Customer Marketing Executive Intern Review

My year at Pernod Ricard UK was hugely enjoyable. The company is a really fun place to work and the work I was doing really suited my interests and strengths, but equally allowed me to learn so much and develop a number of skills.

All of the work I did during my year was truly recognised not only by my direct team, but also my wider team as well. If you put the work in during your placement, it is definitely recognised and my team were really grateful for how I was able to support throughout the year. In addition, due to the nature of the role, you will find yourself supporting on lots of different projects, which is really motivating

From day one I felt as though no question was a silly one, and super comfortable to ask for help when I needed it. I feel during the year I was supported in a way which developed my ability to manage my workload and manage upwards when I needed to. The regular one to ones I had with my manager also gave me regular face time with her to give me advice and support.

I would say the way in which my workload was managed meant that I was always pretty busy with work, and I would definitely put this down as one of the reasons why I feel I have developed so much in this year. My boss (and other members) of the team would check my capacity, and give me more projects to work on where necessary, as well as ensuring the work I was doing was varied.

I would say one of the reasons I learnt so quickly at the start was because I took on a fair amount of responsibility from day one. It was really nice that my manager and my team trusted my instinct and allowed me to speak directly with customers and take ownership of projects.

The skills I developed at Pernod Ricard are skills that I will definitely use in my career going forward as well as completing my studies at University next year. For example, the number of tasks and thoughts I have learnt to balance during my placement have definitely improved my time management skills, which will help me in my final year. Equally, skills such as communication within a business context (something I wasn't used to prior to the year) have made me much more confident which will stand me in good stead going forward

In general the office was a very vibrant place with lots of energy and positivity on the whole. The people definitely make Pernod Ricard the company that it is and a really fun place to work

The placement was very well organised and I was well aware of what was expected of me, due to clear meetings with my manager to discuss my objectives

I was able to take part in a couple of courses during the year, such as completing my Level 1 WSET wine and spirits training. I would say the learnings I will take away from the year were picked up on the job rather than in formal training sessions, which personally I have no issue with

There are limited opportunities within Pernod Ricard for individuals who have recently graduated from University, and the one role that is (Account Development Executive) is a role which I don't think necessarily suits what I want to achieve within a graduate role. However, there are a few examples of previous Bright Futures Interns who have come back having graduated, demonstrating that there are opportunities if you go after them

The social scene was pretty good amongst the interns and we organised drinks together several times throughout the year. In addition, the company facilitate some amazing events (e.g the Company Conference) which gives you a great opportunity to socialise with your colleagues away from the desk. Due to the nature of this role, I was lucky enough to attend several Gala Dinners and balls throughout the year with customers which were lots of fun too (e.g travelling to Harrogate to attend the ASDA Tickled Pink Ball)

Chiswick is an affluent area meaning that the cost of socialising and rent was high, but this reflects pretty much the whole of London, and you should have the expectation that living here is not cheap. However, due to the company being so great at organising social occasions this does make things easier. With regards to socialising with people on weekends etc outside of work, you will find ways of saving money (e.g buying discounted alcohol in the staff shop and drinking at home) and sharing rent with friends (if you can)

In Chiswick itself, there is the high road which is great for pubs and nice restaurants. In addition, on the business park where the office is located, there are a couple of bars which are a 1 min walk away making them an easy place to get to after work. If you are after a later night out, the tube into London is about 25 mins and there you have much more choice

There are some opportunities outside of work, e.g netball tournaments on the business park against other companies and football once a week. Furthermore, lots of people at Pernod Ricard are members of the Virgin Active on the business park too