HR Industrial Placement

Hannah Lant

Sociology

Placement (10 Months+)

Gist Ltd

What was the interview process like?

When I started University, I hadn’t thought of completing an industrial placement year. Yet after speaking to careers advisors at University, I felt like this was the best option. Gist was one of my first applications, so I wasn’t sure how the process would run as I had no prior experience of telephone interviews and assessment centres. However, after scheduling my telephone interview and once I had thoroughly prepared by researching Gist, I felt more comfortable. From the outset, I could see that Gist was very focused on the candidate experience, and the communication between me and the Recruitment team was very good. It was good to know that Gist genuinely cared about my progress throughout the application process. The telephone interview itself was formal, but I felt more at ease knowing that I had thoroughly prepared. The assessment centre was similar; everyone was in the same position so they understood any nervous feelings. The assessors were also friendly, all introducing themselves and getting to know me before commencing the formal interview. Overall, I felt as if the interview process was formal yet friendly, which is why I excelled.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

What I enjoy most about my role in HR is how I can be involved in numerous activities, as it helps me to learn different things every day. So although my role is predominantly within the Graduate Recruitment Team, I have done some work on our social media strategy, our European Graduate Recruitment and more recently with our Apprentices. I love being able to have an input into different parts of the team as it allows me to understand what each department does. I also enjoy being able to get out and about to different sites, each site is very different so it’s enjoyable being able to move around and get a feel for the different depots.

What advice would you give to students who are thinking of applying to Gist?

If you are considering applying to Gist, my advice would be to research the business thoroughly, as they want to know exactly why you want the role and why you’re interested in Logistics. Gist is a very people-focused business, so people need to be at the forefront of your mind when you are with our company. You are concentrating on people who have been in the business 30 years, and in HR you’re aiming to improve the environment around them whilst making sure they’re in the right role. Gist continuously dedicates time to their CPRs (Critical Performance Requirements) which defines the people they look for. Logistics is fast paced, constantly changing and always striving to be one step ahead, so for someone who believes that their skill set matches those that are required within Logistics, I would say absolutely apply. It is by far the best decision that I have made over the course of my university degree and I know that the experience will hopefully secure me a graduate role when the time comes for me to apply.