Recruitment, Marketing & Events Assistant Review

Over the past 12 months I have been undertaking a sandwich placement year as Recruitment, Marketing & Events Assistant in the FDM Glasgow office. Throughout the course of my placement, I have been exposed to a wide range of tasks, experiences and people, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have learnt invaluable communication skills and interview techniques which I have not only implemented in my own work, but also been able to pass onto candidates.

Throughout my placement I felt very included into the working environment, and never once considered myself to be a placement student due to the level of responsibility and respect I received on a daily basis.

Recruitment manager - Throughout my placement I felt completely supported by my recruitment manager who was more than willing to help me out on any occasion. She has been very understanding with my university assignment requirements and given me a high level of responsibility within my role. Marketing manager - Provided me with a whole range of tasks however I would've appreciated a little more lee-way with deadlines on tasks as my recruitment responsibilities such as running assessment centres took priority.

My rating reflects the fact that I was very busy on a daily basis, however this required me to be highly organised and work on my time management. No week was ever the same based upon the tasks I was given, so it was great to get such variation. However, there were times where the amount of tasks I had to multitask became overwhelming. I attended mentoring meetings to discuss these problems and find solutions, such as delegating tasks to colleagues.

I feel like I was given a lot of responsibility throughout my role. Due to the flat structure of the business I was involved with people in high up positions, which exposed me to the complete corporate culture of the organisation. I was involved in tasks I never thought I would be able to take on, and have been provided with new found confidence as a result.

The transferable skills I have acquired within my role will not only put me in good stead when returning to my final year of university but also when I graduate. My new levels of confidence means that I am willing to take on a whole range of potential job roles. I also received training throughout my placement on a wide range of topics, such as disability training and unconscious bias training which I will be able to utilise in everyday life.

The office was very lively and my desk was placed on the sales floor which meant I got to experience the hustle and bustle of the working environment. The office also engaged in lots of internal events like fundraising which was fun to get involved with.

The placement was well organised, especially having two managers to report to. However, I felt that the placement student that replaces me could receive a lot more training at the beginning of being in the role to ensure an easy transition into the workplace. Quarterly performance meetings would also be helpful for my personal development.

I attended a lot of training throughout my placement which meant that I felt invested in as a full time employee.

Future job prospects with FDM are likely, as there are often internal positions open. Also, I have the option to join the business graduate programme. To ensure my contact with FDM remains consistent I will become a student ambassador when I return to university.

The social scene was great, with weekly opportunities to socialise at lunch and after work. This allowed me to integrate quickly into the workplace environment.

The cost of living in Glasgow was reasonable and the salary I received reflected this.

The nightlife in Glasgow is great, with a wide range of bars and clubs to go to. This was great when venue searching for internal and external events.

There were good opportunities to get involved in team building activities within the workplace, having attended several team lunches, bowling nights and networking drinks.