Sales and Account Management Intern Review

I have absolutely loved my placement year at Atos, I've had the chance to get involved in a wide variety of opportunities being a sales and account management intern working on a particular account. I have had large exposure to multiple opportunities not only on the account itself but the Technology Media Telecommunications (TMT) industry from a UK and Global reach. I think what made my time most enjoyable was the fact that I got to meet so many different people from all over the business.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues, they were all extremely welcoming and supportive throughout my year and felt like a close knit family. They did not treat my like an intern at all in the sense of the stereotypical coffee runs etc.. My manager provided me with work expected of any other employee to be completed, and I think that also contributed to the way I felt because I knew the work completed is valued by the business and my colleagues.

My support system whilst I have been at Atos has been incredible, especially thanks to the network that I have been able to grow and particularly my task manger who I was regularly in contact with in regards to my day to day. My line manager was also extremely supportive and helped with my personal development by guiding me to the relevant training in order to better myself.

I personally was extremely busy just because of the nature of the account I was placed on because it's Atos's UK flagship account. Due to the nature of the client and their requests, my day to day was extremely busy as I would constantly be in meeting with the client and other area's from the account team. I also was involved in many other Graduate Intern & Apprentice (GIA) opportunities and as I was elected to be a chair for one of the initiatives, this occupied my remaining time. But I enjoy being busy in general so loved it.

I was given a lot of responsibility, and it was nice that my mangers would trust me with this e.g meeting with the client myself and chairing meetings at a senior level. They don't treat you like interns but as normal employees with actual tasks and responsibilities which is great. I really appreciated being given this level of responsibility because it made me feel valued.

There are many transferable skills that I have been able to learn during my placement such as organisation and planning, marketing research and analysis, pitching and presentation skills, communication and most importantly team work. I’ve developed most in my communication and teamwork skills as I had to build and maintain relationships and learn to communicate effectively with both customer and team. As part of working in a team I’ve learnt that everybody within a team has different roles and skill sets and knowing this has definitely helped me at university doing group assignments. But nearly all these skills are skills for life.

It was a very professional environment, everybody is working and on calls or meetings all day. There's not that much talking unless they are sitting in their teams or at the coffee station or the Globe Cafe, everyone is extremely friendly and approachable and there are multiple socials and fun activities after work to get involved in.

It was extremely well organised, I think my on boarding process and induction was amazing as I got an immediate insight into the business, and throughout the year I had multiple check points with my line manager in regards to the personal targets I had set. I think the entire year went smoothly because they have always had interns and have nailed the process for the next batch to come and been able to tweak the process for the better.

They invested heavily into our training and development as they made us complete compulsory training and further business related training throughout the year on a monthly basis. They also sent all the interns to complete an off-site 3 day mandatory training programme where we all built our team building and communications skills to name a few. Throughout the year my managers continuously encouraged me to complete more and more online training to ensure my personal development.

They look good, they invest so much into all the interns over the year and as long as you prove yourself to be a worthy employee, they are open to having you come back since you are already well established into the team and aware of the organisation which gives you a leg up over other candidates.

I loved the social scene among my colleagues and fellow placement students. We all got on so well and it felt like a family. We would regularly meet up despite being on separate accounts and area's in the business at the GIA (Graduate Intern Apprentice) socials. These events would be held monthly at a bar, but it was common for all the GIA to head to the pub across the street for a pint on a Thursday.

London is very expensive in general, especially if you're moving to the city and have to pay rent and bills, transport to work etc. I think the cost of living is quite high especially if you go out for lunch and attend socials frequently because in general you end up spending a lot. Plus going to the pub once a week adds up in the long run.

The nightlife is great, there's so many bars and pubs and clubs in London. Being in the middle of the city has it's pros because it literally takes 20 mins to get anywhere by tube which is so convenient. Plus Holborn is such a great area in general and is known to have great restaurants and bars.

There are so many opportunities to get involved in outside of work, there are multiple initiatives out there for you to get involved in like volunteering with charities, sports - football matches, training. I think if you're motivated you will have the time to do everything you want with full support from everyone.