Fleet Sales and Marketing Undergraduate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Volkswagen Financial Services. I was given key responsibilities in my role which enabled me to grow personally and professionally. The tasks I carried out had genuine impacts on the wider business. There was never a day where I had nothing to do. There were always opportunities to gain exposure to other departments which enabled me to learn more about the entire organisation. As a result, I really understood how my work was impacting the business.

I felt extremely valued by all of my colleagues. This is because they continued to trust me throughout the entire year. They recognised and valued the work I was doing. Moreover, they offered me constructive feedback which aided my development in my role. Therefore, I was able to better carry out my role and contribute to the team achieving its goals.

On a monthly basis, I had a performance review with my manager who highlighted where I was performing well and how I could develop. Therefore, I was able to recognise the areas where I could improve which in turn aided my overall job performance. Moreover, I was encouraged to ask questions when I was unsure of something which helped me to perform better in my role.

I did not have one day where I had nothing to do. I was given responsibilities on key initiatives which were vital for the team's performance. In addition to this, I was encouraged to have overviews with other departments. Therefore, I had the opportunity to work with them and learn more about their roles and responsibilities.

During my 13 months at Volkswagen Financial Services, I was given a lot of responsibility. My team trusted me to complete the tasks I was responsible for. Moreover, part of the team's success was reliant on my fulfilling my responsibilities. Before joining the company, I did not expect this. This kept me motivated to carry out my role well everyday.

The skills I developed during my placement year will serve me well in my final year of university and in my future career. Firstly, I am now not afraid to ask questions in order to facilitate my learning. I was lucky enough to be enrolled on a Powerful Presentations course where the skills I developed will serve me well in any future role of mine.

The atmosphere was very friendly. I felt comfortable approaching anybody in the office to ask them questions. This enabled me to build connections with colleagues that I will utilise in the future.

Pre-placement, I was constantly updated with the on-boarding process. This showed me that the organisation was extremely organised and cared about its new employees. I had a handover period with the current undergraduate in my role who helped me to familiarise myself with the role.

The company invested in numerous training and development courses which I made the most of. For example, I learnt how to use Excel in a professional environment and how to deliver an effective presentation to groups of varying sizes. I am very thankful for all of these opportunities.

I would most definitely consider a career at Volkswagen Financial Services in the future. The culture of the firm is appealing to me. What the company stands for is also very important and shows the passion and drive it has for providing customers with the best solutions.

Most definitely. I joined the football team in my first week which helped me to get to know people in parts of the business I otherwise would not have been likely to get the opportunity to. In addition, we had a Christmas party where the whole department attended.

The cost of living was very reasonable. In addition, socialising was also very affordable. The undergraduates would often come together at weekends and get to know the local area and enjoy the different things on offer.

The nightlife was fairly average. There were not too many places to go out. In order to have a good night out, we would often travel into London instead.

Yes. As I previously mentioned that I joined the football team in my first week of employment. The online notice board outlined the opportunities available to get involved in out of work.