Marketing Assistant Review

The placement year at 3M has been extremely satisfying. I've worked on some really interesting projects which made a clear impact on the business. The working environment is fantastic - everyone gets along well and there's a real collaborative culture.

Right from the start of the placement I felt welcome. There were many skills that I had learned at University that were valued by my team, such as excel capabilities and knowledge of business and marketing theories. The team I worked with were very young and highly motivated.

I usually had weekly meetings with my manager, if needed, to check my progress with certain projects and obtain valuable guidance. I felt that this was the perfect balance and enabled me to have a close working relationship with my mentor.

Never a dull moment with 3M as there are just so many products (over 55,000)! Every day there was something new, whether it was a new product, new process or new project. There were times when I would be very busy, but I did not mind as the work was always interesting and very satisfying when completed.

This was the absolute highlight of my placement year as I had a great deal of responsibility. I was consistently given high profile projects to not only assist greatly in, but also lead. This gave me many opportunities to manage upwards and improve my leadership skills. Thanks to 3M, I now feel I have the confidence to lead any team towards a certain goal and have proved that I can deliver results when given big projects. I always felt that I was doing meaningful work.

As a placement student at 3M, I was given a great deal of training through workshops and feedback from mentors. I learnt many new skills and had the chance to develop existing ones. I strongly feel that I will be able to use the skills I have learnt on my placement year, in particular time management and confidence, during my final year at University.

Very young team which meant lots of social activities and good banter around the office.

Lots of information given prior to starting the role and HR clearly made a strong effort to get other placement students in contact to organise housing and pre-placement socials. Process was smooth and settled in very fast.

Emerging talent programme was set up for graduates and placement students, involving 1 day workshops every month or so. Great chance to learn from industry experts and understand techniques to improve yourself.

Although 3M cannot make a firm offer straight after your placement year, the chances are high as they invest heavily into you. You will also have many opportunities to demonstrate your ability to very senior people within the company, along with an end of year presentation, which, if goes well, will likely secure you a graduate job.

Around 10 other placement students for my year and tons of graduates in other divisions, meaning loads of socials. Wokingham has the most pubs per mile in the UK, so plenty of choice when combined with a 10 minutes train from work to the Reading clubs. Loads of sports teams to join up to as well. Team was very social and had many meals out and pub lunches.

Bracknell can be relatively cheap for living but surrounding areas are not. Socialising costs are quite high too but nothing that will break the bank (around £4-4.50 for a pint).

Reading is a good night out and the pubs around Wokingham are great, both areas are close to the office at around 5 minute drive.

Loads of sports teams, netball, football (5 a side and 11 a side), touch rugby and more. These are great opportunities to social with other people in the busy and also senior management. Lots of fun!