Digital Marketing Industrial Placement Student Review

I manage a large team of designers who work for a 3rd party agency that GSK outsources design and marketing work to. On a daily basis, this means meeting with several team members to discuss the projects they're working on, any issues that have arisen with these, and how I can help to make the project easier in terms of communication. This also means regular interaction with many GSK stakeholders who use the team for their marketing work

I have massively developed my leadership and management skills. Working with a range of stakeholders, both internal and external to GSK, means managing relationships and communication carefully, whilst also being conscious of the different time zones in which everyone works. My knowledge of digital marketing has also increased, as working on a range of brand-related projects means a focus on strategy and how we can use digital to leverage our position vs competitors in the industry

I was given much more responsibility than I was expecting. Managing a team of nearly 40 people that i had never met before, in a role that i had little experience in, was certainly surprising. Also having to manage the relationships between the agency and internal stakeholders required a lot of management skills, which i already possessed but had to leverage much more than anticipated. I was also given the opportunity to join and help lead cross functional projects

I received an adequate amount of support from my manager and team, although limited due to the team all working remotely for the entirety of my placement year. There were other forms of support available, such as in the mentoring scheme, as well as the GSK Industrial Placement student forum. My university also offered some support in the form of an advisor for the year, who performed 2 virtual visits to see how my placement year was going, and if I needed any help

The company culture at GSK is very strong. It's very surprising when you first start that everyone in the team is genuinely happy to work for the company and enjoys their jobs. The company's core values are also instilled in all employees, with everyone in my team being truly patient focussed. The strive for diversity and inclusion, as well as women in leadership, is not to go un-missed, and i felt it was a very safe, friendly and happy environment to work in

I highly enjoyed my placement year at GSK. The responsibilities I was given for a placement student were vast, and I always felt that my opinions were taken into account. My team made it an especially fun place to work, since they all enjoyed their jobs and really wanted to be there. The rewards and recognition incentives are also worth noting, as even as placement students there are opportunities to win awards. The only downside to the year was the remote working, which was non-optional.

Yes

Always do your research and show why you're passionate about the company and the role. Make sure you truly identify with the core values and company purpose. You should be aware that the job description will be nothing like the role you will end up doing, and a lot of the role will be learning on the job, with very little knowledge being transferrable from your degree (since degrees are always theory based, and the role will be very practical experience)