Event Production, Marketing and Communications Undergraduate Review

I really enjoyed my placement with Pfizer! The culture is excellent providing you with so many opportunities to develop personally. My placement had a supportive team, supervisor and mentor who were really encouraging for your career progression. I believe it has been an enjoyable year and a great experience for a future graduate jobs.

I felt very valuable by colleagues as it is a very inclusive environment. Equity is one of Pfizer values which means an inclusive environment where everyone deserves to be seen, heard and cared is present. So as an undergraduate you receive jobs and roles at similar level to a full time colleague and not expected to complete the dreaded roles of coffee and tea.

Personally I received a supervisor, guidance from my department and mentors for specific projects. Pfizer really look after their undergraduates and understand we often do not have a lot of experience so relevant training, shadowing or learning on the role often occurs. So, you are never alone if you are stuck and with the inclusive environment it is very easy to ask question to the relevant individuals high or low in the organisation.

I had a reasonable amount of daily roles and projects to balance throughout the year. At the start I had a lot less to do then towards the end. But, I believe at the start training, shadowing and getting insights on what areas you would like to focus on in the year was the reason for the slow start.

I was given a lot of responsibility in some of my roles with the relevant support if needed. Personally, my responsibility was eased in so it was not scary at all. It is lovely working for a company who gives you responsibility and trusts you to make your own decisions.

I went into a role which had some relevance to my marketing degree. My supervisor was able to cater my role towards my marketing degree giving me experience in reflecting areas. To be honest, I think any experience is relevant especially at the starting point of your career. But, my mine fortunately matched my degree.

I worked in a great atmospheric office. There was a lot of inclusiveness and friendliness throughout my time, and I couldn't expect much more. Outside of my department there were lots of fun and engaging activities at the office from team building activities to free fruit and cake days. .

On the first week there was an induction week and lots of online training to get you started on your placement. As I was the first intern in my specific department organisation was slowly developed throughout the year. However, it gave me the opportunity to choose specific sectors and organise my time around this.

We received some great opportunities for training and yes the company definitely invested in some great qualifications. A special course was provided to most undergraduates which allowed personal development in a number of skilled areas. The company really look after undergraduates and try to ensure we can be trained to help find new perspectives in the workplace.

There is often an internal intake for graduate jobs in the commercial sector, which is highly competitive. There also positions often advertised at the same level which can be future employee positions. It could also be mentioned working for a reputable corporate company for 12 months is great experience and definitely will help with future employability in the long run.

There was often activities placed for placement undergraduates or colleagues to socialise. A facebook group chat is opened by HR in order for first contact with other undergraduates on your placement. Within my department we had a few team activities and social opportunities, especially as a global team, when colleagues came to visit our site.

From living a lot more North it was rather expensive to live and socialise. Being at the Sandwich Site driving to different towns was often a must, however many cycled and used public transport. Within the area there are not too many amenities available and it was at least a 30 minute drive to a retail park.

There is not much of a nightlife in Sandwich. However, there are a lot of restaurants, bars and pubs. Often undergraduates would go to other towns or cities close by for a more lively scenery. Canterbury is 30 minutes from Sandwich and accommodates a lot of university students, so is a place to go if you are looking for nightlife.

Yes there is external volunteering opportunities such as helping the elderly and also many sports clubs you could join such as golf, water sports, cycling, and running teams. At the site there is a Sandwich Running Club who run at lunch times if this is something you are interested in.