Stores Management Intern Review

At the time of writing I still have 2 more weeks remaining of my Stores Management Internship, but as a whole to date I have enjoyed the experience and feel that it has helped me to develop my leadership skills and gain a better awareness of the responsibilities a Manager has on a day to day basis, and I also feel I have gained an in depth understanding of how Tesco operates as a firm.

I have been on many occasions recognised for my good work and thanked for providing support at various points, and therefore it is a fair reflection that I have been valued for my work during the programme. My colleagues were also complimentary of my help and support offered.

For the majority of the time, I was given direction, support and advice from the Lead Manager of my department and the other Team Managers/ Senior Leaders within the business, who would be happy to answer any questions I might have had. That said, there were various points where I feel support and guidance could have been offered more comprehensively, but it is a very hectic business on a daily basis.

There were always lots of tasks to complete within my store, and I was always able to find something to do. Not every day though would I be able to go home having completed all jobs, but this wasn't a bad thing and meant that prioritising the work load and being strategic in what needed to be done first was key.

As part of the programme I was able to run the GM department for 2 weeks, which was the agreed period of time in line with the way the programme was designed. As a whole, although at the time of writing I still have time left to run the department, I have been able to implement my ideas, working with the other colleagues to improve efficiency. That said, there were times where I wish additional responsibility was offered, and I did sometimes get bored/frustrated.

I think more than anything being able to run the GM department for 2 weeks is the best and most valuable thing for me to carry forward into my future career. I have been/ will continue to develop my leadership skills and commercial awareness, and this experience over the internship has complimented my studies nicely, I have been able to call upon various bits of knowledge, and apply this into the role. Also having the ability to complete a work profile (insights) and learn about my style both personally and in work, will be valuable moving forwards to tweak a few things.

As a whole my store was busy, which meant that there were lots of different people to engage with, but sometimes negativity from colleagues, and customers, would be clearly visible, which did hinder the atmosphere a little bit.

The internship was reasonably well organised. We received our induction week programme in good time, and hotel bookings were made for us, all communicated in advance. On week 1 we were given a schedule that outlined how the internship would be structured, so this was useful. That said, there were times where in store things would be communicated last minute, or forgotten about, so you do have to manage this and remind various people, but as mentioned, Tesco is a hectic business, so I did expect this to a certain degree. Some of our intern catch up chats would also be cancelled at the last minute/ rescheduled, and was a little frustrating.

In fairness, for the short period of time the internship runs (10 weeks) it is difficult to invest greatly in you, but the insights profile which usually costs money, was a useful tool to have access to, and E learning was also made available to use, to boost knowledge of processes/the business.

I do believe that Tesco is a very good company to work for, as it aligns to my values (hence why I applied) so I could see a future within the business, although the final decision doesn't lie with me, I await my completion meeting at the time of writing this review (this happens at the end of your internship) and you do a presentation too summarise your experiences/learning, helping to determine shape what could be next.

We set up a chat for Stores Interns, and communicated on a regular basis, which was nice, and we also did things together when we went to head office for our induction, and then development days- this was nice, and our meals and drinks were paid for (always a bonus).

I lived at home whilst on my internship, so it wasn't too expensive at all!

I know at head office there are lots of events occurring daily, but within stores, this isn't necessarily the case, but as a whole, Tesco has lots going on.