Graduate Team Coordinator Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my 10 week placement, I was given a great deal of responsibility and trust in the tasks that I was allocated. As well as being given autonomy and the freedom to complete my projects as I saw fit, I was also given support when I required it.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, not only because of projects that I was given full control over, but also the trust they had in me. At times I helped other members of the team with feedback, and assisting with group tasks, having very little experience it was great to have this trust. I was also given great feedback, both positive and constructive, which kept me motivated.

Whenever I required support I was comfortable contacting my manager for more information, although it was hard at times as my manager was based in a different location, it helped me to learn how to contact and seek support from an individual over the phone/email. In addition to this my team were also extremely supportive and happy to answer any questions I had.

I was very busy on a daily basis, this was great as others interns in the same stream were not as busy and were seeking out work. Luckily for me I was placed in a busy team with plenty to do, this allowed me to really work on my time management and organisational skills, as well as adding huge value to the business and have an extremely rewarding placement

I was given a huge deal of responsibility in my placement, I was responsible for reviewing and refreshing all the marketing material for the new recruitment campaign, as well as this I was given the freedom to interact with a large number of stakeholders, both internal and external. Additionally I led a vlog team, although having no experience in this area before, I was responsible for leading a team of four to produce vlogs that would be distributed on our social media sites.

Although I have already graduated, the skills I have developed during my placement will be hugely valuable in my future career. From being tasked with such a wide variety of projects I have really developed my confidence to take on new challenges that come my way. As well as this my time management, organisational skills, communication skills, and stakeholder management have all improved. We were also provided with various training opportunities, such as excel and presentation training. I thought the presentation training was superb and will use what I learnt going forward in both my life and career.

The atmosphere was great in my office, everyone is very friendly and supportive, making it easy to interact and network with various individuals. It is clear that Centrica is a very supportive organisation, with and open and honest culture, one in which a motivated individual can succeed. There were some days in which the office was very quiet, however most days there was a good, busy atmosphere.

The internship was very well organised, before I joined I was given a call from my line manager's, this was a great chance to ask any questions before I began the internship. As well as this we were allocated a "buddy" who also scheduled a call with me before the internship, this was a great opportunity to have a more open conversation. During the placement there were also plenty events to attend, both work related and social.

We were provided with excel and presentation training which was very helpful, as well as this we were encouraged to seek out, network and shadow individuals in different areas of the company which was a great chance to learn more about the company and the HR stream. As well as this we had an amazing Summer Placement development day which included lots of fun team-building events, it was clear that the company did invest in us.

The future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealing, it is clear that the company really value their graduates. It's also evident that graduates are given great opportunities to experience different areas within HR, as well as being given support, guidance, and projects with value. Additionally the Energy industry is very interesting at the moment with all the challenges energy companies face.

Yes, all south based summer placement students lived within the same university halls at Royal Holloway. This was a great chance to socialise with students across different streams, we all bonded very well and organised several social events. When the weather was nice we all enjoyed pizza and some drinks outside, and every Friday there is always something going on.

As the accommodation was paid for by Centrica, the cost of living was very small. Also there were supermarkets within a 10 minute drive from the halls.

Very little nightlife in the area, apart from a few pubs which closed at 11pm, so we often went to Windsor, however this was a 20 minute cab drive away.

Some opportunities to partake in sporting events.