Customer Insight Placement Review

I really enjoyed it overall. I felt that the company was very supportive of us all which meant that I enjoyed it more as I was given responsibility and I was challenged, but within reasonable limits, so I never felt out of my depth or abandoned. There was the chance to get involved in lots of extra activities, e.g. visiting customers in their homes and insight sessions with other managers, so I could do a range of things to keep me busy and interested

I felt very valued by my colleagues, as I was working on a project which I managed, and they gave me tasks which I was able to deliver. This meant that I could really see the impact that I had had on the project and could see what I had contributed. They also included me in team lunches and drinks etc., and I was invited to any of the leaving drinks people were having (even when I hadn't worked with the person before!), which made me feel welcomed as a colleague despite only being there a short while.

I was given a lot of support by my line manager. I had objectives from the outset so I knew what I was working to achieve during my placement, and we had regular meetings to review my progress so I knew I was on track. Also had a graduate talent manager who was very supportive, keeping in touch regularly and we had a formal mid-placement review.

I was reasonably busy, some days I had lots of meetings. I enjoyed the busy days but sometimes I felt that I was trying to find things to do which I didn't enjoy as it made me feel a bit useless. Also can be hard to schedule things nicely, I either had several hours straight in meetings or had a full day free!

Quite a lot, I was managing a project and had responsibilities, but I was still working within a team and my manager was overseeing what I was doing as well as other projects. I would be left to deal with things so was very responsible in some respects, but also had people observing what I had done, and they could help when necessary so I never felt alone.

I think they will help me in many ways. Firstly, my experience with different programmes and softwares, e.g. setting up meetings and organising Video Conferences. Although the software will naturally vary depending on the organisation, I feel that it will be useful to me in the future as I will adapt more easily to the technology in a new company. Also, project management skills, such as managing people and keeping them motivated and on task will help me in whatever project I am working on in the future. The people skills I have developed when learning how to get the best out of people will be useful in all areas of work. Also, my time management and organisation skills have been developed which will help me in the future when I am studying, as I have had to manage multiple projects and tasks and get everything done for varying deadlines. This will help me when I have multiple essays to write, or when I have conflicting tasks and responsibilities.

It was very positive overall. The atmosphere was fairly lively and people would chat about their weekend etc. The office had a hot desking policy which was good in that it meant you could get to know different people, but most people sat in the same or a very similar space, and it made getting in a bit stressful as I would worry that if I was late I wouldn't find a desk!

Very well organised. We had a graduate buddy who spoke to us before we started and answered any questions, and had a phone call with our line manager before starting as well. The placement started with an induction day to give us an insight into the company and introduce us to the other interns, which was good to help us settle in.

A lot, we had training days, such as an excel training session with some analysts, which was very useful. We were also encouraged to attend some of the graduate development events, such as an agility challenge where we thought of new ideas for the company and presented them. We had clear objectives which we chose so could focus on developing the areas we wanted to.

Very appealing, I will be applying for the graduate scheme to work here next year! I understand the graduate scheme and it is very appealing, as we have 3 rotations across the 2 years and the current grads are very happy. I am unsure whether I will be offered a graduate scheme, but will find out in September and know the process for applying so am clear on what I need to do.

There was a very good social scene amongst the interns as we all lived together in the accommodation provided, which meant that we all made friends very quickly. The social scene with colleagues was reasonable, there was a summer social while we were there and we had some team lunches and drinks.

It was quite an expensive area, but cheaper than London! Also we were provided with accommodation which made it easier to socialise as we were all in the same place. There was a Tesco and a Sainsbury's near where we lived so the food was reasonably priced, making the cost of living okay. The cost of socialising was fairly high as it was near London and a wealthy area, but still reasonably affordable.

Very little nightlife in the area, other than a pub and some bars. However, we could travel to Windsor which did have some nights out, and it wasn't far to London so we could go there if we wanted a good Nightlife scene! Some people went on nights out in London if they wanted to.

Yes, my team invited me to play badminton with them. Also you could find groups which interested you through Yammer. I think the gym offered quite a few classes which could also lead to activities. My manager was happy to help point me in the direction of particular activities. I felt that we were busy with work and making friends so did not need more.