Digtial Marketing Assisstant Review

Working at 3M was a fantastic opportunity to put into practise some of the more theoretical sides to by degree. Despite starting in a field that was new to me, the company quickly got me up to speed with a structured course and I became a key member of my extended team. the opportunities presented to me throughout the year made the entire experience not only worthwhile, but also extremely enjoyable.

My colleagues helped me to feel like a valued and equal member of the team from day one. My line manager was happy to oversee my personal development goals, and my direct colleagues were more than happy to offer their expertise and advice to help me understand my knowledge of the industries 3M operates within.

As previously mentioned, my line manager helped oversea my personal development. This included setting quarterly goals, reviewing my key performance indicators, as well as generally helping me to boost my knowledge on the projects we worked on. All in all the support offered was great and the only thing I could have asked for was a clear development plan from day one, however this could not be helped and was due to unforeseen circumstances.

Every day presented new and exciting challenges for me to undertake. As my role developed over time, I found myself increasingly given more responsibility across not only the UK, but for other European markets too. This meant that no two days were alike and I was constantly busy and felt that I had a key role to play in the function of my team.

the level of responsibility I was given was a welcome surprise. My manager was happy to let me prove myself and gave me additional responsibilities that I requested.

I was enrolled on a structured training course on my first day which gave me a great foundation for the type of work I would be undertaking. Throughout the year I was lucky enough to be some of the first people to work with new tolls and programs that meant that I received training and greatly developed my proficiency in using them.

The atmosphere in the office was great. The business attire meant that the office felt professional at all times, but there was certainly room for fun to be had. The open-plan spaces meant that teams can collaborate and for a community within the office. Open communal spaces also meant that you can move around from you desk which is actively encouraged.

Overall my placement was well structured, but could have offered some more specific development opportunities. Throughout the year the entire group of around 25 placement students got together and focussed on different areas of development, whether it be a question and answer session with upper management, or doing volunteering as part of the placement scheme.

As mentioned previously, 3M were very happy to invest the time and money in getting me up to speed with my colleagues and helped me do so from the start. They saw the benefit of having me proficient in numerous systems and tools and very kindly allowed me to suggest some areas of my own training.

The career development at 3M is extremely tempting. Throughout the year you meet people who have spent their entire careers working for the company, but thanks to their diverse product range, have found themselves moving between departments to take on new and bigger responsibilities. Starting out as a placement student is a great first step into this.

All of the placement students were encouraged to get to know one another from the moment we are hired by 3M. There are plenty of opportunities to work together and numerous social activities to get involved with. As we all got to know each other from very early on it was easy to for a small community of students who worked in the office, and we regularly met outside of work too.

Living and working in the Bracknell and Reading area can be expensive. As they both lie on the London commuter belt the rent prices can be quite high especially if you end up renting a house that is last on the Reading student market and can be very pricey. That being said there are good links to and from Bracknell both on public and private transport.

In Bracknell itself there is very little going in terms of nightlife. Most of us placement students went for nights out in Reading, and sometimes London. Again the good train links to the centre of Reading from Bracknell helped with this. The University of Reading also offered cheaper places to drink and socialise.

3M itself has a range of sports and social activities going on. Placement students are encouraged to join or sometimes run these activities and they offer a great place to get to network with colleagues. Bracknell has its own sports and leisure centre, and 3M also offers activities throughout the year at the actual office.