Marketing Undergraduate Review

by Pfizer

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    4.4
  • The Culture
    3.5

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Overall I really enjoyed my experience of working at Pfizer. It was a great insight into corporate life as well as the pharmaceutical industry itself. Although challenging at times, I feel that it gave me invaluable experience that I will take with me into further personal and professional endeavours. People: Due to the large scale of the placement scheme this made it very easy to build up a large amount of friendships with fellow undergraduates (Walton Oaks site). This kept the social experience really helped keep moral up throughout the year.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Within my immediate team I felt completely part of the team. My manager really wanted me to feel as if I am just as valuable to the brand team as my full time counterparts. This extended to most people within and outside the company. However the experience was partial tainted by certain colleagues who would bypass you to speak to your manger about your projects due to you being an undergraduate. This really reduced moral and made you not want to speak up within the team.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I felt incredibly supported by my manager. During the first 9 months of my placement I had weekly catch ups with my manager, this later reduced down to 'whenever needed' in the last part of the year. This time was allocated for me to ensure I was on track with all my projects and to work on my personal development. We identified areas that I need to develop and proceeded to work on these throughout the year. In addition to this both my manger and the wider team were always there to answer questions if needed.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • This varied a lot. It went from having a never ending to do list to having nothing to do. This was primarily due to bottle decks within certain systems*. This resulting in my projects being dragged out over a very extended period of time. However there was always something to do within the team if you just asked. *However this it is important to note that these bottle necks were cause by uncontrollable external circumstances. Hence my experience my not be completely representative.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • My manager really encouraged me to work independently on my own projects. This gave me a great experience to work cross functionally across the organisation. My team really wanted me to have an 'own it attitude'. As a result I got to be responsible for a range of projects that helped increase my project management skill. In addition it allowed me to make connections with people with different functions inside and outside of the organisation.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The main skills that I have developed during this time are my communication and presentation skills. These skill are in addition to a general all round increase in my confidence. Presentation skills: Coming from a science background there isn't such of an emphasis on building up the professional skills needed for industry, such as how to present information in a visual and easily digestible way. The skills that I have developed this year will allow to engage effectively with people in future university project and employment. Communication skills: Working across a large team has allowed me to increase my communication skills and allows me to effectively engage with a variety of personality types in a concise way.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • AMAZING. I absolutely loved every second of working in the office. The office itself had a very positive atmosphere with everyone being very social. This allowed you to build up relationships through activities such as getting lunch together, taking a free yoga class or just grabbing a coffee. Sadly due to COVID I have spent most of my experience working from home. Although this could be quite challenging my team still engaged me and my fellow interns with 'coffee catch ups' and 'friday drinks'.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well organised. There was a slight confusion at first due to an internal restructure which caused me to change manger, however overall it was seamless process.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • As a member who came in with no background of business and marketing all the training was extremely useful to get me up to speed. I also had regular check ins with my manger where we identified areas that I could work on for the duration of my year. For example, I had never been very 'visual' when presenting information and it was something that I really struggled with. After and initial group training session I also had booster sessions one on one. I now really feel confident in this area.

    5/5

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

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Working from home

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Pfizer has a great ethos and I would definitely consider working with them in the future. However I don't believe it is suited to my goals currently. This is primary due to wanting to move into a role in which you spend less time in front of a computer and is a lot more active.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes ! It almost felt like being at uni again with the social scene with the placement students.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Expensive !

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Good selection of pubs near the office, however with a lack of public transport links it meant that you had to drive everywhere. In the nearby towns there were some clubs but they were quite expensive.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Lots ! Lots of volunteering and sporting opportunities.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Marketing

London

July 2020


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