eCommerce Intern Review

The diversity of experiences I had during my internship was great. I had a chance to get involved with many different facets of the business, and many of the different teams which make up the UK team. Everybody was very welcoming and equally willing to fill me in on their role in Adobe's European framework. I loved learning about the governmental liaison, the marketing, eCommerce and data analysis teams! Lots of variety and a vibrant, friendly workplace.

I was welcomed very warmly when I first arrived, and was greeted as an intellectual equal which was nice. Each person I spoke to had a lot of time for me, and helped me to understand their role in the business. When the time came for me to give my own input on certain projects, I was received with compassion and integrity, whereby my opinions and initiatives were considered carefully and fairly.

As I previously said, my colleagues were always ready to give me advice and help above and beyond what I expected. They acted oftentimes more as life mentors than my superiors which was very refreshing and inspiring. The friendliness of everyone I met was something I hadn't anticipated going into the world of business, and I'm really grateful for.

Each week I had a variety of new tasks which I had to tackle, and this diversity was stimulating. I also had projects which spanned the duration of my internship, and so this balance between short and long-term deadlines was well struck. The busy schedules of the people around me meant that I couldn't always pursue every opportunity with them, but that is just the nature of transience in some business encounters.

Whilst I was assigned many roles during my tenure with Adobe, sole responsibility was not laid on me for crucial tasks. This is not to say I was not expected much of, but rather I was given supporting roles or individual research projects to aid my teams analysis of endeavours. For an intern, I think this was a nice balance of responsibility, because it catered to my experience and helped me to learn, rather than throwing me right into the deep end.

The communication skills I acquired during the internship will stay with me through whatever career I eventually find myself in, because it sharpened my ability to absorb and relate information in a business capacity to a much greater degree than I had before. The practical skills I learned - such as the use of Adobe software and communications applications - are something I'll take forward both in employment and my own personal creative pursuits. The research skills I developed also aided me in completing my degree, and in researching in my own free time too !

It struck a nice balance between fun and studious. It was sometimes like a party and sometimes like a library, which was very conducive to a good working mindset. It could be vibrant and communicative at times, with organised lunch trips and after-work drinks, and then also very peaceful and calm when there was a lot of work to be done.

My first couple of weeks were perfectly organised, with software initiations taking place right at the start to help me get up to speed with the online systems Adobe used, such as online conference calls, screen sharing and email set-ups. As the weeks drew on we tackled each of our tasks as they arose which was structurally typical in the way that a business like this works. I had nice meetings with each of the people I worked with to conclude everything I'd worked on during my last week too.

The induction and initiation process was run online to all the new inductees, and this helped me to learn all the workings the company's idiosyncratic work methods. This included communications training and basic training in software and the websites. Each person I met also trained me in their line of expertise, as I interacted with them more in a working capacity.

They are definitely appealing, as it seems to me a company that values individuality and personal integrity. Aside from these values it was a stimulating environment with a diverse workload which keeps you interested in what you do. The opportunities to restart working relationships with the company seem easily navigable and most importantly they are encouraged.

For a large proportion of my time at Adobe, the team I worked in only had one other student intern, but it was still really nice hanging out around work. He introduced me to other young interns and graduates in other teams around the office and we got to spend time together more as my time went on. About two thirds into my placement they brought in another intern which made the dynamic better, so I would say having at least three young employees in each team is optimal.

Maidenhead is a relatively normal town in terms of pricing. There were options for cheap food from supermarkets and street vendors, and also a couple of nice restaurants and pubs which we went to a lot. Thankfully my travel was covered by Adobe which meant getting to and from work wasn't a problem.

I worked mostly in Maidenhead, which is a typical satellite town - a few franchised pubs and bars but little else. Sometimes, though, I worked at the London headquarters in Shoreditch which was amazing. The bars around there were great and we had a lot of fun nights. A highlight was a team-building cocktail making class.

We had a fantasy football league, as well as a weekly 5-a-side football game which was good for me as a football fan! My team leader was very encouraging about us all getting to unwind with each other as well as working hard with each other so we often went out for meals and drinks together.