Product Manager, Chamber Solutions Service Review

Pretty great opportunity. I came from a slightly obscure background (geology), and was able to find a place in the engineering and sales department of Atlas Copco in the UK. I have enjoyed the work, the people, the learning opportunities, as well as the travelling for work (last 6 months of the placement was abroad, I spent my time in the Bay Area in California!). I really enjoyed my work placements.

I think as a company, Atlas Copco really values new talent. There have been many opportunities in my placement that my colleagues have encouraged me with work, provided support, and generally made me feel like part of the team. I felt that my feedback and opinions on not only my specific projects, but the business as a whole were taken seriously, and that if I had good suggestions, they were incorporated by management.

This is an interesting question. I feel like the support I was given by management and supervisors was top class - my ideas and suggestions about my personal development and work were taken very seriously and I had good contact time with my line managers and supervisors. The guidance is a tricky one with respect to management, as much of the guidance (be it development or work related) I received has been peer to peer, rather than through my direct management. However, I'm sure if I'd asked for guidance from any one of my managers, they would have been happy to spend some time and talk with me.

It varies. I have had a total of 4 placements with Atlas Copco, and not all of them have been as busy as others. As I mentioned, the work varied, management was very helpful, but it can be difficult to fill your day when you only have a "one stream" kind of project. Several of my projects were quite busy, filling my day well, but unfortunately, other projects were lacking in some bulk. I believe that Atlas Copco (as with any company) has lots of work for placement students to do, but the projects need to be better thought out, to ensure placement students have more than one task to do in a 6 month period. I think a good way to do that would be to provide several projects, with different goals and objectives to provide varied learning opportunities as well as a chance to change the work if you get stuck on a problem for a while.

Again, this is an interesting question. The placement I was on is designed as management training (or sorts), so to get appropriate managerial experience in the time frame requires a certain level of responsibility. This is quite hard to do when you start, as you know very little about the system. However; saying that, I feel like there was a good balance of responsibility. When I started, I was given responsibility of decisions that affected my immediate work load and how I wanted to conduct the work. Later on, I was given the opportunity to do one of my placements as a product manager, which gave me a lot more responsibility. I think this is a good system, as it ensures we have adequate knowledge of the company before we are given responsibility. I have been provided adequate support for the product management role, and have really enjoyed the challenge it's posed.

I think if you intend to get a job after university, it is vital to understand how a company operates. As a first step, talking to people, understanding what the company wants, and how they hire, will better enable you to have successful interviews. The second step is that knowing how to work a full 9 hour day, and understanding how to be productive with your work. The skills I have developed, and the training I have received have given me better discipline with my work, better enabled me to really understand what I'm trying to achieve, and have let me manage my time much better. It give you a good base for a good work ethic.

My office is like a small family. I've worked in several different offices during my placement, and all have had good atmospheres. My colleagues are all friendly, helpful, and (mostly) relaxed. Interestingly, all of them have had different atmospheres. Some more laid back, other more focused. I've not felt unhappy in any of the offices I've worked in.

As I joined for the first year of the placement, there were some teething problems, but over all the placement was organised pretty well. It was important for me to ask for things I needed (which I know can be hard if you are unsure about your exact role, or what you're entitled to), and each time I was met with positive assurances and help. As I've mentioned in previous comments, the quantity and variety of work could have been better, but I think if you ask for more work, someone will give it to you!

Atlas Copco was very good with training and investing in me. From the start, I had the option to be supported throughout my chartership, numerous placement training sessions, as well as specific job training sessions. If you believe you need training on something, mention it - it's likely the company will have some training already in place.

I have accepted a positions as product manager. The idea of the placement is to create opportunities to learn, and to meet teams that you may want to work for in the future. The company has invested in me, and as a result, I have been able to connect with several departments and managers to enquire about future jobs and roles. Several roles I looked at were located internationally, so if you're happy and willing to travel, a lot more opportunities open up to you in the company.

Absolutely. I have made some very good friends among my colleagues. There is a good intake of placement and industrial placement students. The company encourages training and socialising, and because we generally start at the same time, it is possible to connect well straight away. Several of my placements have happened because the other placement students have suggested it to me and their line managers. We also try and get together outside of work often. If there are big events in the area, we normally go as a group.

The first placement was just outside North London. I chose to live in North London which was quite pricy. My commute was a 30 minute drive. socialising was mostly in London, so quite expensive again. My second placement was in Sussex, so a mix of London and Brighton. Again, the South East is quite expensive, but not impossible. My final placement was in Silicon Valley, California, which was incredibly expensive. Fortunately, the cost of my accommodation was covered by Atlas Copco, and I was paid a "Per Diem" to cover the increased living expenses.

London has great night life, as does Brighton, and Silicon Valley. I think it's important to choose where you live (within your budget) so that you can get a good balance of social/work/commute. Having the other placement students in the same area really helped as we often would go to someone's house instead of out to the city.

Absolutely. Any city you live in has those opportunities. I have been involved in a number of different sports clubs, gyms, and charities. Work even has groups that get together outside work, like the football club, or the mountain biking club. Just choose a hobby that you like, and you'll find an opportunity to get involved with it.