Experiential Marketing Executive Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at PRUK due to the dynamic job role and level of responsibility from the get go. Everyday was different and I've loved meeting every single company employee. Although being an intern, I interacted on both a professional and social level with multiple individuals throughout the business.

I felt highly valued by my colleges, especially towards last 6 months of the placement whereby I was valued enough to be given my own projects to work upon. I loved the company wellbeing sessions (run club/yoga/Pilates) which resulted in developing friendships outside of my department. I also enjoyed being relied upon by colleagues in other departments for support.

I was given a large amount of support by my manager, both within the job role and outside of my set duties. I was encouraged to broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge to other business departments, which I valued as it has given me a thorough understanding of how the business works as a whole.

As I was given a specific project as well as support for my team, my work load varied throughout periods. Towards the start of the role I would have liked to be a little busier, however I was grateful that as my knowledge expanded so did my responsibilities. I also enjoy being busy, so this answer is subjective to my personal preferences.

I was placed upon a project that was closely supported by the Managing Direction of the UK company, and was allowed to direct this project where I saw fit. This ensured that I felt highly responsible for the successful outcome of the project, which I loved, especially as the project is due to be taken forward.

I had already graduated but I feel that the skills learnt at university were greatly practised throughout my placement. Some of the business models varied but they were easy to pick up. It also enabled me to develop key skills which I hadn't developed at university, for example agency and department communication skills.

The Pernod Ricard UK office was always lively - especially in marketing! This was heightened by summer working hours, birthday celebrations (which always included some kind of food and a bottle of champagne) and the hot desking system that the company implements, meaning that you are sat next to a different person every day.

The placement was very well organised. It was my managers first time of managing someone below him, so I felt that he could have had a bit more training on the HR side of things (for example the SMART performance system that determines an individuals bonus) however after a few months this was easily straightened out.

I attended multiple training sessions including communications and on-trade sessions in order to develop personal and business skills. I had signed up to a few sessions which apparently as interns I wasn't allowed to attend without managerial approval, for example bar skills, which would have been nice for both my manager and myself to have been informed about as these would have been beneficial for me to complete, however we were unaware that he needed to send an approval e-mail for enrolment.

There were a few job roles available at my time of leaving, as long as you know where to look for them. If you are a hard worker and know your stuff then both your team and HR will be behind you, if you are not then obviously the company will not invest further. One thing to say is that the company are very fair - they will always go for the individual who fits the job role over their personal preference.

There was a very good social scene amongst fellow placement colleagues. We were all on the same training sessions which was good to bond over, and upon leaving we went for an intern dinner with our managers, which was great fun. I did however have a good social group on my year, and we organised a lot of social and volunteering events between us.

As an 'older' intern (without parental help) it was hard for me to socialise in the bars around the area that we worked in as they were aimed at individuals with a higher income. However, depending on the colleagues that I socialised with, there were a few local parks, which in the summer months we would go to after work. We also worked on a very nice business park, which again was great for some alfresco after work socialising in the sun.

The local area is potentially more suitable for older generations with family. There were some nice pubs/bars but they were not very lively and the prices were quite high. It was always better when a work event was organised in central London, as the night life was much better and our company had deals with certain chains of bars.

We worked on a business park, so if you knew where to look there were lots of sessions running in the local area throughout work hours. The company also held wellbeing sports sessions, and encouraged individuals to participate in volunteering days. We were also allowed to take volunteering leave. All activities were during work hours, however the company encouraged this.