Finance placement Review

My work experience at TJX was extremely valuable. I received great support from my manager, my team and the entire organisation. I spent 12 months in the organisation and had the opportunity to undertake several workshops to develop my skill-portfolio. Additionally, I had the chance to gain a deeper insight of other areas of the business in order to better understand the company’s unique model.

Since the very first day, I have been given great responsibilities and ownership of various areas and projects. Despite the fact that I was a placement student , I have been treated as a ‘normal’ employees. This means I have been awarded for my achievements and had to recognise areas of development.

I always received great support and guidance from my team and my line manager. Precisely, all my questions have been always answered and this lead me to the fully execution of my tasks independently within a very short period of time. Numerous talent workshops and technical trainings were also available to enhance my skills.

On average, I was able to complete my tasks within the normal working time (from 9am to 5pm). Obviously there has been peak period whereby I had to work during the weekend but time off was given after that. Occasionally – twice per week – I finished slightly later than planned (half an hour later).

As previously mentioned, I was given great responsibilities from the very first day and this is one of the things I liked the most about my placement year at TJX Europe. I had full ownership of the E-commerce Income statement and my work was highly valued by the management team and the organisation.

I think the skills gained throughout this year will help me dramatically during my final year at university. Skills like time management, being able to network, being able to communicate and listen effectively and being able to critically analyse the situation have been deeply enhanced and will consequently support my academic and career progression.

The general atmosphere in office was friendly and all my colleagues were extremely supportive. I also enjoyed the open-door policy, hence I was able to interact and network with the leadership team in multiple occasions. Numerous social events and a team building day has occurred to help the teams’ cohesiveness.

Overall the placement was well organised with the exception given to the swap I was told I was going to experience after 6 months from my starting day. The role change took actually place after 8 months spent in one team, so leaving me with only 4 months experience in the second team. I believe next year the option of doing 6 months in a department and 6 months in another one has been removed for organisational reasons.

Numerous HR trainings and workshops were available to boost various skills and talents such as giving and receiving feedback, the importance of listening and communicating effectively, leadership styles and learning cycles, etc. Not all the workshops were actually effective and useful. Technical trainings were also available upon requests (excel, TM1 for example). Generic support was available from the team.

Future employment prospects with the organisations are quite appealing, as it is a growing organisation and they are deeply investing in the development of the graduates and placement students. The hierarchy is rigid at the top, but allows several changes at the early stages of the career. This ultimately lead to a diverse and strong skill-portfolio.

Throughout my placement year numerous social events have been organised for the organisation. Ad hoc team lunches and drinks were organised and strongly helped the process of getting to know people within the team. I think the social aspect is key for this organisation, as the relationships are highly valued by the firm.

Watford is not extremely expensive if compared to London, however socialising and going out in London is unfortunately pricey. Renting in Watford is probably the cheapest option and then eventually spend the weekend in London to enjoy different activities (London and Watford and well connected by train). The Watford social aspect is quite poor.

The night life is quite poor in Watford however it is extremely cheaper when compared to London. I would not live in Watford, yet the rent price is significantly cheaper. The majority of the events I went to where based in London and were great. Generally Watford – London is well connected but trains stop at certain time at night and this can be an issue.

There were not many opportunities outside of work. The majority of the activities I carried out locally involved sports. For the remaining, I had to go to London all the time if I wanted to do something different such as theatres’ shows, musical shows, museums, opera concerts, restaurants, clubs, bars, festivals and markets.