HR Operations and Recruiment Undergraduate Review

I found my placement to be a really enjoyable experience. Having spent 6 months in one department and then 6 months in another, I was given a real overview of what working in a HR department looked like. I was also provided with plenty of variety in my work so that tasks didn't become mundane and I was always learning new skills and processes. I also think that the company did very well to continue to support their undergraduates even when moving to home working during COVID-19 lockdown.

I felt very valued by my colleagues in both teams and by both managers. I was able to build very good relationships with my colleagues and I felt that the work I did was valued and appreciated. My team was incredibly welcoming and tight-knit with a large focus on each others wellbeing and happiness rather than just work related issues. This was also the case when working cross functionally with the other departments of the business.

In both rotations of my placement, my supervisors were very supportive and provided me with all of the necessary training that I needed to succeed. Even though my first manager wasn't actually based at my sight, she was always very responsive virtually and came and worked at my sight at least once a week so that we could spend time working together. My second manager was equally as supportive and welcoming as I moved into my second Team.

My work busyness would vary from day to day, however, in general, I had a steady amount of work with enough tasks each day for me not to become bored. There were periods were I would be very busy if preparing for events e.g. assessment centres, but I would always be able to reach out to my supervisors/other team members if I needed help. Also, during periods where I had a quieter workload, I knew that I could reach out to my team to see if I could help assist them with something.

I was given a significant amount of responsibility on my placement... during the first half of my placement, as I was essentially working just with my manager, we balanced out the workload between the two of us. During the second half, I would say that I had slightly less independence due to being part of a larger team who all had a set group of responsibilities, however, I still lead project teams which I did feel responsible for.

I think during my placement, my personal development has accelerated more than any time at university or before. I think I will return to university with a stronger work ethic and ability to prioritise and manage work as well as working to deadlines. In terms of after university and beyond, I feel a lot more confident after my placement that I would be able to successfully work in a professional job and deliver in my role.

When I did work in the office, the atmosphere was good. Sometimes it could be very quiet if lots of colleagues were working from home like, for example, on a Friday, however, people in general were very chatty and friendly. The departments in general kept separate, however, the undergraduate populations (of which there were about 50 students) would always sit together at lunch which always provided a nice atmosphere and opportunity to catch up and have a proper lunch break,

My work placement felt very well organised. My first manager had created a comprehensive training programme for me which we followed throughout my first 6 months and, during my second rotation, I always knew what I was working towards in terms of projects and deadlines. The company were very understanding that I was still a student and still had certain university requirements and both of my managers let me take time out of my day job to complete this work.

We received a full and comprehensive week of induction with many different sessions covering training, ways of working, compliance etc. Pfizer also has an online training provider software and we had to complete these sessions when necessary. As already mentioned, my managers both created training plans for me in order to ensure that I had learnt all of the necessary skills/processes to complete my role. We were also given the opportunity to take part in company wide learning initiatives such as sigma yellow belt training.

I think the company itself was a very good employer, however, I have realised that the industry is not one which is best suited to me due to it being so highly regulated with lots of bureaucracy and strict rules. They also have a very good 2 year graduate scheme which is only available to their current undergraduate populations. This is an amazing opportunity, however, due to the industry, is not something that I have considered.

There was a very good social scene amongst the other placement students. Everyone sat together at lunch and there were always planned events on the weekends/after work which we would do together. As most of the students lived in shared housing with one and other, we all built strong friendships and it was really nice, especially when working from home during COVID-19, to know that your housemates were in exactly the same situation as you and that we could all support each other.

The cost of living was very high and felt as though we were getting charged London prices even though we were living outside of London. Public transport was very expensive and going out for drinks/food was also expensive - especially having come from a Northern university. Renting accommodation in our area took a very large proportion of our pay checks and it was sometimes very demotivating as I seemed to be working full time with nothing to show for it.

The nightlife was awful where we lived. There was one club in the town that we lived in and one in the town where a lot of the other placement students lived but these were both overpriced and not worth the effort. The only upside is that we were within commuting distance of London so were able to go there for a night out, however, this would mean getting a 1hr train home at 4am/5am which was really inconvenient.

We were given the opportunity to take up to 5 volunteering days each year doing anything that we wanted to do, this was a good opportunity to spend time out of work with our team. There was also a running club which would meet during lunchtimes and in the mornings before work. I was slightly disappointed that there weren't more social events organised by the company outside of work as many of us had to do this ourselves e.g. organise a Christmas party.