Sales Support Co-Ordinator Review

I would wake up in the morning and find that I would always be looking forward to the day ahead. My job role had plenty of variety meaning that there was a degree of spontaneity to it, in addition to having the luxury of consistency with my project work.

My team and wider department that I was a part of were all very friendly. They would often ask how I was on a personal level, rather than conversations being restricted within the bounds of work, which was pleasant as it showed that they cared about me. There would often be time for a chat; despite this the work environment remained focused all the same.

My manager gave me daily guidance and support regarding how to run my project. This was particularly helpful as it was large in scale and was large and held a lot of gravity- there were times were I believe I would've struggled without the extra help. When the project gained traction, meetings would be held with myself, my manager and the Exec team to ensure that it was heading in the right direction.

My project was large in scope and open-ended, meaning that there was always something more for me to do. As there were many stakeholders within the project, this meant I was able to speak to many different people- whether they were directly involved with it or providing a basis for research. This would often open new leads for me to explore. In addition to this, there were also some operational tasks / admin for me to complete during down time.

The project I was working on was to have a real world impact once it was to be rolled out. There was a degree of (healthy) pressure as the project's execution was riding on the buy-in from stakeholders. Therefore I had to ensure that the design, development and implementation of my concept was optimised in order to ensure that we would get a decent return on investment. I was officially the owner of the project, presenting to the Exec panel and making my own conclusions and recommendations. This was massively rewarding.

From the get-go, us interns were immediately thrust into training. This included intermediate - expert level skills in Outlook applications, time management and personal effectiveness, business communications, understanding trucks, etc. This was much appreciated as there was a high intake of interns, so I imagine this was a lot of money invested on the whole. I developed skills such as business acumen, sales support, admin, project planning, etc. on the job.

Everyone is very friendly- the business is large so it does depend which department that you are in. Because the Volvo Group has many subsidiaries, there is a lot of variance. I was one of the interns who seemed to have a better experience. I got on well with my team and you are taken seriously despite being a student on placement.

Induction was organised well. Admittedly, my first month with the company wasn't great. My line manager left and so I was moved to a different department- this was fine but the move itself caused some problems as there was some uncertainty. However, this got much better as my project picked up and has been particularly well-organised in the New Year. This allowed me to manage my time better as I always knew what was expected of me.

You can expect to feel a part of the family because they will allow you to attend events that you would expect to be limited to full-time employees! This included a business trip to France within the first 3 months of my placement, a lavish Christmas party and a Conference at the Hilton Hotel in London. All this in addition to online and instructor-led training.

I would like to continue a career with Renault Trucks if it were be possible. However, graduate opportunities are scarce (both with RT and within the Group in general) as there is not a scheme in place and there is not likely to be for at least a couple of years to come. This is because they are investing much more in the placement scheme. I have seen other employees experience good career progression so if I am invited back I would certainly consider a position. Otherwise, I may reapply after I graduate!

There were roughly 25 interns at Volvo Group this year. You spend the first two weeks together, after this the group slowly disintegrates into cliques. This isn't a problem; merely an observation. Semi-regularly the group would arrange to meet up. Create a Whatsapp group so you can all stay in contact with each other. There's a social club and a committee for internal activities which I was a part of.

I'm a Coventry University student, so I stayed in the area and carshared to Warwick every day. The living costs here are lower than average. A lot of the interns live in Warwick together- the prospect of sharing a house is nice but the social scene in Warwick is not very good. However, you can easily commute to Leamington Spa, Coventry or Birmingham which have plenty of nice restaurants, bars, pubs, etc.

As aforementioned- Warwick isn't great, but Leamington Spa, Coventry and Birmingham are only a train ride away, it shouldn't cost you more than £2- £5 !

I didn't get involved in any external activities- there were events held off-site on the occasion.