Accounting and Reporting Analyst Review

I mostly enjoyed working as part of the Accounting/Finance team. Since my role was a rotational role it meant that I was able to gain experience in various roles within the Finance department. I felt that this was really good because it provided change, provided more challenges to face and led me to learn more about different parts of finance and accounting. The main negative aspect of the placement was that the first couple of months were very slow.

I felt that I was valued pretty highly by most of my colleagues. I was given quite a lot of responsibility, responsibilities that full time Staff similarly had. There were occasions where I was given tasks to do, which I felt were given to me because no one else wanted to do them, however this was not often at all. There were some tasks that I never got involved with that I felt I could have completed. Despite this, I was trusted very highly with my tasks.

For the first couple of months I was not given much guidance. However, after this period, I was moved to a different team in which I was provided with a lot more support. I had a 'mentor' throughout my Placement who taught me several things and helped me whenever I needed help. My manager was also very helpful. A lot of learning was on the job so although guidance was given, I was given a lot of autonomy.

This fluctuated throughout the month, but in general, once I got into my role I was fairly busy most days. Month end was was the busiest period, as well as in the middle of the month where reviews and subsequent review meetings were held. I was also given a project that I was fully responsible for that kept me busy for a few months. Again, I had many days for the first couple months where I had nothing to do at all, but this changed after moving into a different team. I would like to have had some more things to do some days but most of the time I had a good workload.

As I have stated in my previous answers, I was given a good amount of responsibility. I was responsible for my own project that I handled for a few months, moreover, I had lots of other responsibilities within the different teams I was in. In some aspect, I felt that I could have been given some more responsibility, since for some tasks, I was not being involved in at all, although I could have been. I felt that I could have had more responsibility at month end too.

This year has taught me many things about the way a business operates. It has also allowed me to develop and improve many skills such as Communication, Leadership, Evaluation, Analysis and Attention to detail. I have also gained and improved technical skills in things such as SAP and Excel. This will definitely help in any future roles I may have and hopefully also assist in my final year of my degree.

The atmosphere was a lot more chill than I expected. My team went on a couple of tea breaks throughout the day where we would just chat and socialize. Being in the finance department,, the atmosphere could be quite serious and quiet sometimes. However, everyone was friendly and the team could have fun.

The organisation of the placement could have been improved. HR was very slow to communicate any details at the start of the placement, such as what would happen on arrival and induction etc. My manager for the first couple of months was also very unorganized, they seemed to not know what to do with me or have any work for me to do. This did improve.

As indicated beforehand, a lot of learning was on the job. Nonetheless, I was still given a lot of help and support. For instance, I was provided a basic Accounting recap/training session and help in using SAP. I was also given various Self-learning modules when I started, which I did not find particularly useful as it was not the most practical. It was whilst performing the various tasks when I learned the most.

Future employment prospects within Sony Finance appear high. I have a good relationship with my manager as well as my team. I have been told on multiple occasions that I am a valued member of the team and believe that I would be offered a job with them if I were to return.

Yes definitely. Among the other placement students we would socialize together all the time. We would have lunch together every day and also chill in the "Fun Room" where we would play Pool/Table Football. Occasionally at the weekend we would go out as a group. After SPY (Sony Placement Year students) days we would also hang out together.

I lived in Weybridge, Surrey for the duration of my placement sharing with a couple of other interns. Surrey is not the cheapest area. House sharing definitely helps. However, Weybridge is only a 25/30 minute train ride away from London, so you can easily head in on the weekends. Also save on transport costs to work as there is a free shuttle bus we catch.

Nightlife in Weybridge is pretty non-existent. However, the surrounding areas of Guildford and Kingston, which are not too far away, are student areas which have a much livelier nightlife. London is also not very far and as is well known, nightlife in London is highly active.

Yes there were some opportunities. My team, as well as the whole finance department, would ofte organise socials such as bowling or going out for a meal. I would like to have had more opportunities to do sports but these were limited in Weybridge.