Vendor Partner Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the placement - I spent the first part of my internship working in one area of my team, the second in another area, and so on. I was able to undertake various responsibilities and learn about the different clients my team manages as well as learn new skills that each part of the team manages. I felt I had sufficient responsibility for my workload and the workload of others. I felt trusted in my ability to carry out my job like any other permanent member of staff.

I felt that my colleagues valued my input, asking for me to take on more responsibility where help was needed. This was supported by the fact they repeatedly asked me to help again and again in employee absences or if workloads were unequal. My colleagues were welcoming and I felt part of the team while in the workplace, as well as out when on team outings.

A lot of training was provided throughout my placement, especially at the beginning. I was provided with lots of support to enable me to do my job effectively. I was able to pick up the role of Vendor Partner quickly due to the amount of training and support provided. The amount of information to take on-board was overwhelming, but with the support of not only my mentor, but my whole tea, I was able to digest this information and use it to my advantage.

At first I was given small work loads to work with until I had shown I was able to manage the basic tasks of the account. Gradually my work load increased. It was never too much; it surprised me how able I was to continue to take on more work when I thought I was at fully capacity. I was very busy half way through my placement and did feel stress at times however this was expected with the workload and soon passed when I had adjusted to the increased workload.

I was given equal responsibility like any other permanent member of staff so that I felt like a permanent member of team and not just an intern that has been placed to temporarily help out. I was provided with more responsibility as my placement progressed and I could prove my ability to take on a larger workload and be capable of managing the responsibility given to me.

I have entered an office setting that I haven't worked in before and picked up the way people work around each other vs. with clients and candidates. I have witnessed and been able to show the differences in communications according to audience. I 100% agree that what I have learnt whilst on placement will help with my degree studies and future employment.

The work atmosphere was balanced. I was able to interact with my team on a social level during work hours as long as the focus was not taken away from the tasks at hand. I did learn what was an acceptable amount of time socialising in the day during work hours and what was not. I would never say my office atmosphere was dull, quite the opposite. The office held lots of fundraising events during lunch hours and after work hours such as sporting events which also meant I got to socialise with people outside of my team. The general atmosphere was fun and supportive.

The overall work placement was well organised. My team hadn't had an intern before, so they used a similar plan designed for associate consultant internships. The plan was executed well, receiving most of the training consultants receive but applying it to the Client Management perspective. I fell that my placement could not have been executed any better. I had a great overview of what every part of the Client Management team doe and was able to take on the responsibilities of each part. I will be returning to university with a broader mind on what I would like to do after my degree.

There is great organisation in planning training across the company. This training mostly focuses on consultants, however, within my team we are able to organise our own training session to learn about different account processes that we can apply to our own accounts. We also get the opportunity to be the trainer, to train other members within our team to learn our account processes.

Halfway through my placement was the time for my team's annual reviews, whereby they discussed their progress and to discuss their goals that they can work towards promotion. If I would like to return, I get the sense I am more than welcome.

Interns are told to join the intern Facebook group before they start their placement; this is used for interns to communicate amongst themselves prior to the placement with concerns regarding travel and accommodation. Once their placement has started, it becomes useful in arranging intern social events. However, most social events interns attended were for everyone within the company so that there was never a divide between interns and permanent employees. This lack of divide made me feel even more welcome as I became part of Hays and not an outside intern.

I did not live in London, I commuted. The commute was rather expensive but cheaper than living in London. Hays provide travel loans which can make the finance of commuting easier. I didn't use this but it was good to know the perk was available. Although I didn't live in London I did still spend money on food and nights out. However, to save money I made lunch from home most days which balances out the spending on social gatherings!

There are lots of bars and restaurants in the area all within quick walking distance. Even if you want to travel a bit further out there are multiple train stations and undergrounds nearby with a less than 5 minute walk. The area is lovely to work in, with plenty of beautiful views of the city.

Work arranged many social events including sports clubs before and after working hours. Outside of sports various activities were arranged to fundraise for our company charity: these were great fun and didn't always revolve around sport, there were pub quizzes, treks, games.