Personnel Brand and Attractions Assistant Review

by Tesco plc

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    4.1
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • My placement in operations development of dotcom was fantastic, it gave me the opportunity to see how one of the biggest companies in the world coordinates its plans. You don't really appreciate how big a company is until you work within and I now look at Retail in a completely different way. The planning, strategy and innovation behind the industry is incredible. Regular consumers take for granted the fact they can get their shopping delivered to their homes, but how it gets there absolutely blew my mind. Initially, I thought I wanted to go down the banking/finance/consulting route, however, working in retail is just as exciting. I thoroughly enjoy projects, owning something and taking it from birth to delivery. Tesco provided me with the opportunity to take charge of my own project. Speaking to all of my colleagues, everyone seems to have an exciting project on, there's always something interesting going on. Don't get me wrong, it was overwhelming the first week or so, with so many acronyms, new operations, new models and new systems it was difficult to keep pace. The complexity of their operations and the insane attention to detail is also a challenge - however, after two weeks of meeting various individuals and asking MANY questions, I got through and now competently understand how everything works. I have enjoyed, with much satisfaction, the purpose of my role which is to ensure a better customer service.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Having had various other internships with other companies, I have seen different types of company culture. Tesco, by far, has the greatest attitude towards its colleagues. Everyone within my team and department have been friendly from the start. Working in a company this size emphasises the importance of collaboration. Each team is an expert within their own field, however, every team requires the assistance of other teams when taking on projects. Despite being the intern, I never felt like it - I was treated as one of their own. Within a few weeks, I had colleagues coming to me asking questions because I was the only person within the company working on a specific project. There are weekly events where everyone goes out together, alongside 'Sports Days' and numerous Charity events.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My line manager was fantastic, she helped me every step of the way. I'm very much a 'self-starter' and am capable of working independently, however, successfully working in Tesco's is determined by your ability to listen and ask the right questions. She guided me the entire way, was always available for me to speak to and offered assistance in any way she could. That goes the same for most of the managers around, there were many occassions where she wasn't able to answer herself and so I found another manager who could. The bottom line is, no one has all the answers in a company this big and so you have to be confident to go up to people you've never met before and ask the questions that you need answers to. Once you can bridge that barrier, you'll realise how great everyone is and all colleagues are looking to help each other.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I had a particularly large project that required much work. I was in by 8.30am every morning and finally left at 6pm. Tesco are firm believers of working 9-5pm and you should be able to get your work done in that time, however, many people stay on later. My days absolutely flew by, everytime I looked at the clock three hours would have passed. There is no doubt that you are busy every moment -either in a meeting with various stakeholders or actually getting some work done following on from previous meetings. University days feel much longer compared to working in Tesco so make sure you prioritise your work and are efficient with your time. At the same time, however, you never feel overwraught - and if you do, your managers will make themselves available to help you.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was very surprised by the amount of responsibility placed on my shoulders. I've had a mix of internships - some involving shadowing and others involving bits and bobs of work. However, in this placement I have been the sole person working on my project. I am designing a new process that delivers home shopping. It requires an understanding of the current operation and innovative thinking to improve it. Whilst some of the work has been analytical in excel, I'm creating something tangible that will actually work. I am considered the sole expert within Tesco for the work that I'm doing and am a point of reference from hereonin. This responsibility comes with two pressures - 1. all my findings must be backed up with evidence 2. I must handover my work to someone else and explain it in great detail so someone can continue the project.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Having already graduated from Manchester, this internship has placed me in great stead for the future. I hope to be accepted onto the Graduate Scheme, pending my final presentation and interview. I have improved my analytical ability and the use of excel as well as opening my mind to new ways of tackling problems. Tesco stress the development and progress of all their employees with weekly reviews and constant updates. The Tesco Academy is also an incredible tool to gain extra skills and training. There are 1000s of courses available on there varying from presentation skills, to excel skills to coding training. One of the best things working for a company like Tesco is that it is so big. This was seriously something I tried to avoid when applying everywhere. However, now that I've seen the inside, starting a career with Tesco is a brilliant idea. Because they are so big, there are so many different departments and so many functions. Moving around them is incredibly easy, you just need to show interest and speak to the right people. It is possible to work for Tesco for 10 years and do a different job every year - be it IT, marketing, property, finance, dotcom, stores. Within all of those are teams e.g. operations, operations development etc each owning their own exciting projects.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Tesco colleagues understand the fine balance between having a laugh and taking the mick. Work is obviously very serious and there is a lot to get done but you'll often see people joking around. There is also loads of treats/food lying about because we are food retailer - whenever anyone pays a trip to one of the dotcom centres, a bundle is always brought back!

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The internship was very organised and I can pick no faults. Everything was set up and ready to go when I arrived.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • As I mentioned before there is the opportunity to use the Tesco Academy to improve any area you or your manager see fit. The fact I was given real responsibility and held my own meetings etc showed how supportive Tesco is to its interns.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • The internship is a direct route to the graduate scheme - something that was vital for me. You have 10 weeks working on a project and you must deliver/present it to a Director and a couple of managers. After your 10 minutes is up, you'll have an interview where they assess whether you are a right fit for Tesco or not.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Everyone who works for Tesco's seems to be great. There was seven interns working in Dotcom and most of us happened to come from the same assessment centre. We all hit it off and have been out together several times since we started. We have lunch every day together, catch up on each other's projects and offer any help if we can. We happened to be a real tight knit group, however, I've noticed that this extends to all the graduates too.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I was very fortunate to live close enough to work that I didn't have to re-locate. The other interns did and are paying between £40-£60 a week to live in Hatfield, which is a 5/10minute drive. There is little to do in Welwyn Garden City so if we ever did anything together we'd head into Kings Cross, which isn't that cheap!

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Welwyn Garden City is a quiet. tranquil area and so nightlife is minimal. However our nights in the centre of London got pretty roudy at times!

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Since I've been here, there has been a 'Sports Day' where all the interns/grads and placements met up together for, well, a sports day. It was put on by the graduate council with no expense spared. There were big bbqs, inflatable games etc. The interns also put on a bake sale together in order to raise money for charity

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

November 2014


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