Digital Marketing & Customer Engagement Operations Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement role at MSD.

I had appraisals throughout the year to review the work I had completed. MSD were very good at recognising the value of work completed and rewarding this.

I would have check-ins with my manager to monitor my progress throughout the year. I set objectives (both personal and professional) at the beginning of the year and these meetings would recognise if I needed support or guidance to complete them. If I ever needed support from my team/manager I could just ask and they were happy to help.

I had a lot of work to complete day to day, however this meant that the day would go very quickly and I was never counting down the minutes. If I ever felt overwhelmed with work, my team would just reallocate it to support me.

I was given responsibilities such as project management, presenting to large audiences and working with global colleagues. I owned the execution of these projects/opportunities and was trusted to deliver.

My presentation skills developed considerably throughout my placement (as a result of practice). This was transferable to other jobs and also my degree. I also gained professional qualifications through the support of my team, which will support my final year projects. My prioritisation, time keeping, communication and project management skills were all improved as a result of my placement.

The office was very open and friendly. You could say hello to anyone from the MD to another placement student - no hierarchy structure.

The placement set out many activities for us to complete throughout the year, including volunteering, manufacturing site visits and soft skills development days.

MSD pushed me towards gaining extra qualifications through my placement. These were opportunities presented by my university, but I was given the time to complete these during 9-5.

The organisation has a keen focus on keeping placement students and bringing them back as graduates. The opportunities within MSD to do this are there if you do well.

There was a good group of placement students (30+). We would go out and socialise on a regular basis.

I lived at home during my placement so the cost was very minimal, however lots of the other students found that the living costs were manageable.

We worked in a town that wasn't very large. It had a couple of pubs and bars, however there was a much busier town only 10 minutes down the road.

There were many different social clubs and sports clubs that you would be able to join. Some activities you would have to travel a little for, but not too far.