Undergraduate Junior Buyer Review

This was such a fun placement, I learned so much over the year. Worked with the most amazing people and was given so much support and opportunities over the year! Should a good employer and the chance to work with so many people and work in different departments. This has also helped me so much in my final year as I am able to apply my learnings to my final year. I have become so much more commercially aware and think so strategically.

As soon as I started at the Co-op I was a valued member of the team, everyone I worked closely with made time to introduce themselves individually so I could get to know them better. All of the colleagues' lookout and help each other and are an overall lovely place to work. Made life long connections with my team members and others, have learned so much from them. I really felt like my work was appreciated and valued and was always recognised if I had done something well.

Throughout my time at the co-op, I had a brilliant working relationship with my line managers and higher managerial positions. They were very kind and easy to approach and would help with any issues or problems. They supported me and gave me so much guidance and I have learned so much. My managers were always looking out for me. They were also always looking for ways to help develop my career and gave me lots of opportunities to grow and show my skills to the wider team.

As you are working with Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) everything can change day by day. This meant that no day was the same, and some days were busier than others. There was always a perfect balance and managers always ensured that your workload was controlled. You always had something to do every day, and It was never the same so would always be exciting! It was a perfect balance of work never too much, or too little.

I was given lots of responsibility during my placement and this gave me lots of confidence to do tasks, but was also given enough support to ensure that I was able to complete these tasks. Throughout the year the more you learn the more responsibility you are given, so at the start, you are given lots of support and as you develop through the weeks you start becoming more independent and have more responsibility, this is really rewarding and shows that your hard work pays off.

When working at the co-op one of the key skills I learned was working with suppliers and helping to implement the strategy. This really helped in my studies particularly my 'strategic marketing', It gave me a real-life view of †he risks and opportunities of implementing a strategy. Also, Co-op helped me develop my presentation skills by allowing me to present different bits of data throughout the year. This has made me feel so much more confident in the final year when I have to present as I have had lots of experience doing this.

The atmosphere in the co-op was amazing and positive. Co-op focused on their overall culture, supporting employee growth, and making employees feel safe and comfortable. It had minimal distractions, you're more likely to stay on task and accomplish more of your daily responsibilities. I was able to work in a stress-free setting that promotes your cognitive performance and physical well-being. This includes communication between employees and upper management, and between coworkers themselves. When you have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback, it can help you feel valued in the workplace. It also gives you an opportunity to grow by getting open, constructive feedback.

The placement was very well organised and I had lots of communication with the co-op before I started and throughout my placement. I was given my start date and was told of everything I needed to have before I started. I met up with my manager a few months prior to starting to learn more about the role and meet the current placement student. I also was able to email and message my manager before I started, was very good communicated, and managed placement.

The co-op fully invested in me throughout the year and encouraged me to take on any opportunity to help me get the most out of my placement. I was able to take on more work throughout the year and was given a project to carry out throughout the year to help me with development. The co-op did everything they could to help me develop my skills and learn as much as possible through the year, It made me feel really valued and appreciated.

Co-op does not offer a grad scheme anymore but there are lots of opportunities for placement students to come back. When I was carrying out my year at co-op there were 4 previous placement students that had returned back to co-op. This showed real loyalty and connection that were formed during the placement years. The communication with current staff members is good and is very supportive and will help to get you back into the business if that is what you want.

I had the most amazing year socially with other placement students and members of my team. There are always opportunities outside of work to socialize and at the co-op, there are 'team days' in which you get to spend with your team to get to know each other better. There was a big chat with all the placement students and we often did stuff outside of work to help to get to know each other better.

The cost of living was the same as It was at university, as It is in manchester It is a northern city and everything is well priced and nothing is too expensive. Co-op colleagues often knew of local deals and special nights that helped keep costs down. Also, we were given little cards that allowed us to get a discount in pubs and restaurants that were near the coop to encourage us to go. It was not expensive at all had money to do everything I wanted to do.

Manchester nightlife is basically, everything you would want in a night out at one of the UK’s major cities. The Northern Quarter is home to traditional pubs serving up some of the best craft beers in Manchester. But being one of the more eclectic areas of Manchester, there is also an abundance of trendy bars featuring cocktails and wine lists with options galore. Spinningfields isn’t dubbed the ‘Canary Wharf of the North’ for nothing. It is a centre for commercialism during the day but really comes alive with its exciting and always-evolving stream of bars and restaurants at night. Castlefield is one of the more scenic places in Manchester to go out on a weekend. The Summer evenings especially showcase its canal side and unique architecture.

There were countless opportunities to get involved whilst working at the co-op. There was an onsite gym with all gym classes available throughout the day. There were the options to join a choir and they regularly performed in the atrium of the business for all the colleagues to hear. You could also join a book club and read a book and review It with others. There were even language classes, so you could learn a new language in your placement year.