Digital Pharmacy User Acceptance Tester year in industry Review

by Boots

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

5/5
  • The Role
    5.0
  • The Company
    5.0
  • The Culture
    5.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I am still only 3 months into my year long placement but I am enjoying it very much. Walgreens Boots Alliance is a massive company which has a diverse pool of talent. There is so many opportunities to participate in charity events and personal development activities. It just depends on if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone. I’ve ran a 10k for Macmillan Cancer support, showcased the early careers programme at a uni careers fair and have been to a team away day where I hit a hole in one in mini golf.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Even though I am only here for a year, I am treated as a normal member of the team and get the same responsibilities as a full time employee. Everyone here is friendly and will greet you in the morning and always ask how you are throughout the day. The leadership teams of pharmacy and digital which I am part of, always find opportunities for people to build up their relationships, via team building events, weekly huddles or team away days.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My line manager has a 1 on 1 session booked once a week where I can discuss how I’m feeling, anything I want to raise and any development or progression I want from this year. My senior manager also regularly asks how I am doing and what I want to gain from my year in industry.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Perfect balance because my team have a daily huddle where we state our daily agendas and if we have capacity to support someone else or require some assistance. We also have weekly team meetings where we allocate resources to longer term projects and allocate them to individuals. You are also trusted to manage your time and resource and encouraged to negotiate deadlines with shareholders depending on your capacity.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I am given a lot of responsibility and trust as I have to manage my own time and meet deadlines to projects. I am also responsible for keeping shareholders and my team updated on projects that I am working on independently. I am also responsible for gathering the correct business requirements so that the testing or any work I complete meets the standards of the client.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills and training I have received will greatly help me in my final year of uni. Time management, intel gathering, networking and resource management are all skills I am developing in a really good environment. I aim to use this year in industry to give me an idea of what to base my final year project/dissertation on. I am also confident I will gain many more transferable skills that I can use for the future in my career.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The Boots support office in Nottingham Beeston was not what I expected when I came in for my assessment centre. It’s massive and professional which was quite intimidating at first. But once I got settled in, I realised that the office encapsulates what the Boots brand is all about. There is a hospitable and charitable, people-centred atmosphere. Which makes working here enjoyable.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The early careers team have organised the year in industry very well. The induction week was very useful as we got to learn about the business, meet last years’ year in industries, meet graduates and meet our teams. We were also encouraged to keep in contact with our year in industry cohort so that we can support each other because we are all in the same boat. The application process was also very smooth and professional. And the assessment centre was really great as you got to showcase yourself well and learn more about the Boots support office.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • There are many opportunities to sign up to workshops and training courses using the Boots learning portal. And as long as I get my business as usual work done, my line manager allows me to allocate time for personal development such as working on software coding side projects or revising for an ISTQBT training course, which is a intensive training code for software testers which will give qualifications at the end of it.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • My aim is to get onto the software engineering graduate scheme and have raised these career aspirations with my line manager and senior manager. They have said they will help me throughout the year to reach my goal by putting me in talks with he right people and helping me put my name out there.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes me and the other placement students have a group chat where we help and support each other. As well as try to arrange meetings at the pub or for lunch. Unfortunately we have not always been able to match up our busy schedules. As for my team and function, we proactively try to get team building events outside of work in such as a DnD night.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Nottingham can be as cheap or expensive as you’d want it to be. The cheapest activities won’t be as expensive as London though. I am living with parents at Derby and commuting to Nottingham Beeston so the cost of living is low for me. Travel is cheap if you use the student discounts.

    5/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Not much of a nightlife person but Nottingham is known for it’s many good nightclubs and bars. It’s usually lively due to the proximity to two universities and easy to get to from nearby cities like Derby. And the transport system is really good so if you are from Derby the red arrow runs 24/7.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Yes there are countless charitable events to sign up for or if you want to help out with the early careers team to promote the early careers programmes for apprenticeship week. Depending on your team and function there also might be activities they advertise. There is a retail park nearby the site with Nandos and Frankie and Bennys where some teams go out to eat sometimes.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

East Midlands

November 2019


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