Talent Acquisition Intern Review

I don't think that i could have chosen a better company for my placement year. I finished in a couple of days ago and I already miss my job. It is something I will take back to university with me and hopefully will be able to rejoin the company as a graduate in the future.

Particularly in the team I worked in I never felt like just an intern. I was given the respect and support of the team and they made the whole year a great experience. There is a great community within Talent Acquisition that I don't think can be beaten by any other role, you really feel like part of the team and not just someone who is there for cheap labour.

My manager in particular was fantastic at giving support and guidance throughout the year. They were always on hand when I was overwhelmed with my workload and noticed that I was stressed before I did, and worked with me to reduce the amount of projects I was working on and communicated this with the team. they were always on hand to give advice and were great at keeping up to date with weekly catch ups and assessing goals that we had set out at the beginning of my placement.

It was very mixed throughout the year in terms of how busy the role is. Throughout the main recruitment period I sometimes felt very overwhelmed with the amount of work I had, especially as I did a lot of travel to events and careers fairs through October and November which made it difficult to keep up with daily tasks. other than these more heavy periods, there was a good balance.

All the responsibility. Seriously. As an intern you aren't set a side getting coffee or printing. If that's something you want from an internship then that's great but that isn't the case in this role. You will be given sole responsibility of so many projects, and those projects that you aren't the owner of you will be pivotal in the successful outcome.

As part of Siemens' internship I was enrolled onto the Internship Development Programme which allowed me to complete in person training and online modules such as presenting skills, project management skills and driving your future career. i think everything that was taught or that I sought to learn as part of this internship will hugely benefit me in the future and has given me the motivation to succeed back at university.

Some days could be very quiet, especially when the team were out and about travelling for events etc, but on the whole it was a very lively office. More often than not there were snacks available and the team were always up for a laugh. In our team there was definitely a community feel and everyone got along very well, always around to offer support and have a chat.

Overall this placement was very well organised. the training sessions and online training generally went without a hitch. There were some hiccoughs along the way such as IT issues at the start of the placement but generally it was a very seamless year and I was impressed with how well organised it was.

This is something I can't comment on as in terms or personal training and development this was something that I sought outside of the Intern Development Programme. However, in relation to the training that was already offered as part of the scheme I'd say there was a significant amount invested in not only myself but all interns.

In terms of the role I was in there currently aren't any graduate positions available. However, i come from a varied background at university and have already spoken to the team about pipe-lining into a more technical role. Siemens are very good at converting interns into graduates so i believe there will be an opportunity for me there in the future.

In the office I worked in there were 5 interns, but on our site altogether we had around 10 and there was a great community between us all. We organised social events between ourselves and frequently went on trips together (there is lots to do within a short drive of the office). though this was driven by us it seems that the new interns have taken on the same enthusiasm to be social.

In terms of the area it can be very hit and miss. Some places are very expensive (the office is based in Surrey so this is no surprise) but then the odd venue could be fairly cheap. There are definitely activities to do in the area that won't break the bank but you may need to plan these in advance as you would have to drive to them.

The group of interns i was with for the year actually really enjoyed the one club in the local area. overall Frimley and Camberly have pretty poor nightlife but Guildford and Reading are a short drive/train journey away and they can offer better nights out than Frimley or Camberly can.

I think this again is a kind of hit or miss thing. I joined the site choir and so did a handful of the interns and this was a great activity for us. If this isn't your thing then I believe there is a mens football league that goes on between the different Siemens sites. The company also offers volunteering days and there are activities set up throughout the year that anyone can take part in.