Marketing Intern Review

I really enjoyed this internship and it has exceeded all of my expectations. When I first arrived I was not sure what sort of work I would be involved in. However, from day one I was given real responsibility whilst being supported by colleagues and was able to get fully stuck in, giving personal contributions along the way. Everyone was so welcoming and the variety of projects that I was doing has enabled me to learn so much during my time here. I had never done any professional work like this before, but I settled in quickly and was treated like a real member of the team from the start. I would really recommend applying to this scheme as it is a perfect place to start your career, and you get a lot of guidance, advice and help along the way!

I felt extremely valued and was given responsibility by my other team members almost immediately. I was given jobs that were to make a real difference to the business, which was scary at first, but it meant that I was able to grow in confidence and learn on the job. My team trusted me to carry out tasks efficiently and to the standard expected of me, but I always asked questions where need be and sometimes they would ask how I was doing, or I’d have a meeting with them to update them of my progress. I was invited into meetings, asked to help other colleagues and even went out for social lunches with people in the office. Within the first week I felt like a real part of the team and valued as not only an ‘intern’ doing rubbishy jobs, but a colleague that was helping drive the business forward.

I found out I was given a graduate buddy a few months before my placement and I exchanged a few emails with her regarding silly questions I had about my placement eg. What to do for lunch, what to wear in the office etc. She was really helpful and told me everything I wanted to know. Unfortunately she left two weeks into my placement as she was moving into her final rotation of the grad scheme that was located at another office. However this role was really reassuring for before I arrived. I had a line-manager as well, who I sat next to for my whole internship. She gave me projects to work on, answered any questions I had, and had weekly 121s, along with a mid-internship and final review of my time with Allianz. She was really helpful and welcoming, checking up on me, giving me advice and giving feedback where need be. In meetings she would often look over my progress on projects and we would chat about things I could improve on, or other tasks I could get involved in. Furthermore she would always be open to me asking for help, or asking questions. In my mid internship and final review I went through the company’s high performance behaviours and where I had shown examples of these, and then marked out of 5 for each one, to show how I had been doing and if I had improved eg. When I had demonstrated an interest in what is happening outside my immediate tasks, and being punctual and reliable or putting in extra effort and energy when needed. I was given improvements and strengths and from the mid review I was able to develop myself further in time for my final review. I also had a manager of my team, who although I did not spend as much time with, was really supportive and welcoming. She gave me a brief when I arrived about the team I would be working in, what they did and the sorts of things I would be working on, which was really reassuring in my first week. In addition I had a marketing manager of the whole department, who was really kind and welcomed me into the team - she often came around the office to have a chat and to check up on everyone. This was really nice, as although there were senior members of staff, everyone felt like one big team and was treated equally and given the opportunity to input their opinions and views. My scheme owner, who I met on my induction day, was also another member of staff who I was able to chat to. I arranged a phone call with her, and a meeting towards the end of my internship, to chat further about grad role opportunities. She travelled to my office to meet with me and again was really friendly, and happy to help me and answer all sorts of questions.

I was super busy on a daily basis. I always had things on, and if I didn’t have as much I would ask other team members if they needed help with anything (but this was rarely the case). I had a mixture of ongoing projects and short term tasks that needed to be completed. For instance I was involved in writing content for the social media accounts that the company uses, scheduling posts and boosting them – this was an ongoing task because we posted once daily over 4 channels and so this needed to be updated regularly. Among other things I was given market research to do on various developments, manage an online blog for a Paralympian partner, pull together feedback from surveys carried out, undertake sales call monitoring to listen in to services and sales departments to see another area of the business, go on a day out with an account executive, review blog content, sit in on PR meetings, brief web developers and design agencies and to attend Hickstead, which is an external horse event on our trade stand. Tasks varied in length of time, and difficulty but I was always doing something, and the 9 weeks that I had absolutely flew by! Although I was extremely busy, this was not really intense; I had enough to keep me busy during the day but was able to work normal hours and not have to carry on with work in the evenings or at the weekend. The work/life balance is something that is a really plus for Allianz, as they respect their employees and understand the importance of a having a rest from work.

I was given LOADS of responsibility – so much more than I thought. I was given the role of managing social media accounts, which is a customer facing role where we had to maintain our reputation and to deal with customer complaints. Alongside this I was asked to manage an online blog with a Paralympian partner, this was added pressure as I had to complete tasks to a high standard to maintain both our, and her, reputation. I was asked to undertake crucial market research for product development opportunities, where we were on a strict deadline. Alongside this, the team that I was working in, the brand team, were currently down a team member, so I was given projects which usually would have been carried out by a marketing executive as they could not do all of the extra work themselves. My team were so glad that they had me to help out, as there was so much going on and the couldn’t afford to let me do pointless jobs as they needed the extra pair of hands to get things done. However I was still given lots of support and guidance along the way.

I do History, Philosophy and Theology at university, so the skills I have learnt during my internship will not be so helpful in assisting me with my degree, but I did not do the internship to help with this. I did my internship so that I could enter into the world of work and experience the professional industry in both marketing and insurance. The skills I have learnt I believed have set me up to do well in any future career. I have developed my confidence, presenting skills, excel, photoshop and other IT system skills, project planning, organisation, attention to detail, logical thinking, punctuality, reliability, efficiency and knowledge about the industry. I have overcome challenges and improvements that have enabled me to become a stronger person, and feel that I have become a vital part of the team. I think the skillset I have developed will ensure that I succeed in the future in my career, but also networking with people and in interviews.

The office was a really fun place to work. There are dress down days on Friday, the radio is turned on after 2pm every day, and there is constantly food being brought in to help you going throughout the day. Everyone is welcoming, friendly and up for a laugh, but also driven, motivated and helpful. It allowed me to fit in with ease because it was not stressful or intimidating. I felt very comfortable with everyone in the office as well, going to the gym with some of my team members at lunch and having coffee catch ups as well. The atmosphere was one thing that really stood out for me, because I was really apprehensive when I first came, but quickly noticed that it was a really nice balance between a professional environment but also ensuring that we had fun.

During my internship I had a good time and was always busy doing things, so it seemed to be organised well. The only slightly negative thing was that after I found out that I got a place on the scheme in December, I did not hear anything from HR until around April/May time, so I really did not know what I would be doing and I felt it was left a bit late. My buddy was able to answer my questions before I came though which reassured me, but again she left within 2 weeks of me arriving so this clearly was not thought of beforehand. After the initial slow start before I began the scheme, it went well and I had a lot of support. Also the induction day was a great start as they told us a timeline of things during our 9 weeks, we had a career’s day, presentation day and HR were in contact during the placement.

During my time I really got fully involved. I had a lot of support and was given the chance to attend an external event with work for 3 days, staying in a hotel at the venue. This was great fun and a chance to bond further with the team, and being treated like a real part of the group. I was able to meet with a variety of people within the business, seeing different areas and learning more outside of my immediate tasks. The wide range of projects that I was involved in allowed me to develop skills and I was never bored. I attended an assessment day prior to being offered the internship, where I stayed in a hotel, alongside attending the induction day and presentation day – all away days from the office. In addition I have been paid expenses on all train fairs, lunches during away days and petrol, so I feel that the company has invested their time and effort into me. Because I have only been here for 9 weeks, there was not the chance to gain any qualifications, however I have spoken with colleagues and graduates who have said that they are completing exams at the moment and they feel that they wouldn’t get the chance to do this if they were at another company. This was something that really interested me about Allianz, as it seems as though they really invest in their employees.

In my last week of my 9 week placement I have given a presentation, along with all of the other interns, about my ‘personal development’ in front of 3 assessors, line managers and other interns. This was after I expressed my interest in the graduate scheme and so off the back of this I potentially will be offered a place. I was not sure what to expect when I arrived and never imagined that I would want a graduate job with Allianz, however my time here has pushed me in a new direction and I would really love the opportunity to gain a place. The business has a lot of perks – at my office there has been a free company gym, flexible working hours, social events and I know that there are further perks if you are offered a permanent job. The Allianz Management Trainee graduate scheme offers 4 rotations within different areas of the business over 3 years and then from that you can apply for a fixed position. I know a lot of people working in the marketing team who have come in via either the graduate scheme, or the call centres and have worked their way up – so prospects of moving up in the business seems plausible and the norm.

There was only one other intern in my office so I did not get to see the other interns much during my time at Allianz, except on the various days organised for us all. There was also only a couple of graduates in the office, who were lovely and great fun, but we did not do much together. However a lot of people in the office were up for a laugh and we went on a few group lunches which was really nice. I also went to the circus with work on evening, as a social event. I have also been told there are usually days and nights out in addition, but these have unfortunately fallen outside of the dates that I have been here. Also based in Brentford, the town is not the most exciting place, and a bit out of the way for other people to get here.

I lived in South Kensington during my placement, as it was on the Piccadilly Line which went to Boston Manor (the closest tube to the office) – this clearly was not the cheapest option, but I was splitting it with my boyfriend so it was okay. The tube every day was quite expensive as I was going from zone 1 to zone 4, but this was my choice of location. Although there was a canteen in the office building, I usually brought my own lunch in with me which was a cheap option, and I did not have to pay for the gym which was a huge huge bonus! In terms of socialising, the restaurant that we went to were reasonably priced and often had offers on for 2 courses, or something like that. Although around the office there was not that much to do!

There was no nightlife in the area. We usually went out for lunch if we were doing anything sociable. I know that a few grads from the head office at Guildford sometimes went out there, but nobody ever ventured to Brentford for a night out. However central London was only 30 minute tube away if you wanted a good party

I was given the chance to attend Hickstead horse event with work for 3 days where we stayed in a hotel – this was really fun and really bonded with the team that went. This was out of the office and probably one of the most fun things I got involved in during my time. I also was a regular at the gym classes at lunch time. We also went on a work trip to the circus which was fun and invited to do a 5km muddy run in October despite leaving – however unfortunately I have gone back to uni. Everyone was really keen for me to get involved and it made me feel a lot more relaxed during my time, knowing that I was being treated as a team and that I had made friends with people, rather than them just being colleagues.