Service Delivery Manager (SDM) Review

Every day was different with a number of different tasks to complete and skills to develop including project management, finance, dealing with customers, supplier management and data management. I found that this made the job interesting and there were lots of different projects to get involved in. I visited a number of customer sites and gained an insight into how the Home Office operates.

I was thrown straight in at the deep end with responsibility and I was treated the same as the other members of the team - some of which had been in the company for a number of years. They were happy to provide assistance and support when needed and throughout the placement I never felt like I was a "placement student."

My manager provided guidance near the start of the placement and advised who I should speak to to gain assistance with particular tasks. The more I got to grips with things, the less support was provided, but if I ever needed it, advice and guidance was available. I had to use my initiative to complete some facets of my job which gave me confidence that my manager and team thought I was competent and could get on with things independently.

At first the workload was light, but this was necessary as I had to acquire the knowledge of processes and how Fujitsu and the Home Office work through learning on the job. Once I was more independent, I was fully occupied and at times there was a lot of work on and days seemed hectic, however my office hours remained consistent. I was allowed to manage my own time and work in my base location, another office or at home depending on where I felt would be best for me to complete the job in hand.

I was given projects to manage, incidents to resolve and finance tasks to complete independently from very early on in the placement. From this, I could see how I was making a contribution to the account and it demonstrated how I was valued. On occasion, my manager recognised that some tasks/projects required a more experienced colleague to assist or takeover which helped alleviate pressure which I felt to deliver when I didn't have the skills or experience required to complete the job on my own.

I could see how some of the skills and knowledge I had developed at university are put into practice in a real life environment and I will definitely benefit from some of the MS Office skills I developed during my placement. I believe the Project Management experience and the people skills I have developed will help me most for my final year at university and beyond.

Everyone was very friendly, well humoured and welcomed me into the team. I was included on nights out and invited to customer social events. We all took part in several charity events, the highlight being completing the Vertical Rush challenge.

The placement scheme was well structured and the programme of events was set out from the initial induction day. The grad team introduced themselves and were available throughout the year and organised several initiatives to support development. This included a mentor who had previously been a graduate who could share experiences and provide advice and guidance.

There were mandatory online training modules that all staff had to complete, however there were few opportunities for me personally to attend any courses. I felt that fellow placement students had more opportunities because they were based in the main Fujitsu locations, but because I was based at a customer site I felt on the periphery and wasn't really involved. However, the programme did include a Skills and Offerings workshop which I felt was very beneficial in preparing for future assessment centres and interviews.

There are many opportunities to return as a grad in a number of different roles. The company encourages placement students to return as graduates and provides advice and guidance to assist in the application process. If you achieve a satisfactory appraisal, a recommendation from your line manager and programme manager in addition to a 2:1, then you can fasttrack straight to the assessment centre for a graduate role.

The placement students bonded really well and a significant proportion of the cohort worked together on a separate project for a period in which we had several nights out and social trips. Even though I worked at a customer site with only 1 other placement student, I kept in regular contact with the others and was included in the group whenever we met up.

Living costs are extortionate in Central London, so I chose to commute from the Midlands. This allowed me to have sufficient income to socialise and eat out.

Being located in Central London, the only problem was being spoilt for choice!

As a placement cohort we organised a trip to the races, theme park, nights out etc independently. There were also many sporting events we could get involved in as part of Fujitsu's CSR initiative. As a team, we had several meals/nights out and a Christmas party outside of the office. In the aid of charity, the company also raffled off tickets for its corporate box at Wembley Stadium for several events and I was lucky enough to win and get a taste of corporate hospitality!