HR Resourcing Undergraduate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at VWFS. The culture or the business and the people I worked with made coming to work enjoyable. My role was interesting and varied and I was able to learn a great deal about resourcing and talent development within a large corporate business. I was given real responsibility throughout the placement and felt valued by my team.

From day one of my placement I realised how welcoming and supportive everyone was. There is a very friendly atmosphere reflected across the business. My team always made me feel valued and appreciated the support I gave them. If there was anything going on they always made sure I was informed/ involved. They always made me feel part of the team which was lovely.

The support I received throughout my placement was amazing. For the first 6 months I worked very closely with my manager within my role. She was very supportive and focused both on my personal and professional development. We had weekly 1:1s to discuss our workload for the week but then also monthly 1:1s. My line manager changed halfway through my placement which was great as I was able to draw on her experience as a Resourcing Manager. The team I worked in were very close so I always felt supported.

As with any role there are time periods in the year that were busier than others. I enjoyed the times where I was busy as this is my preferred working style. However, I was never in the position where I had nothing to do, at times when I was quieter I was able to support the team with other tasks which was good.

I had daily and monthly tasks that I was solely responsible for. There were several projects throughout the year that I took the lead on, it was rewarding seeing the completion of these projects. On other tasks I would support the team. There was a good balance in the amount of responsibility I had.

During the placement year I have learnt many transferable skills that will aid me when going back to university. I feel I am much more disciplined with my time and this will help when completing my dissertation and final year exams. VWFS also ran lifeskills sessions that covered topics such a 'CV writing' and 'networking skills' that will help with future job applications. Studying psychology, my degree course was not directly related to my placement year. However, it has been interesting to see how psychology is applied in the workplace. Through my observations of applied psychology I have tailored my final year modules to reflect my new understanding of organisation psychology.

There is always a positive atmosphere in the office as a whole. I particularly like working within the HR department as the atmosphere is always upbeat.

The overall placement scheme is set up very well. There is a clear structure in place and the undergraduate is supported throughout their year. For my placement I was happy with the work I was able to get involved in and the support and training I received from my team. The only thing I think that could be better is having the opportunity to work more closely with the other two HR undergraduates on a project. This was initially mentioned at the start of the placement but was never implemented.

The company do invest time in your personal development. My line manager was keen to know what I wanted to improve on and so was very supportive when I wanted to attend development courses. These included a powerful presentations course and course that focused on maximising my personal impact. There are also many tools available to you for self learning which are easily accessible. In terms of personal development, all the resources are there and you get out what you put in.

The future employment prospects are good. If you were to apply once you had finished university I do believe you would stand a good chance of securing a permanent position. There is a graduate scheme that runs every other year and something that I would be interested in, however we are waiting to hear further communications about the programme.

As there are 27 undergraduates there is always someone about to do something with. The cohort of placement students all live in the same area and so this creates a slight uni vibe. We often go out as a group and are joined by the apprentices and the graduates.

The cost of living in Milton Keynes is average. I haven't particularly noticed anything being more expensive than I am used to. The cost of renting in MK is actually cheaper than what I experienced at university and so this was a nice perk.

There are lots of places to go out and eat which is great. There are several bars that have a dance floor and play music which are fun. Although there are only two nightclubs in Milton Keynes this does not hinder the overall nightlife as you will always be able to find a nice bar. As with anywhere I strongly believe it's who you are with rather than where you are.

There are many opportunities outside of work such as charity events and socials. You can go on discounted trips with work to places such as Ascot, Christmas markets and Disney Land Paris. VWFS also offer discounted tickets to the theatre, cinema and the football. We also have different sports teams that play weekly including a netball team and a football team.