HR Coordinator Review

It gave me the opportunity to gain insight into a very different logistics operation within one of the industry’s leading corporations. I was lucky enough to be involved in a project, involving a new business venture for DHL which was very fast paced and exciting. While I was positioned in HR, which isn’t where my previous experience lies, I gained knowledge and understanding of this new work area.

As part of my introduction in my first few weeks, I sat in on the weekly workstream lead meeting aiding my understanding of the project as a whole. The project nature meant the team was well bonded, despite new team members joining regularly. At times however given my position it was hard to communicate with managers who had decision-making powers which I needed answers to in order to progress with my own work. I guess this was due to the project nature, which meant there was always a lot going on.

I always felt I could approach my supervisor and other team members, especially within the HR team. I found them easy to communicate with in person, via telephone and email. At the beginning, I felt, while I didn't have a formal induction, that the information provided was at a good pace and I picked up things quickly.

At the beginning, there was little for me to do, partly due to me requiring a work laptop and email address to be set up. Once that was set up the workload increased steadily, but evenly I worked with another colleague to get tasks completed. However, there were times when (probably due to the project nature) I had to be more flexible with my working hours.

I was one of a team of four on the HR project team. I was responsible for maintaining various documents and update colleague communication boards with updated information weekly. Roughly halfway through my placement, I was dedicated a specific project (which although didn't necessarily 'fit' in HR I found rather interesting). This project took up a fair amount of time, and due to it being time sensitive meant my workload shifted and I had assistance from other team members.

There is no denying working for the industry leaders had boosted my skills and enhanced my CV. A number of skills have been enhanced and will aid studying further (especially time management, communication, and organization). While working in HR has not persuaded me to enter this sector, I have confirmed I do wish to work in the logistics/supply chain sector; and perhaps even DHL.

The office was a temporary base due to the project nature. As a result of the nature of the project, the office space was flexible with people always coming in and out and meetings taking place. Despite wearing smart office wear, the general atmosphere was quite casual and could be quite chatty, which made it seem rather relaxed. Although, the pressure could be turned on when required.

Obtaining my placement wasn't through an official advertisement and application process. At the beginning, I was waiting for my work laptop and email address to be set up which prohibited my engagement at the start. Once that was up and running, the organisation was pretty good. It was easy to communicate with my supervisor and other members of the team; which was quite important in my role.

While I didn't have any official personal training and development I learnt a lot from just being around the other team members and the general operation. Of course, team members would always be available if I had questions or queries, and from using Excel on a daily basis I learnt a lot of tips and tricks from my colleagues.

I was lucky enough to work alongside current graduates on the DHL scheme, of whom I was able to talk to about their experiences of the scheme. As part of the process of me gaining the placement, I spoke with the Graduate Talent Manager who I have since reopened the line of communication to ask any questions I have about DHL Graduate Scheme. I will have to undergo the normal application process, but being able to talk about my previous experience within DHL will be fantastic.

I obtained my placement not through a traditional application process, as at the time I believe DHL didn't offer summer placements. I think they do offer industrial and graduate scheme, which have a social scene with fellow students but I was the only placement student. DHL colleagues - due to the project nature everyone was fairly busy, although there was a planned social night, but this was unfortunately planned in after I left and likewise I know they will celebrate when the project is complete.

This was a summer placement and I lived at home and commute to Gatwick Airport each day by train. I was lucky enough to have a student railcard (16-25 railcard) which discounted my travel, but unfortunately, it still cost over £15 a day to commute there every day. Per day I didn't think that was too bad, but doing that for over 10 weeks, the cost really add up. Fortunately, I did get paid for my time.

This was a summer placement, so I lived at home and commuted every day by train. I was based at Gatwick Airport, which is a hard place for social activities. I do know, however, that the graduates who were working there lived in Three Bridges and they found the nightlife and area they lived in really good, especially as they were living with other fellow graduates.

I was only there for the summer so it was hard to get fully engaged. Likewise, because my placement involved a project, with a GO LIVE date, everybody was firmly concentrating on that. Once the site is fully operational and a normal site I would guess there would be more of this kind of thing one going. Also because I was on the only summer placement student this probably made this more difficult.