Bid Co-ordinator Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Hays. It has been a great learning experience and I have obtained industrial awareness and skills that I can take forward with me into my final year of university. From the start everyone was really friendly and I have had a great time working with my colleagues.

I have felt very valued during my time at Hays. When I have been delegated work from my colleagues they have always been very thankful and also supportive if I need help. This can also been shown when I am completing work for someone internally they often send emails or phone me to say thank you.

During my first week at Hays I was trained by the previous intern as well as my manager. I was also given online training to complete where there was a test at the end. My manager was incredibly helpful and would always show me what to do when I needed help.

There was always work for me to complete on a daily basis. When there were times when I had less on and had some free time I would ask my colleagues and email the team to ask if they needed help or support with anything. They would often come back with some support they needed so there was never a time where I was twiddling my thumbs!

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement year. I was treated like a fellow member of the team. My responsibility grew during my time at Hays. Often members of the team would ask me to provide bid support and I got more involved in the overall process which was really interesting.

During my internship I have picked up an array of industrial knowledge and improved my excel skills. In terms of theory and my business modules these were not really touched on during my time at Hays. However, I have massively improved on my written and spoken communication skills which will help me during group work.

The general atmosphere in my office was good. It was very lively with the phones ringing and often hear people on the phone. Members of our team who worked in other offices would often come down to visit which was good and we would have meetings generally once/twice a month.

The set up was very good. Once I had applied I was emailed by an internal recruiter and had a phone conversation with her which was very useful. This was followed up by a phone interview with my manager and then a face to face interview with him and the current intern at the time.

I was fully trained in the first week by the current intern and my manager. We would often go on conference calls which would be run my internal members of staff. Within these I further developed my industrial knowledge as I would learn what we do in each of our specialisms and the current markets. I also learned about the importance of technology in the recruitment industry and how it was changing the sector which was really interesting.

There is an opportunity to work your way up in the Hays organisation. There is a clear organisational structure.

The social side was really good. Our team would go for drinks every Thursday and there would be the odd team night out. There was also a Christmas and summer party where hundreds of Hays colleagues would come. There was often a quiz night too which was really enjoyable and I got to get to know my colleagues a bit better which was great.

The cost of living and socialising in London is very expensive. I would not of been able to afford to live in London so I commuted from home, but even then my travel was very expensive. Whenever we went out on social nights I was often shocked by some of the prices of drinks.

The nightlife was great. There is thousands of places to go in London and no where is far away from each other which is really good. I really enjoyed working in London and went to great places to eat and drink with my colleagues. There was an array of great places to grab lunch at close to my work which was good.

As mentioned the social side was good. In terms of activities there was a quiz night every month or so which was good and we did have a few team night outs. There could of been more activities and nights out though as they were really good and it is a great way to get to know your colleagues a bit better.