Sales Forecasting and Business Planning Specialist Review

I've enjoyed it very much, right from the start the job has been varied and I've been able and fortunate enough to do things outside of my job role. Aside from the day to day tasks of my job, I have been on visits with field members, attended retail conferences and represented Vauxhall outside of the office. During all of these experiences I have been treated extremely well and everyone I have come across has been more than willing to go the extra mile in helping me to understand the business.

From day 1 I have felt a very valued member of the team (both work-related and socially). I think I have been very lucky with my team as I get on with everyone really well, it helps that it is quite a young team and there are many similar interests between us. Within the team there is a really laid back and relaxed atmosphere which helps everyone.

I am able to get on with my job without the constant supervision of my managers/team members, but also when I need help - especially at the start - my colleagues were very happy to help me in whatever I was doing. Now, even when I am more competent at work, I am still given help and advice by my manager if and when I should need it.

Due to the nature of my role, I can be either extremely busy or not doing much at all. To begin with, I thought there could be some boring days ahead, However, as I have developed in the workplace, I can now use what I know about my job and my team, to think of things that may be useful to my colleagues. I have created a few long-term projects that are still being developed, which hopefully I can pass on to the next undergraduate in my role. Also, as I have become more knowledgeable about the business and my job in general, I have had more and more people from different departments coming to me for ad hoc pieces of work that make my job more enjoyable as it often gives me something different to do.

Right from the very start I have had a lot of responsibility. As my role has a strong emphasis on reporting, a lot of my work is used in presentations with senior management. I am reesponsible and accountable for the accuracy of this information. I'd be lying if I said I have got it right every time because there have been many times when my manager has returned from meetings, querying my work because I may have made a mistake. Other reports I complete less regularly are sent to Europe (Opel Group - our owners), so it is extremely important that again, my work is accurate.

Technically I have improved a vast amount, largely using Microsoft Excel and internal databases. I think this will give me a competitive advantage when applying for graduate jobs. However possibly more so, further development of my interpersonal and communication skills will definitely help me in the future. Something I didn't really consider before placement was just general conduct in the workplace and how to act professionally when with others.

The atmosphere has been great and definitely one of the things I have enjoyed the most. As I said before, I have got on really well with my team and I'm sure I'll remain in contact with them after I have left. We're always having a laugh but still manage to get everything done. For me, I couldn't have asked for a better team and working environment.

I think the undegraduates at Vauxhall are very much treated like any other employee, so in many ways, I don't feel there has been a structure as such because we just get on with the work that needs doing. Having said tis, the mentor programme works well with scheduled meetings with mentors. Also CAP reviews/informal meeting with managers are a good way of catching up with management and just having a general chat whenevr it is needed.

I think this is very much down to the individual, if it is not sought out then maybe there is not a lot of training immediately ready for undergrads, however if it is enquired about, there are plenty of training opportunities available to undergrads and this may be undervalued by many. Also, as I have mentioned before, I have been out with field members to experience a different side to the business and I have shadowed other undergraduates to understand their job roles. Of course also, there was the training at the start of the year, teaching us the fundamentals e.g. excel/presentation training/internal programs & databases which was all very helpful.

There are not many undergraduates who return to Vauxhall as there is not a structured graduate scheme as such, however, I get the feeling that if I wanted to return as a graduate, I would certainly get a chance to come to an assessment centre for a job which I think is an excellent chance to prove myself again.

Because there are so many undergrads at Vauxhall, it's been a great year socially. We've had trips all round the UK and even abroad to Slovakia and Bulgaria which were really great. I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of undergrads to be on placement with.

Cost of living was not too expensive, probably about what I expected. I pay slightly more than others for rent but that's due to the house I chose to live in. I know a lot of fellow undergrads who pay very little for rent which is great considering how close to London we are.

The nightlife in Luton is the only thing that lets the social scene down, however having said this it's often the people that make it enjoyable. To counteract this, we've often gone away to various places round the UK for weekends etc

During my time here I've got involved with a lot of fun stuff outside of work such as retail conferences and trips to Wembley (for free!) I never really considered work perks when applying for placements, so having these things outside of the office has been great.