Junior Insight Executive Review

I had a blast! Was working on real time projects within an experienced team, so felt supported despite being given lots of autonomy. Had the opportunity to attend a variety of workshop sessions as well as get around different areas of the business. I was given the opportunity to develop existing and untouched skills, such as data analytics and presenting.

From my Customer Experience colleagues, I was made to feel like an integrated member of the team, and that my work was providing genuine value. The larger team environment was welcoming, yet in terms of feeling valued, I did at times feel disconnected and therefore was under the assumption that I was underperforming in their eyes. This could have been a result of my projects not involving those team members, and therefore them being unaware of my personal contributions/ work ethic.

My managers were outstanding. From the start, I was entrusted with challenging objectives, which gave me initial confidence to meet their expectations. Of course, I encountered personal obstacles, but they were more than willing to manage my inexperience in a constructive and thus confidence building manner. They guided me through the process as a new employee, and I thus felt respected, and wanted to work hard for them. I therefore ended up taking a huge amount from the experience.

I arrived at the office usually at 8:30 and would never leave before 5pm, and would often stay till 6. At times, workloads were less than at others, but this is how an agile working environment operates, and the fact that I had overlapping working projects meant that I always had something to get on with/ a meeting to attend.

I was given the responsibility of leading an unprecedented piece of work within my department. A Half Year 1 Review that went up to the top of the higher Leadership Team. This required managing a supplier (4/5 individuals) as well as collaborating with my entire team. I was also asked to compose and present my own customer experience reporting piece to stakeholders. These were autonomous tasks that carried my name to them on completion.

In terms of assisting in my degree, I am now a more confident presenter and also see the value in making the most of any educative environment. Whether that be through networking better at university/ in my career and taking advantage of collaborative projects. The analytical skills I have advanced will be very useful in assisting with literature projects. The time management skills I have developed will need to be incorporated into a more self-motivational working environment at university.

My office was agile and lively at all times. It was never silent however I never felt distracted, which was a perfect balance for me. I could go up and ask anyone a question, and we were encouraged to reach out the stakeholders to elevate the variety of knowledge we could take from the experience.

The internship was very well structured throughout. We were given a clear structure from the beginning to set out expectations. There were organised sessions on Excel functionality/ team building/ presentation workshops ,etc. which were ideally placed at different point of the placement. I could easily reach out to the placement organisers with issues/ requests and be responded to efficiently.

I felt that the company was just as much investing in me as I was investing myself in the experience, itself. The support network of my team were highly responsive and constructive when I asked for feedback. I had weekly catch up sessions with my manager/s to voice my opinions/ concerns which made my development. I received great support from grads and talent managers throughout the placement, giving up their previous time to ensure I felt than I was developing my skills and didn't feel out of place.

I have taken a real interest in asking around the business about what certain roles require, and what it might require to be allocated such a role. It hasn't been my focus to understand the possibility of a future full time employment prospect at the company outside of the grad scheme, which I am greatly interested in. I have invested a lot of time into understanding its benefits which are very appealing to me.

The social scene was amazing. Most of the interns were provided accommodation 10 mins (drive) from the offices, so it was like being at university halls during the placement. I had a great time socialising with like-minded people and would say this was one of the best things about the work placement that might not be the case at other large companies.

We were provided free accommodation, and therefore my only living costs were toiletries and food. The area of Windsor had average night life, but was quite expensive, and going into London to socialise was costly. The drinking establishments in the near by area were the same price as I would expect back home.

The club scene wasn't particularly good near Royal Holloway University. The closest club, Atik, was okay but quite expensive on entry (there was a Spoon opposite which was appreciated). We ended up going to London a few times, yet the travel costs were high and it took over an hour to get there and a lot longer to get back.

I went home most weekends to see family/ friends and play cricket for my local club, but enjoyed going to Thorpe Aqua Park with other interns. I enjoyed being part of charity events, yet they were tied to work. Lots of eating out (nice places to eat at) and bars in Staines.