Placement Technology Analyst Review

I have enjoyed my placement year, I feel it has given me valuable experience in the industry I wish to work in and also provided me with work-related skills which would be beneficial in any workplace. I feel like I have somewhat enhanced my technical skills and will be in a better position to go into the final year of my uni course, putting into practice everything I have learned.

My manager along with other members in my team were very helpful throughout my placement year, firstly by providing me with extensive training at the beginning so that I could get to know the software used and how to complete other daily tasks like setting up meetings and using Citi For You to book time off or view my payslip. Throughout the remainder of the year they have always made themselves available whenever I needed help or had a query.

From the beginning I was kept busy, being given a reasonable amount of work to do and set tasks with deadlines which I had to meet. Whilst working on my assigned tasks I also picked up additional work through users reaching out to me asking for my assistance. Even in between releases when there was a bit less to work for the main projects I still have smaller tasks which I was able to work on, such as updating an excel sheet with the list of users and their level of access. Towards the end of placement I was also given the task of taking minutes for our weekly team meetings.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility during placement. I worked on various large scale projects, completing development work and testing on my own for some changes and on a couple of occasions I even led releases, where I wrote up the documentation beforehand, made the change requests on service now and co-ordinated the release with the ETL team including testing the changes and providing sign off. I also participated in some COB testing.

The general atmosphere in my office was friendly and helpful. There was a good balance between knowing when to settle down and get your work done and also socializing with other members of staff. I found everyone approachable and it was easy to reach out for help when it was needed. Within my office there was various events to make the workplace a bit more enjoyable such as potluck lunches and bake sales. There was also regular training opportunities held in the meeting room.

The work placement was well set up and oragnised, starting from the beginning where we had a few days induction with an Itenerary of everything we were going to cover. I thought this was a nice touch. We then were scheduled to meet our managers who then introduced us to the rest of our teams. After this we had regular check-up meetings with the placement recruiter to give updates on how our placement was going and any problems we were facing.

I would definitely consider future employment with the organization if it were available to me, as I have found my time during placement year valuable and enjoyable and I feel like I would appreciate the work-life balance supported by Citi, including any clubs and societies, after I graduate and am looking for a full time permanent job.

Citi has many different sports clubs and committees within the organization, such as the social committee which organises social events on a regular basis such as the annual BBQ, which is a good opportunity to meet other members of staff. Citi is also a very charitable organization, regularly holding fundraising events such as sponsored walks or relay teams for the Belfast marathon. The money raised goes towards their nominated charities which are chosen each year. Even within my team we have opportunities for socializing for example at Christmas time we had a Christmas dinner and took part in secret santa.

Belfast is relatively inexpensive in comparison to other UK cities so the cost of living and socializing is low, making it a prime location to work. There are also numerous transport facilities to travel to and from the Belfast office as it is close to a train station and there are bus stops right outside. There is also a cycle lane the whole way along the road for anyone who wishes to cycle to work and facilities to chain your bike up. The Belfast office is also in walking distance of the city centre, so you are close to anything you might need,

There was many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work as citi has a social committee which holds numerous of social events throughtout the year such as an annual summer BBQ and a bowling night. Myself and a few other placement students also volunteered with an event called CoderDojo which Citi partners with. The weekly classes aim to help primary school aged children learn the basics of coding.