Project Manager Review

Fantastic opportunity to drive organisational change, whilst being invested in by senior leaders within the organisation. Whilst on my placement I was given a portfolio of work which was tailored to my previous experience and development needs, to ensure I got as much out of my time as possible. The hardest part of my placement was moving on.

Within the first four weeks of my placement I was being given responsibilities in new areas that interested me, that were seen as high value to the team. My colleagues were continuously supportive, and allowed me to take on whatever responsibilities I found most engaging, whilst providing great feedback and an enjoyable work environment.

From day one my manager provided me with an induction plan which involved meeting all senior stakeholders in my area. My manager booked in regular coaching meetings where I was able to discuss any challenges I had in the role, as well as any opportunities for me to work cross-functionally with the team. Additionally, my manager did a great job of promoting the work I did around the organisation.

Whilst I was never short of work, my regular office hours were between 8:30-17:00. Additionally, I was able to work from home one day a week if I wanted to, and rarely thought about work after hours.

By the end of my placement I was working across almost all areas my team was involved in, with every member of the team. The responsibilities I had taken on were almost entirely different to my initial responsibilities, and a huge step up from my original role. However, I found this very rewarding.

My role gave me lessons in stakeholder management, effective communication, project management, system design and development, user engagement, and change management. I am sure I'll be using all of these to some extent in my future career.

Whilst there was never a quiet moment in the office, I found that the team and other staff were always up for a chat, and football after work always made for great banter during the week.

I think my initial placement was very well organised, however as I grew and developed I ended up doing a lot of work not within the original role, and taking on responsibilities I had never expected to. This was largely a function of my efforts, however, and was a positive change.

By week 2 I was already being sent overseas to get exposure to market engagement workshops despite having demonstrated nothing of value to offer the workshops, purely for my own development and experience.

I am now employed by AstraZeneca in Sydney, Australia

As there were a lot of students and graduates on site, there was always something happening if you were available. The only thing I would have done differently is live closer to the centre of town to be more involved.

Cost of socialising could vary extensively depending on where you went, however it was rarely very cheap.

Depended on how far you were willing to go - Macclesfield was okay, but Manchester was pretty good.

Always - whether it was getting involved in a GBBO evening, playing football, or going into town, invites were broad.