Merchandising and Buying Placement Review

I really enjoyed the Merchandising and Buying placement at TJX Europe. I was given lots of responsibility and made to feel like part of the team. There are lots of graduates and placements that start at the same time so it's a really fun and friendly atmosphere to work in. The company culture is really laid back and informal and there are many opportunities for you to develop your skills if you push for them. I learnt a lot about the way TJX Europe work and was really pleased I chose to do my placement there.

During the first six months as an allocation analyst you are treated as if you are a graduate, many of my colleagues did not even know I was a placement student for several months. You are very much part of your team and get recognition for the work that you do. The second half of the placement in buying is more of a shadowing role so there are less chances to show your capabilities but you are still valued within your area.

You start the placement with 3 months of intensive training with lots of support from your merchandiser and assistant merchandiser to help you. The job can feel overwhelming at times but regular 1-to-1 mentoring sessions from your line manager help you to reach your full potential within your role. There is an emphasis on driving your own development but there are always people who will support you if you show willing.

As an analyst I was very busy on a daily basis as you have a specific job role and weekly deadlines to meet. In addition there are always things you can do to go above and beyond your daily role that you can drive yourself. During the last 4 months of the placement (in buying) there is less to do and I had to be a lot more motivated to to keep myself busy on days the buyers couldn't take me out.

You get lots of responsibility in the first half of the placement. You are in charge of your own department and it is your job to drive your business, maximising sales and minimising markdown. You are the only person shipping merchandise on that area and you can really get involved with creating strategies to drive the business forward. It's very rewarding. In buying you take on more of a shadowing role however, the more you volunteer for tasks, the greater responsibility you get- it's about driving it yourself.

There are lots of opportunities to reflect on skills and attend workshops to develop general professional skills such as time management and presentation skills which are useful for university and the future. There are also opportunities to experience other areas of the business such as IT and marketing which are supported by the company but ultimately you have to push for these opportunities yourself. If you want to learn about product development the company is less likely to facilitate this as this is not a priority within their business model.

Really friendly, there are lots of graduates and placements. Your team will probably be made up with lots of people a similar age to you so it's a fun place to work. The culture is laid back and informal and you often end up chatting to the directors which makes you feel really valued.

Really well organised in the first half. You get specific training and development opportunities as well as bi-weekly 1-to-1 sessions with your line manager. In the second half there is much less structure which isn't always a bad thing, it's about driving your own development. However fluid structure sometimes lead to discrepancies between what placements were allowed to do on different teams.

You feel as if the company has invested heavily in you. You are often talked about in relation to the 'talent pipeline' and feel valued within the organisation. If you do a good job, they are likely to ask you back which shows commitment and investment from their end.

If you do well the company will ask you back onto their graduate scheme without you having to go through the application again (which is appealing when you know how busy final year of university is!). There are lots of opportunities to progress quickly within the company and I saw lots of people getting promoted which motivated me to want to go back.

There are lots of graduates and placements so there is a good vibe around the office. Every Friday groups would go to the local pub for a drink, and sometimes organise social activities outside of work. Other than that I mainly mixed with the placement students rather than other colleagues within the organisation.

Watford is a great place to live if you want to save a bit of money. It's a lot cheaper than London but you get all the benefits of London being on your doorstep!

Watford doesn't have the greatest nightlife but London is only 15 minutes away so it's not so bad!

Other than a running club and team sports (such a football) there were not many opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work.