Category Development Executive Review

I absolutely loved my placement year at Pernod Ricard. The role itself was full of opportunities that allowed me to really push myself and develop my skill set with full backing from the two line managers I had over the year. The culture itself was a massive plus point too, as the friendly, relaxed vibe made it easy to ask questions when needed, as well as making the office a great place to work.

The company as a whole is really inclusive, friendly and open. Therefore, I felt at ease and was encouraged to share ideas and take on anything I was interested in from the start. I also found that my team and the wider business were very prompt in giving feedback, meaning I never felt like any hard work I did went unnoticed.

The two line managers I had were both incredibly helpful during my placement. Both, from the start, would happily put time aside to go through anything I found confusing/answer my many questions! Both managers were also very interested in my personal development, meaning they let me attend extra events/conferences that I would benefit from.

The Category team had multiple vacancies for the majority of my placement year. Therefore, as we were under-staffed, the team had to work very hard. Evidently, this meant I was often very busy on a daily basis and worked some late nights. However, this meant the days often went very quick which was a big plus instead of being bored.

The company were amazing in giving me more responsbility when I asked for it, and I couldn't have asked for much more in terms of the opportunities provided. After my first few months, I was allowed to take on some customer accountability, as well as being able to travel and present on my own to multiple customers, big and small. This type of responsbility meant I was able to develop my skill set far beyond my initial expectations.

Learning about the general infrastructure and workings of a big company will be invaluable for future job roles. Not only that, but seeing how management works in a big business will evidently help me in my Management degree too. I also feel like the data software training I had in Nielsen, Dunnhumby, AIMIA & Kantar etc, as well as skills developed in excel & powerpoing will hugely help in future jobs.

The atmosphere in the office was super relaxed and friendly. From day one everyone made a big effort to introduce themselves and get to know you so you never felt awkward or isolated. There is also a hot desking policy where you can sit anywhere on a Wednesday which really helped you get to know other people in the business.

My handover was well organised and meant I was clear on the tasks I had to carry out from the start. I did however feel like the role was quite repetitive when I started so I had to ask to make alterations in order for it to become more interesting, but my team were extremely accommodating and happy to make these changes.

Full training was provided for me in terms of the different data softwares I could use in my role, which was super helpful. My team were also really good at aiding my personal development, taking me to trade events such as Imbibe and Craft Beer Rising to help me learn more about the industry and our brands. The only downfall was the company didn't allow the interns to partake in all the training courses permanent members of staff could, such as wine & bar school.

The only graduate scheme offered at Pernod Ricard is a field sales role which am I personally not interested in. There also isn't an executive role in my team, so there is no clear route for me to come back to the business immediately after graduation.

The intern group got on really well and therefore we often would hang out after work and on a weekend. Unfortunately we were left to our own devices when it came to meeting/getting to know eachother in person, so it would have been nice if an introduction was organised. Colleagues were also very friendly, frequently arranging after work drinks which interns would be included in.

Evidently London is a very expensive place to live and the salary could be better in terms of dealing with these costs, but that is a given when you move to London. Chiswick itself is also expensive as it's in West London, so you would have to travel Central/East if you wanted to find somewhere a bit more affordable. Colleagues were very aware of this though, and were often adamant on paying for interns at social gatherings which was really nice and a testament to the culture.

The business park has a couple of bars, such as Moot, which get quite lively. However, as above, these places and Chiswick in general are expensive. Therefore we would often venture to Central/East for somewhere cheaper with a bit more of a student feel.

There were many different sports clubs that you could take part in on a lunchtime/after work. The company offers free yoga/pilates & mindfulness sessions on a lunchtime, as well as running clubs, football etc. You could also sign up to be a "Force for Good" volunteer to do charity work whilst on placement.