Marketing Assisstant Review

I really enjoyed my placement at 3M. I was able to shape my placement to what interested me, and I was given the opportunity to explore a lot of ideas that I had, which had not previously been done in my division. I would definitely recommend this placement to anyone looking for one in marketing!

I always felt valued by my team. I was never made to feel like a placement student, I was just part of the team. I was often in the position to make decisions for the division and they often asked me for my opinion on situations and my response was always considered.

I had an incredible manager! I had quarterly reviews and bi weekly catch ups - however we worked quite closely so any issues I had wouldn't have to wait long to be resolved. I was encouraged to do all possible voluntary work and development that I could so \I could make use of all 3\m had to offer.

You are always busy at 3M, but that's kind of part of the culture. I had work that I did regularly, and a lot of coordination but also the opportunity to do any extra project work that would benefit the business as long as I could find time for it. There was never a time where I had nothing to do and I was often very busy.

I was very surprised by the level of responsibility I had at 3M! I was solely responsibly for managing our relationship with an number of external companies, our end user marketing and our digital presence. This also gave me the opportunity to change and improve the way things were done.

I was a part of a number of training programmes which have given me skills for life, and also good personal development. I am much more confident, driven and organised than I was before my placement. I think a lot of skills I have learned will be hugely beneficial when I am working in the future too.

3M has a good general atmosphere. There is a culture of people who want to help you and offer there time. However it is a little understaffed so often people are under a lot of pressure - it does mean everyone has more responsibility which I do not think is a bad thing, especially as a student who wants to get as much experience as possible.

I had a fast track application with my university to the application process for me was very simple and organised. During my placement, there was a lot of structured events and training specifically for students which was good. There were also placement team work projects we completed in the year. In terms of my role, I was able to shape it to what I wanted to do, however there was still a lot of work I was expected to do as part of my job regardless of what I decided to proactively do.

I attended a lot of training sessions at 3M, some of which were for all marketers, some were for students and some were just for my division. I also volunteered at a lot of 3M events and the sports and social clubs which 3M funds. I also had a development plan which I completed with my manager through the year so I was sure about what I wanted to get out of my time there.

There is no grad scheme which is a shame because I would have liked to have been offered a job at the end of it. At your exit interview they do record if you would like to come back, but it is not a guarantee and just depends if a job comes up. I would like to go back if I was given the opportunity.

Yes, there was often nights out and opportunities to go out together. A lot of us lived together so that helped too. There were also a lot of 3M events that everyone was invited to like Christmas and Summer party. Overall I think it was pretty good for students and the wider 3M

It depends where you go. As it is quite close to London if you wanted to go there it would cost a lot. There isn't much to do in Bracknell so everything is mostly in Reading which is where a lot of the students and 3M staff live. I think the cost was ok considering how close to London you are.

Reading has decent nightlife. There is a lot of choice and a lot of students from the uni in term time too. I wouldn't say it is an area known for it's nightlife but it was good while on placement. It also had a lot of student deals which is good, and getting in and out of town is cheap too.

I didn't look for any outside of 3M. In 3M there is the BSSC (Bracknell sports and social club) and involved a lot of clubs like netball, football, rugby, book club etc which anyone at the brakcnell office could join. Reading has quite a lot going on though so if you wanted to do something specific you could probably find it.