Sales and Marketing Intern Review

I have had a fantastic year at Intel and have gained so much insight and experience into what a marketing role really entails.I had projects with real responsibility such as briefing creatives to agencies, doing customer research and working on new product launches.I had a great team who really valued my input and my ideas so I felt really welcomed into the business.There were lots of other interns which made it less daunting and meant I had people my age to hang out with at lunch and meet at the weekend.

I felt really valued on the scheme and built lasting professional relationships. My team was really medium sized but i also engaged in cross departmental projects and was able to work alongside colleagues from other areas of the business. The reward and recognition scheme was really good which helped in feeling recognised in the business.

There is a great support system in Intel, i had the support of my whole team and line manager, i had weekly meetings with them to check on my progress as well as reviews throughout the year. I was also able to get a graduate as a mentor who coached me throughout the year and helped me to improve professionally.

my workload varied depending on the time of year. At the start and the end of the quarter, I was extremely busy and in the middle, I had enough work to keep me going. I never had so much to do that I would feel stressed and I took on a lot of extra work that was expected of me because I like to be busy.During the quiet periods, I was able to explore different responsibilities, do shadowing and get involved in the volunteering or charity events.

I was given loads of responsibility during my placement literally right from the start. For example handing internal and external comms and running points promotions! Being given this level of responsibility meant we had to engage and think much more, which helped with the overall development throughout the year.

In terms of marketing skills/knowledge, I have learned so much. Way more than University can teach you due to learning by doing, and actually learning in a practical work environment. I have gained knowledge of what marketing is like in a large technology company and what this looks like day-to-day. The communication, teamwork, leadership, time-management, prioritisation, presentation etc. skills I have learnt throughout my placement mean I am so much better prepared for any future job.

The atmosphere in the office is positive and always lively. There are around 50 interns at my site, so there’s always someone to see and speak to, as well as friendly chatter with team mates, this was really reassuring as there are so many people in the same position as you . As departments sit together, there’s always someone around if you need help. There's loads of things going on, such at team meals and company events and plenty of intern socials.

The intern process and set up at Intel is so well established and really reflects how much Intel invest into the intern community. The application process was really nice compared to others. It consisted of an online application, telephone interview, and assessment day. In terms of the placement, my supervisor and manager made an effort to spend 1:1 time with me, which made me feel really valued and relaxed. They help me adapt really well with working life in a big company. When you start there are lots of site wide training so everyone is caught up to speed at the same time.

There are so many opportunities to do free training at Intel, the company are always keen for everyone developing themselves. Most training was a required part of keeping up with the compliance guidelines and general working of the company. These were often assigned to me by my managers and supervisors through a website. They were also very keen on building our skills through different practices, to create a better understanding of our jobs. As well as the mandatory training's there are optional ones you can go to that are on a wide variety of topics so you can develop yourself outside of your core role.

The different employment options are ok at Intel although the main way to return to the company is through a business operations role, so straight away if your not in that department you are put at a slight disadvantage. However, there are definitely opportunities to go work within this department and get experience there which will help your chances of getting hired back. This experience has helped me gather insight in what I would like to do in the future and what type of job I would like to do.

There was always something going on and something to get involved in, the different intern committees organised a lot of events onsite or offsite either for charity, volunteering or just a social. There is lots of interns so you will often find someone who likes doing the same things are you and can get involved with it together. The 6 week handover periods were the most fun with social events happening in and out of work.

The cost of living was quite cheap compared to most university cities. I lived at home but my friends paid rent per month at roughly £300 - £400. It doesn't have the best night life which is why it is cheaper, but when you're out with your friends its not that bad, the nights out in the town were cheap with lots of deals on food and drinks. There are plenty of cheap places but you can also find some more upmarket places too.

Nightlife in Swindon isn't the best but going out with a good crowd like for intern socials can make it fun. There two small clubs and a spoons in new town, but old town has a few nice cocktail bars. Longs serves really nice cocktails and is almost always 2 for 1. Bath and Bristol are both close on a train and a much better night out so you can always go there if you prefer.

Swindon like any town has lots of activities going on. There is football, netball, hockey, ice hockey and rugby teams you can join if you are interested. The Swindon town football stadium isn't far from the office if you wanted to go and watch a game and same for the Swindon wild cats ice hockey team. There were volunteering opportunities offered by Intel that took place outside of the office, of which I participated in some.