Aftersales Finance Analyst Review

I could not comment on whether or not this was the best job ever. However it was a thoroughly enjoyable year which presented me with the right balance of opportunities and challenges. Throughout my year I was given the chance to take part in 'Ride & Drive' events as well as track days and charity events. Further to that over the duration of my placement I was given increasingly important tasks the outcomes of which were used by key decision makers within the business.

From my first day at Vauxhall I not only felt like I was a valued part of the finance team but also I that I had a real job to do with real responsibilities. This enabled me to forge a strong working relationship with my team which was reflected in the work that they where giving me to complete.

At every stage of my placement I was given guidance and support. Whether this be at the beginning of placement during the handover period or towards the end of placement whilst trying to resolve more complex issues. I would say that there where occasions through the year when I was put under pressure and help wasn't readily available. However I view this as a necessary challenge from which I can learn a great deal on how best to resolve problems on my own. Furthermore, throughout my time at Vauxhall I, like all undergraduates were given a mentor who was someone that could provide support to us through our placement year for either work or personal related issues. Although I did not need to use my mentor it was comforting to know that support would be available should I have needed it.

I think that within most jobs there is an element of seasonality. On a monthly basis I would tend to be busy towards the end and beginning of the month to accommodate month-end reporting. On an annual basis I became very busy towards the end of my placement, occasionally having to stay late. However in general the balance was good and although I have given this particular rating a 6/10 I would like to make the comment that I enjoyed the busy times as they tended to be the most challenging and so consequently when I learn the most.

I would say that like most finance placements you have to build up trust and understanding of your job role before you are given more responsible tasks. This was certainly the case with my placement at Vauxhall, where towards the end I was given administrative control of two or three monthly programs as well as other responsibilities. This is an element of my job which I thoroughly enjoyed and really made a placement at Vauxhall stand out.

There are several reasons I have given this a 9/10 rating. That is because my placement year allowed me to further develop vital competencies which will be essential to a successful final year. These include working in teams, communication and facing challenges head on. Further to that it has allowed me to understand the inner-workings of a large, diverse company and confirmed for me that I do want to pursue a career in finance. Finally I have been provided with advanced Excel training which will be useful for both university and graduate employment.

On a day-to-day basis the atmosphere in the office was what you would expect from any finance department. This being serious, quiet and full of hard working people. On the other hand there were several occasions where the office played host to a much more 'fun' atmosphere which tended to coincide with seasonal occasions and charity events.

Overall this placement was a very well organised, long established set-up.

Over the course of my placement there were several personal development opportunities including numerous training days for Microsoft Office. Further to that the company invested a lot of time on ensuring the placement presented opportunities for us to develop as individuals by facilitating different programs such as ' The Bigger Picture' and 'Griffins Den'. Both of which presented an opportunity to get involved in a project outside of our job role. All of the above involved considerable investment of time and to a lesser extent an indirect monetary investment through the cost of time and resources spent on the programs outlined above.

This has to be one of the more negative aspects of working at Vauxhall, yet unfortunately to me one of the most important. For various reasons Vauxhall don't appear to hire anywhere near the number of graduates when compared to other leading car manufactures. Further to that from what I can tell there is no clear distinctive graduate program accessible for external applicants post-graduation. That of course doesn't take anything away from the company as far as it being a desirable and popular organization to work for. Nor does it take anything away from the placement year.

There was a very good social vibe about Vauxhall. There where many occasions to attend social events throughout the placement.

What you would expect for a town close to a university. Cheap.

Although I spent most of my evenings with my friends at university. There are more than enough venues in the area to fully enjoy the nightlife for the duration of your placement at Vauxhall.

From my point of view work and personal life are separate things and so should be treated separately. There are as many opportunities outside of work to get involved in activities as you want there to be, this purely depends on the what you as a person want to do and has no bearing on a placement at Vauxhall.