Supply Chain Management Analyst Review

I enjoyed my work placement a lot, more so than I initially thought I would. I found the work stimulating, and the office environment fun to be a part of. My colleagues were both helpful and funny, something which helped me settle in quickly. Across my placement I saw a wide range of interesting projects which touched upon a number of different support functions at GSK. I have not marked as a 10 as I feel there were some areas I missed out on, such as owning my own project at any point in the year.

In the initial on boarding stage I was treated very well by my colleagues, who would take time out of there busy schedule to teach me about the company and their individual work, this made me feel valued. After this initial stage (2-3months into my placement) I struggled to get into any solid work as I don't think I was trusted enough to deal with it. For this 2 month period I didn't feel that valued, and made my views clear. In the latter half of the year my responsibilities increased, and this made me feel more valued; I could start to prove myself to my colleagues.

Initially my team was very good in helping me if I had any questions, I could set time up with them pretty much whenever I wanted to, to discuss anything I was confused about. I never felt awkward asking a question and I think this is a credit to the people at GSK who were encouraged me to question anything that I didn't understand. My managers were also happy for me to explore work outside of their team to see other parts of the business - some of my placement peers were not allowed to do this.

This fluctuated throughout the year - there were times I had nothing to do, and there were times that I was so rushed off my feet I got a little bit stressed. After my on boarding stage it took a while for my work to pick up, either there wasn't anything suitable in our team, or my manager didn't trust me with the harder stuff. In this period I'd find myself browsing the internet until close of business, which was frustrating as I was very eager to work and make the most from my year. Near the end of the year, as I was involved in a lot of different projects, I was very busy. However, I enjoyed this, as I felt a lot more part of the picture than when I wasn't busy.

Similar to my level of busyness, my level of responsibility fluctuated throughout the year. In the first six months I worked on small projects, often as a small part of a big team, and therefore my work did not carry much responsibility. However as my experience grew I was given bigger pieces of work by myself. I'd often have to ask if I wanted to take on a piece by myself, where some of my placement colleagues had this thrust upon them. Although these small pieces gave me responsibility with other members of my team pulling together the same work, I was never given a project of my own, and therefore did not feel I was given huge responsibility at any point.

Hugely, more so than I would ever have imagined pre-placement. The way I compose myself now is a lot more professional, and this will help with my work at University as I complete my dissertation and aim for top marks in other modules. Being in a corporate environment for a year has improved my confidence there, and this will help in any future job applications and in the final job. Whilst the training I received is slightly specific to GSK, I can apply the concepts to future roles. I'm very happy with my skills development across the year.

There was a good atmosphere in the office, everyone was there to work their hardest, but were more than capable of having a laugh. This did slightly vary floor by floor, but I think in each team there is guaranteed to be a couple of jokers. Things like 'dress down Friday' and the flexible work hours meant that everyone I met there was happy working at GSK (I didn't meet anyone that wanted to leave). I certainly had a lot of fun in my time working there, and was pleasantly surprised about some of the banter people had, it made going into work every day something to look forward to.

It was set up okay, there were a number of support functions for interns, and an overall IP society called IP unite which acted as a forum to meet new people. The contact time with support functions was minimal over the year, and I think it would've been nice to have more networking opportunities with other interns across the year, especially as some IP's will work in departments without any other IP's (I only met others through playing football, something I had to pursue myself). This could've been supplemented with opportunities to listen to/meet senior leaders.

I was encouraged to take part in training whenever there was an opportunity, and this was funded by the company. Some of my key learnings came from these training sessions. I was also encouraged to take time out of my diary to have coffee's with colleagues I may not have met in my direct line of work. I did have to seek out these opportunities myself most of the time, it would have been nice to always have a few personal development projects on the side, given to me by my manager, especially at the start of my placement. I think GSK as a company are very keen on personal development and investing in their employees, more so than what I've heard at other companies.

I have an assessment centre in July 16, and if successful will join the finance future leader programme. I will also keep in contact with my colleagues to see if there are any opportunities available within the company. I feel that I left on good terms, and would therefore be able to get a direct entry role there with some effort on my part. As GSK is such a big company there are a lot of departments to join. They are keen to take on graduates and therefore I think the employment prospects are good, despite the company going through some restructuring.

There was around 300 placement students across the GSK network, and almost 150 based in the HQ at GSK House. This meant that social events were well attended, and there was a fair social scene across the students. However, social events weren't arranged regularly, and it felt like a lot of effort was required on the individuals part to maintain relations with other placement students if you didn't work with them. I think more can be done to bring the IP students together, but it was nice to think there were so many of your peers in the company who are in a similar position to yourself.

The GSK HQ, GSK House, is based in Brentford in West London, so prices in the area tend to reflect the fact that you are in London. Despite this, you can benefit from not being right in the centre of the city as the house prices to rent are a lot lower (with a good bit of searching you can find a nice house within a bus ride of the office for a reasonable price). It is likely you will spend more across the year than you would at your University city, but having the wage GSK pay you will help with this.

Fairly poor, Brentford isn't a student hotspot, and you will have to head more into London to find any noteworthy clubs. This was a bit of a pain as the tube can take 40mins to reach the centre, which is a long journey back and forth if you have worked on the same day. We mostly found ourselves going out in the pubs around Brentford, with enough people you could make these nights just as good as going to a big club in the city. Most permanent GSK workers who want some nightlife live further into London, but this is hard to afford on the wage they provide.

There was a few opportunities to play sports with work colleagues, but these would mostly have to be searched out by asking around. Near the end of my placement, the gym people set up a 5 a side football tournament, which I something I think they should have going throughout the calendar year to encourage friendly rivalry and a different networking opportunity. I think because a lot of GSK workers are family orientated, there is less in the way of activities post work, something which is more important for younger workers.