HR Assistant Review

I throughly enjoyed my time at Vauxhall, I worked on some insightful tasks, worked with some inspiring people and feel that I enhanced my professional development as well as my personal development. I met some fantastic friends who I stay in close contact with to this very day. I would fully encourage students to undertake a work placement.

With such a big base of undergraduates and apprentices at Vauxhall, I never felt alone. I felt like there was someone I could approach and discuss any issues or queries I had at any point in time. Within the first month I was invited to several department meals and even wedding! The mentoring programme saw me being paired with a director of the company, who helped me prioritise certain aspects of my role and gave me pointers for later graduate life!

My manager was an inspirational character, who fully believed in teaching, practicing but then believes you are fully capable to be autonomous at these tasks. I was given a lot of responsibility from the word go, and even had a change of manager 4 months in. My new manager was unfamiliar with a lot of the processes and specifics which were required, and I feel if there were a more effective handover between previous and current manager, then my manager would have been able to direct me a little better. Never the less, I feel like my new manager grasped his new role and made it his own, teaching me new things at every step of the way.

My role was very repetitive on some tasks (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly), so I was able to develop and improve the processes and methods by which these tasks were completed. However there were a lot of times where I felt like the larger tasks which would take several days or even weeks, could have been a little more planned and prepared for. There were occasions where I had to stay behind later, but I felt like these experiences were a true reflection of what real graduate life will be like, putting in the extra hours to meet tight deadlines!

From completing simple files, to talking to European Directors, my role was so vast and the responsibility given meant that I have developed a great network all across the company. I was accountable for several time critical and payroll critical tasks, which meant a lot of pressure but a hell of a lot of satisfaction when done correctly. I was involved in every area of the HR function at Vauxhall, with opportunities to expand my horizons through shadowing opportunities.

I feel that the interpersonal skills which I enhanced during my time on placement are standing me in a better position this year back at university. I can effectively manage a team of students on group projects, manage the timeline of projects and deal with any conflicts between team members. I have several examples of workplace experience to take back to my academic writing, making my final year work slightly easier knowing I can call upon any of these experiences to use as case studies in my work.

From Wimbledon parties, Great British Bake Offs and regular afterwork drinks, there was a pleasant atmosphere in the office from my perspective. The team which I had the pleasure to work with really made my time at Vauxhall special. Sure there were times when everyone felt the pressure of the workload and really needed to buckle down, but overall there were key characters in the office who made each day feel special and enjoyable.

The placement scheme at Vauxhall is very well structured. A solid 2-4 week handover with previous undergraduates means that you will enter your role with a much better idea of the role and the expectations from the business. Mentor schemes mean you will be partnered with an employee from a different area of the business so you receive a holistic view of the company and inter departmental operations. Who Am I Presentations allow for your department to understand more about you as a person and what you plan to do during your placement.

During the handover process, we were all trained in presenting, excel and dignity at work. Colleagues around the department would regularly take time to show you about their role and how your actions affect their work. They regularly passed on information regarding external training and development opportunities.

Whilst I truly enjoyed my time at Vauxhall, and wouldn't change it for the world, I do feel that I need to expand my horizons in terms of seeking opportunities with other companies. This doesn't mean to say that I would not return to Vauxhall after exploring other opportunities. I am aware of people who have been offered graduate employment based on their performance over the placement year.

There was a great network between the undergraduates and apprentices. With opportunities organised by work to go away for a week and work on behalf of the company, to private organised ski trips, there was never a boring weekend within our community.

Being from the North, I am used to a lot cheaper way of living compared to Southern prices, however this does not stop you from exploring London, hitting the driving range or exploring other areas of Bedfordshire. There is always something going on around the area, with rent being quite low for Southern life, you will find there is some disposable income to spend or save.

Being only 20 minutes away from London City Centre, it was very assessable for a night out, with trains running till very late (or very earlier in the AM for the brave ones). The surrounding areas were very appealing for decent nights out, including Batchwood Mansion, a party house in the middle of the countryside.

The internal comms department kept us all up to date with all the local activities, not all of which were organised by work. I personally joined in with badminton, football, golf, footgolf, go karting and even skiing at Milton Keynes! We regularly held poker nights involving several of the undergraduates and apprentices.