Early Talent Co-ordinator Review

My placement year has allowed me to work with a variety of people in different departments which enabled me to understand my role within the company and how the organisation works as a whole.

I work within a small team of 5 members, of which one in the US. I feel I am part of the team and a full time member not just a placement student, the work they ask me to do is challenging therefore I feel they have confidence in my ability.

The support my manager and team members gave me was fantastic. I had one-to-one meetings with either my line manager of team members once a week however they were always in the office or on the phone if I ever needed a quick chat. I wasn't afraid to ask for help as I knew they had a lot more experience that I do and they were happy to give guidance and advise. During the time I had to complete essays, my line manager was supportive and allowed me to take time out to work on my studies as long as I had my projects under control.

I enjoy being busy every day therefore I asked for extra work if I ever needed. There was always something to do even if I had to find myself some training work.

I was given a lot of responsibility during placement year. I was pretty much managing the placement year recruitment process for 3 months which allowed me to liaise with a variety of people. It was my responsibility to complete projects and get the work done.

I developed many skills whilst on placement. The main skills which has helped me with university is time management skills, organisation and my communication skills. Training at GSK is done via the 70/20/10 approach with 70% of learning on the job, 20% via coaching or mentoring and 10% via formal training.

The office was very friendly and welcoming. It was quiet at points because everyone had a lot on and was very busy. However everyone enjoyed a good natter and laughs and was always happy to make a round of coffee or tea. Our office also celebrated Christmas together and went out for lunch after decorating the office with a Christmas tree ect. We also arranged an Orange day whereby we partnered with a non-profit organisation for a day and visited the charity as part of GSK's volunteering policy.

The work placement year was very organised. My first 2 weeks was planned out and I was given a time table. The placement student who completed the year before me stayed an extra week for a handover which was big help as she showed me the ropes to a lot of things which gave me a good head start.

I attended a few course and workshops on placement. For example employees would provide workshops for CV writing, LinkedIn profile and assessment centre workshops. I also took part in online courses which developed my writing and communications skills. The GSK intranet also offered a lot of online courses which I could simply sign up to and attend.

There are a few options for graduates at GSK either the Future Leaders Programme or direct entry route. There are different Future Leaders Programmes in different sectors for example finance, consumer healthcare, human resources ect. These programmes are very competitive however the year in placement allowed me to explore the different programmes to see which one I wanted to apply to.

As there were over 350 placement students at GSK there were a lot of organised social events. IP Unite was a committee which represented all placement students and organised corporate and social events solely for placement students. These included the GSK traditional Christmas ball and boat party (on the river Thames) as well as monthly socials.

The cost of living in Stevenage was average, the same price I pay at University. In the area there were big supermarkets including ASDA and Aldi and food markets to get cheap food. There are a lot of retail and leisure parks in Stevenage so there was always something to do or somewhere to go for food.

The perks of living in Stevenage were the cost of living and prices as we were only 20 min train journey from central London therefore we had the best of both worlds as good travel into London very easily for a night out or go to the pubs in Stevenage, Around Stevenage there were a few nice areas such as St Albans or Hitchin which are both good for a night out/ shopping.

I was a member of a gym in Stevenage which had a variety of classes and a swimming pool. Outside of Stevenage there is country side for walks and bike rides. In the summer there are a few festivals in Hertfordshire which are reasonably priced for tickets and good fun!