Retail Innovation Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cancer Research UK. Everyone in the office were super friendly and always happy to help in anyway possible. As there were a number of interns you never felt alone and it also made sure that you had contacts in other teams too. I would definitely recommend

Everyone was really grateful for the work that you did during your time. I had to travel for 2 hours to get into the office and everyone would always ask how my journey was. Other members of my team made sure to include me and I really felt like part of the team.

I had a one to one with my manager every week, outlining what work I needed to do that week. I also copied her into emails with my client which she was able to offer advice and support on. As well as my weekly one to ones, I also had intern reviews during week 2, 6 and then 12. This gave me an opportunity to voice any concerns I may have and make sure I am on track with my project.

This depended on the day really. As I was working with a corporate partner there would sometimes be delays from their side, meaning that I may not have much to do some days. To counteract this I made sure to look for jobs to do by asking other team members if they needed any help.

A lot, I project managed my own stock generation campaign with a corporate partner and therefore was the main point of contact for them. I was responsible for making the campaign run as smoothly as possible and this meant keeping in constant contact with the partner. My manager was really helpful in assisting me with the various stages.

Having the opportunity to work in head office of a large charity gave me invaluable experience. First of all, I gained experience of working in an office environment working 9 - 5. I also gained computer skills, having to use Microsoft excel on a regular basis. I also had the opportunity to lead meetings, something I had not done before.

It was a very relaxed atmosphere in the office helped by the general dress code being smart casual. The office is quite open plan and therefore you could clearly see the other departments. There were kitchens on every floor which would often have cakes from bake sales people had organised etc. As the office was open plan there was a good buzz throughout.

Very well organised. We had reminders of when to hold our intern reviews with our managers which held a good structure. At the start of our internship we had an induction where we listened to presentations from various teams which helped us find out more about the charity and build some useful contacts. We also had mentors to help guide us with writing cvs.

They held a cv workshop which covered not only how to write a good cv but also how to write a good cover letter, set up a linkedin pager and ace interviews. We also had the opportunity to attend other workshops such as presenting with confidence and also writing skills. We also had the chance to have a mentor to help us with things not linked to our project.

We received various emails advertising entry level jobs within the company. My manager also kept a look out for any vacancies that may have been suitable for me. Being an intern meant that we already had useful contacts within the company and therefore had a good chance of accessing internal jobs before they were advertised externally.

Every Thursday after work the interns would go out for drinks together. We would also meet up for lunch most days which gave us a chance to talk about our various projects. It was really interesting to hear about what other people were doing on a daily basis. Unfortunately for me, due to the length of my commute I was unable to attend many after work events.

There were various bars close to the angel building that happy hour deals on. There was also a wetherspoons close by which was reasonably priced. For food there was a waitrose and a sainsburys close to the building which helped keep the lunch cost down as we were limited to £4. Many of the interns stayed at home or with family and friends.

There were many bars close to the angel building. One of which did £2.50 drinks during there happy hour so this was a regular haunt for the interns. There was also a wetherspoons fairly close by too. As well as bars, there were also many restaurants including chain and independent ones.

We had the opportunity to assist with various fundraising events that were being organised by the charity such as dining with the stars, During our internship it was also world cancer day where we were able to get out of the office and go collect money at various tube stations and shopping centres. We also had the chance to attend a rugby match where we could sell bands.