Marketing Assistant Review

I really enjoyed my role during my placement year with Panasonic, due to the variety of tasks I was involved in each month and the number of new environments I experienced. Whilst the work could often be fairly challenging, the environment at work is very enjoyable and I had a good working relationship with my team. I was able to attend a number of events that I was interested in, which enabled me to network largely and create contacts that will become extremely useful in the future.

I felt that my role within the team was definitely appreciated by my colleagues, and that the work I did had a significant impact on the overall performance of the team. I was frequently involved in a number of team-based decisions throughout the year and my input was always valued and considered the same as a normal employee of the business would be. I was praised for good pieces of work I completed, by both ,my team and management.

My team were always very supportive of me throughout the year in terms of giving me help when required, even when they were extremely busy. If I ever wanted to go on a training course or change something about my role, my team were happy to discuss and even encourage this which made me feel very comfortable throughout my 12 months here.

In the busiest parts of my placement year (the large majority) I always had enough work to last me the day and usually more. Even when I had period where my workload was lower than normal, I could always ask my managers if they needed extra work doing and they would find me something to do, which often then became my responsibility to carry on with that task throughout the rest of the year.

I feel that for the first 6-8 months my level on responsibility grew noticeably, as I was gaining more duties each month adding to my workload. Towards the end of the placement, the increases in responsibility slowed down but I think that was due to the fact my placement was nearing its closing stages and there was a limit in terms of how much extra I had time to become responsible for.

I feel the experiences I have gained throughout the year and the training I have received will put me in a very good position going forward, and give me a significant competitive advantage when applying for graduate jobs in the future. This is because of the environment I have worked in for the last 12 months and the multiple opportunities the placement has offered me that I have taken. Compared to 12 months ago, I now feel I have really broadened my skill set and working experiences, something I probably wouldn't be able to do without this placement year.

Towards the beginning of my placement year, the atmosphere within the office was very upbeat. The office was always busy and the general outlook regarding the business was positive. As the placement year went on, the office seemed to become more and more empty a number of full time employees left their roles. I think as the office seemed more empty, the atmosphere deteriorated slightly as it never quite felt that the office was that busy. However, the atmosphere within my department was always fairly positive, and there was always a large deal of interaction within my team which was enjoyable.

The placement set up was fairly well organised throughout the year - particularly the early stages. When I started, my training was already booked for me and all the equipment I needed for my work was ready on my first day. A number of events to help us get settled in were staged and organised well. I think as the year went on, the communication channels could have been improved as there were sometimes circumstances where important communications were not made.

The company, and in particular my team were very encouraging in getting me on training courses in any area that I feel I could do with developing. My manager regularly told me to let him know if there was any training courses I wanted to attend and he was more than happy for me to do this in my normal working hours. The company hold training days regularly throughout the year, so there are always opportunities for you to complete training that you feel will be useful to you.

A number of the current staff (particularly managers) have come back after completing their placement years, including my manager. This shows that the company are willing to employ placement students they feel had a good placement year and are an asset to the business. However, the number of ex students this happens to seems to be shrinking in recent years. So far there have not been any discussions regarding future employment opportunities.

Groups of the students often socialised with each other throughout the year, and there were a number of nights out that took place. There is not my encouragement from the company to organise social events between students which could be improved as students are left to do this themselves, which for some of the more shy students may be difficult. However, there are plenty of opportunities to socialise with students throughout the year if you want to.

Compared to where I am at university, the cost of living and socialising is significantly higher. Costs of socialising are very similar to London, where as rent is cheaper than London prices but still above average. As the area is so close to London, prices are higher compared to more Northern areas of the country. Travelling to and from work was not a problem as we lived in reasonably close proximity of the offices.

The nightlife in reading/Bracknell was very average, despite there being a large student population. However, living here you are very close to areas such as London which are significantly better for a night out. This meant I did not often go out in Readign as I had friends in London, and getting to and from there was very easy. There are still plenty of places to go out in Reading/Bracknell to keep you occupied.

Aside from socialising with other students and work events/trade shows, the opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work were fairly restricted, There were a few team meals/nights out within the year, but aside from that people did their own thing outside of work. I do not necessarily think this was a bad thing as it allowed you to get away from the working environment and do what you want.