Brand Marketing Associate Review

The placement was an amazing and insightful experience. I was provided with a lot of support by my colleagues and also given a great deal of responsibility. Every company has it’s own internal systems and processes so getting familiar with these can take a while – however my team provided me with a lot of initial support to ensure I’m up to speed.

I felt very valued by my colleagues and not treated like an intern. Instead I was given an extremely responsible role, initially managing the legal and financial side of projects until I was completely familiar with the process involved, after which I played a key role in delivering projects to both my team and also our stakeholders.

We had regular meetings with not only my line manager but also their manager. Everyone was approachable and at time it can be frustrating to constantly ask questions especially in the first few weeks - but the team completely understands this and HR also provides a great of support whenever required.

Initially my days were slow.. however as the pace picked up I started to get busier and busier (as did the rest of my team) and we would be working constantly throughout the day. At time this can mean travelling from one office to another, an agency visit, multiple subsidiary calls, the list is endless.

Initially I was shadowing, then learning processes, then implementing these into projects, then I actually moved to the project side and although I wasn't directly managing a project, I played a key role in delivering the project, reporting to directors and also managing relationships with senior contacts from our partners.

I learnt several new skills, the main one being learning how to navigate around a business successfully, especially one in which you have over 17 subsidiaries to manage and communicate with. This has built my communication skills greatly and I understand how to get through to the right people and key decision makers.

Many events throughout the year, BBQ, team meetings out of office, restaurant meals, events in the main office for the latest product launches such as the Galaxy S6. Other offices can vary however the main one was always striving to constantly motivate staff through small perks and incentives.. not to mention free ice cream during the summer!

From a HR perspective, it was managed greatly. From my immediate team, they didn't initially have any formal handover period and it was a hit and miss, working as the day went by and figuring out how to take the next step. This could have been improved especially for someone with very limited knowledge of their role, however once you get through to the right people you can stand on your own two feet.

The company provided additional courses for us to join such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint training which were made compulsory for all placement students to get to grips with the needs and expectations of the business. After this we were also offered voluntary courses such as presentation skills training - which was extremely useful and applied a lot of practical knowledge. Enabling me to improve greatly.

Definitely would consider coming back provided I received the opportunity, the overall structure and employment package is great and very attractive for any university graduate. The role can be highly pressured and face paced however if you are comfortable in such an environment then you will excel here.

Most events were organised informally through the immediate teams, however HR does provide an allocated budget however this isn't always the case. As a group of interns - we went out together all the time including during lunch breaks and on the weekends. The social scene was great.