Project Management Intern Review

Really enjoyed my time at GE, it was a very unique experience working at one of the biggest companies in the world which is actually undergoing a period of hardship and recovery at the moment. Experiencing the strategic decisions being made has been a great experience. Due to this, priorities in the business are ever-changing and my internship hasn't been exactly what was first advertised, but this has given me more opportunities and outreach in the company.

I've felt very valued during my internship, working in a global team and building relationships with a large range of people, from senior leadership to the team of interns we have on site. There's a great culture around giving/receiving feedback from your colleagues, and the awards system is great too, making you feel very valued and appreciated for the work you do.

I had a great relationship with my manager and felt it was very easy to have conversations with them about my personal development and how I can make the most of my time here. I know that all managers aren't like this, but there are also opportunities beyond your manager to seek help and guidance - there is a 'buddy' system which sets you up with someone else in the office outside of your team/function which you can speak to, and you can also reach out to someone to be your Mentor, which can add another dimension of guidance.

My workload would often fluctuate a lot - I would have very busy weeks and then quite empty weeks, so it would've been better to have something a bit more consistent. GE offers lots of training programs which are useful to your development though so you can always find something to keep yourself busy.

Felt like I had a lot of responsibility - finding a niche of expertise was very useful as that opened up a lot of doors in other areas of the business as people sought out my help through my reputation from helping others. Therefore I felt like I had a lot of responsibility, directly working on projects with members of Senior Leadership quite often.

The skills I developed will greatly assist me in my degree studies, I feel like I have a wealth of experience to relate my studies to now. It has also made me more motivated to learn and study as much as I can in my last year at university to give me as much knowledge as possible to take into a graduate role.

The culture on site was great, and the interns were very encouraged to both take part in the events but also take leadership in organising the events too, which was a great experience. There is a great horizontal culture, meaning you can approach anyone with a question, and there are no actual 'office' rooms, so you don't have to go knocking on someone's door.

Due to the changing business priorities, most of the original job responsibilities I was given ended up being de-prioritised, so the organisation of my placement ended up changing wildly to what was first advertised. However this did give me the opportunity to craft my own experience which has been very rewarding.

GE have a strong personal development program, and having weekly meetings with my manager helped to set my priorities and ensure that I was receiving enough support. The training programs they offer are extensive if you choose to use them, and as long as you put the effort in yourself to seek feedback and widen your reach in the business, you will receive the same back.

There are graduate positions offered on management programs, and it is understood that former interns stand a higher chance of getting onto the program; however, nothing is guaranteed and the application process is still the same as it is for everyone else. I would definitely like to apply for them though as the management programs sound very appealing.

Having a large intern team on site really helped in the beginning, and we all got along very well. It is really useful to be able to share your experiences with people who are directly on your level in the company, and having that social life with people who are your age in a completely new city is really nice to have.

Living in a student area allowed me to cut costs a lot, so I could save up more of my salary since I wouldn't be spending much time in the house. There are also more expensive places to live if you'd rather live in a bit more luxury while you are working full time, but I enjoyed being able to take home more of my salary.

Because it was a student area, the nightlife was great and offered a lot of different options, although obviously you can't really go out on weekdays. It was good to be able to still feel like a student alongside working full time through the week, and helped to ease the transition from university into a working life.

GE has a large volunteering program, and there were lots of opportunities in our site to go out to local schools, homeless shelters, charity shops and litter picks to help out the local community. The company give you the freedom to go out and help on these days out, which really enrich your internship and give another dimension to your experience.