure but not overwhelming.

I was part of a small immediate team during my placement. This meant that I played a larger role in helping and assisting with work. I felt that the work I was given by my colleagues was 'real' and important. I got on well with my line manager and we spoke regularly despite her being home based- she would always make time for a 1-2-1. Other colleagues were open to socialising outside of work as well.

My team provided me with support by having regular 1-2-1 meetings in which we would talk through work and processes to help me to understand. Tasks were explained well but I was also given the space to complete my own work. The graduate team also provided guidance throughout my placement if ever I had any general queries.

At the beginning of my placement I was really busy. I always had tasks to complete and emails to respond to. I would frequently be in the office until 5 completing work but I did not feel a pressure to stay late. About half way through my placement the workload decreased however everyday I would have something in my calendar. On the whole I had more work than I expected a summer placement student to have before I started.

I was given the amount of responsibility that I felt comfortable with. My line manager was happy to give me ownership over tasks and allow me to communicate with managers and other senior colleagues. I would usually be working as a part of a wider team so the responsibility was usually shared.

I think the skills will assist me immensely with university and with finding graduate jobs. I have gained excel skills from a learning session and through working with my team on excel. I have also gained wider business knowledge and commercial awareness. The placement has also improved my confidence through meeting new people and being in a working environment.

The office in Manchester is less corporate than the Windsor office in terms of dress. It is a large open space which I enjoyed. Everyone was really friendly and open to chatting. It was very quiet on a Friday as everyone would work from home but I did not mind that.

The placement was organised very well. We were always told in advance if we were required to travel down to Windsor and accommodation was always provided. The event days were split between speaking to graduates, meeting others in your stream and listening to talks. The first day especially was really well organised.

The company really invested in me. We were given excel training and a development day to further our leadership skills. We were always in contact with the graduate board who were open to speaking about the grad scheme and our aspirations. I could also see how other graduates had progressed within the company.

The prospect of being apart of the graduate scheme is very appealing as I will gain further business knowledge and understanding through the many rotations. I like that it is a three year scheme giving you the chance to progress and be able to specialise. It also has a competitive salary and many perks.

I was based in Manchester with 6 other placement students. It was the perfect location to go out for drinks or shopping. I joined the gym with my placement students and we socialised in the accommodation a lot. I also attended leaving drinks for a colleague which was good fun.

The cost of living was nothing as centrica paid for the accommodation. We lived in Liberty Living. The canteen was quite cheap in the Manchester office as well. It was a great location as my commute just involved getting on the tram which took about 15 minutes and was a reasonable price. It is a really good city to be based in!

Really great nightlife as we were based in the centre of Manchester so there were hundreds of bars and events. The International Festival was also on over summer which was really fun. There are so many places to eat and drink in Manchester we never went to the same place twice!

I volunteered for a day at a park in Manchester gardening with the rest of my team. It was really good to get out of the office environment and do something outside. I have also been invited to a few events by my colleagues to go for drinks or meet up at lunch.