Purchasing Assistant Review

I have really enjoyed my placement at Lubrizol, it has given me the opportunity to apply the knowledge i have gained from university and experience real life working situations. I worked on different projects accross the business which allowed me to meet a variety of people and learn different things.

I did feel really valued by my colleagues, i was treated like any other employee and was respected within the department. My opinion and suggestions were taken into account the same as anyone elses which made me feel valued. I was also given alot of responsibility which contributed to feeling valued, as i could tell i was trusted within the job.

At the begining of my placement i did not receive the usual 'hand over' due to the student before me leaving prior to me starting, i beleive this meant i was thrown into the deep end quite quickly. Fortunatly for me, i had a supportive manager who provided sufficient guidence and made sure i was looked after along the way.

I was really busy on a daily basis, my position was an actual job role meaning there was always plenty to do. I would have daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks to complete along with daily requests from both internal and external people. Each day was very different which kept me busy as i was always learning.

I was given a lot of responability during my placement, as mentioned before, my position was an actual role within the department. My job required a lot of decision making, and with that comes being responsible for the decision you make. I think i had the right balance of responsibility as i felt as though i could make a difference but also had support if i needed it.

I have gained a lot of skills on my placement, i would say the biggest one is learning how to multi-tak in real life working situations. Communication is also a massive skill i have developed and can use in the future, i am now confident in meetings, writing emails and speaking to people on the phone.

I would say the general atomosphere in the office was quite quiet, because everyone is really busy. We would get visitors throughout the day come into the office which made it a bit more exciting. I wouldn't say it was 'fun' it was more productive and focused on getting the job done.

The placement did not seem too organised at the begining due to me not having a sufficient hand over from the previous student, however once this was sorted by my manager everything seemed to fall into place more. The working-life was very routine based so it was easy to organised.

The company invested time into my personal development and training, by showing me every aspect of the department. I was also taken on trips to see suppliers and see other sites so this also contributed to my development. I was not put on any course or anything but i think the experience i gained from working was more than enough.

I do not believe the graduate prospects are great here at Lubrizol, there are just two graduate roles so there isn’t much of a choice. However there are still normal job opporunities other than 'graduate schemes'. There are a number of people who have come back after their placement which shows there are future pospects.

I did not experience a good social scene as i was commuting a far distance so was not able to do things after work. For people living locally there is a good social scene as there are lots of clubs for people to join whether it be sport or days out.

I do not know the cost of living as i was not living close to work. I also didn't socalise around the area i worked due to commuting such a long distance. From talking to people it seemed like the cost of living is quite reasonable and alot of students live together which is good for socalising.

I have never been on a night out in Derby so i do not know what it is like, i have heard it is quite cheap and lively so i'm guessing it is good. Lubrizol is about 15/20 mins from the city centre so it is reasonably close for taxi's ect..

I personally did not get involved in any activities outside of work, however there are lots of clubs to join which is good for people who do want to get involved. It is also a good way to meet people accross the business you wouldn't ususally meet. I think they used to do day trips once a month