Service Manager Review

I really enjoyed my work placement. My aims for my placement were to gain alot of knowledge and experience within a fast pace business environment. I was given many opportunities both specific to my role e.g. running customer meetings and not specific to my role e.g. assisting with the recruitment process for the 18/19 placement intake.

I felt valued by my colleagues. I was in a position where I was managing a team of people who were much older than me. My colleagues always listened to my ideas and came to me with problems to resolve. I was treated more like a manager/permanent employee rather than a placement student.

I was given a lot of support my management. My manager was always available if I needed support both in work and academically with my degree. No question is a stupid question! At Computacenter the managers understand that the year is for you to grow and develop. The support I had from management at the start has allowed me to grow and develop and feel more confident when using my own initiative when undertaking tasks. We are also given mentors who aren't directly alligned to you, they act as another contact to go to for support allowing you to gain another point of view.

At the start of the placement its more around your understanding of the role and learning how to do your role which means you will be quiet busy. Once you get the swing of things depending your role will have some days which are busy but others which are not. You are given opportunities to increase your work load e.g. taking part in recruitment events. You are also given the flexibility to increase your own workload e.g. initiating improvement projects which will make a big difference.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement. I was running the BAU operations of my account where most days I was the only on site point of contact so the customers would come to me for recommendations, escalations rather than my manager. I was also given control over the monthly billing and invoicing of large quantities of money. Also, I was given opportunities to represent the company e.g. at award ceremonies, careers fairs, interviews.

I believe the skills I developed will definitely assist with my degree and beyond. I improved a variety of skills including team work, work ethic and innovation which will benefit me during my final year at University. I was also given the opportunity to take part in a variety of different training courses e.g. excel, visio, PRINCE2 which will help to increase my employability skills after graduation.

The atmosphere was very fast pace but enjoyable. I work in an office which is mainly hot desks (most staff don't have designated desks) so you got to meet different people every day. The senior staff members (directors) also use hot desks so its a great way to introduce yourself and get your name out there! Everyone in the organisation likes to socialise and is very friendly making the work day enjoyable.

I felt like the company did invest a lot in me. I done research into the type of training courses I wanted to do based on my Personal Development Plan. As a result, for each training I wanted to do I went to my manager and provided justification for why I wanted to do them. On all occasions my manager enrolled me onto the courses which are paid for by the company. As a result , I feel Computacenter like to invest in the young people within the organisation.

I would consider coming back for a job at Computacenter. The company culture is right for me and Computacenter offer a variety of different graduate opportunities which I would be interested in! If you perform well and maintain a good network within the business there are good prospects with coming back after graduation.

Computacenter is a company which picks employees which are a right fit for the organisation. As a result, all of us on placement were very close with eachother and always meeting up outside of work and having a lively group chat. We all had similar interests being students, drinking and eating!! So regularly met up for drinks, clubbing and dinner.

I work in London so the night life is very diverse! There is something for everyone and its not hard to find the cheap places in London, usually those who are from the area will be able to advise in that department. Overall, the nightlife is really fun and enjoyable.

I was given the opportunity to take part in a variety of different activities outside of my day job e.g. shadowing other departments, working with my university to create more awareness of the Computacenter brand run work shops, attending training sessions. The opportunities are endless, if you have an idea which will benefit the business, people within the organisation are willing to listen and if interested take it onboard.