Product & Promotions Coordinator Review

A truly enjoyable placement year experience, the job role was very diverse allowing me to gain skills from many different business areas. I was given real job responsibility with challenging tasks and projects at times which has allowed me to grow and develop. This year at Volvo Group enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and make a difference.

The working environment with my colleagues has always been a positive one. My work has always been appreciated and I did get the credit for the work I had accomplished. I was always classed as a member of the team and not an intern, which made me feel appreciated and valued.

My manager has taken a lot of time to provide a thorough training and let me get comfortable with the tasks before leaving me to do them independently. Therefore it has been a smooth journey into the role. Although at times I have found certain projects challenging, I knew there is always support available to get me through the most challenging tasks.

The extent to which I was busy on a daily basis varied quite a lot due to the nature of my job role. Depending on projects and queries I had to learn to leverage tasks and prioritise. At times I could have been less busy or more busy, so finding the balance took some time.

I felt like I was given a lot of responsibility which exceeded the expectations I had before starting the placement. The responsibility grew steadily as my time at Volvo progressed which kept me interested in my job and excited to accomplish the given tasks/ challenges. Looking back, I would have never thought I would achieve the things I have during this year at Volvo.

The training and skills I gained this year will play a big role in my final year in terms of now being very confident in using Excel, talking to people, presenting my ideas and paying attention to detail. I have noticed a big improvement in these skills having completed my placement. I believe the experience I have gained is extremely valuable and will be a great asset for when I come to figuring out what my next career steps should be.

General atmosphere in the office has been friendly and welcoming. Everybody seems to get on well and socialise when appropriate.

I think the placement was very well organised in terms of structure, times and 2 week internship induction package. I found the induction very interesting learning all about the truck industry which was new to me at the time. We had a few review sessions which helped to look back and reflect on our experiences so far and things we would like to achieve before we leave.

I was given on-going training by my manager who always introduced me to new tasks. Therefore the training has always been on-going and I was always asked what kind of further training I would like to receive. As well as that I was enrolled into 3 different training courses including Excel intermediate, advance and Personal Effectiveness & Time Management courses. these courses have proved useful in my placement and will surely be a great asset for my final year of studies.

The organisation is very appealing to return to and work for in the future, depending on available opportunities. The organisation is very welcoming, diverse and has a lot to offer in terms of career progression and personal development. Although it is a big corporate company, you always feel valued as a team member.

At the beginning of placement, especially during the two-week induction period all placement students were well connected and kept in good contact. Although it felt like the social side slowly drifted out and there weren't any regular social activities happening. although there are opportunities to work with other interns from different departments and to meet up during review sessions.

The cost of living and socialising in Warwick was quite high personally. This is due to rent rates and the travel required to get to anywhere.

There is not any night life in Warwick - Leamington Spa is the closest call.

Volvo does provide opportunities to get involved in other activities outside of work such as charity events and fundraising. One which I took part in was the Tough mudder WOLF RUN which Volvo had invited me and around 30 other employees to take part in. We all very much enjoyed it as it was well organised and this gives an example of one of the many events you can take part in whilst at Volvo.