Global Junior Brand Manager Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Pfizer. All elements of the programme were engaging and I felt that there was plenty of responsibility given to me which allowed me to fully participate and be a part of the team - an equal. This aided in the enjoyment of the year as a whole.

I felt very valued by the colleagues, it is a welcoming atmosphere with friendly people which gave me confidence from day one. It can be intimidating coming into a new work environment, especially as an undergraduate, so having a supportive and encouraging team was key to building and maintaining my confidence through the year.

Through weekly 1:1's with my manager, I was given a great support channel on a regular basis. I was also able to reach out to colleagues at any point to ask a question or simply gain help on a project I was working on - always with a positive and helpful response.

There were peaks and troughs throughout the year with workload. Some days I would be extremely stressed and have almost too much to complete whereas other days I would be struggling to find tasks to complete.

Certain projects gave me full responsibility to produce a final product on a deliverable. This was great as it gave me a chance to develop team work, leadership and working with a cross functional team to complete a task to an excellent quality expected of Pfizer. Other projectsI was more 'co-pilot' to and didn't have sole responsibility for however still had my own tasks to do within that project.

Undoubtedly skills for life. Everything I have learned can be applied back to my university degree and beyond into my future career. From gaining a comprehensive understanding in scientific background, to marketing and people skills, it all combines to make me a more rounded and highly skilled individual who is capable of anything when I put my mind to it and use the resources surrounding me.

There was a good balance between getting the job done and a fun atmosphere. I think it is critical to any workplace to have joy in the office - as long as the job gets done to the best of everybody's ability. In this respect, my team certainly has this nailed.

Overall: very good. My manager seemed to know where input was needed and balanced this with my current skills and development areas which was key to the success of my own development and contribution I can give to the team. Unfortunately, due to an organisational change, this interrupted the placement slightly.

I feel that Pfizer has heavily invested in my personal development. From the start we were all given basic training on various 'on the job' aspects which were highly beneficial. However, what I find more impressive are the opportunities that are available to all in the company (no matter if you are an undergraduate). I was able to go on many training courses throughout the year to develop areas I wanted to.

My aim is to now apply for the Graduate Scheme as I had such a fantastic year at Pfizer I feel that I still have far much more to give to the company in my own skills, and the training and investment they will put into me are exceptional. I feel that future employment at Pfizer is highly appealing.

It is what you make of it. There are plenty of other undergraduates here at Pfizer to socialise with and you can either go out every weekend with them or not - up to you. I think there was a great balance between professional relationships and a great social environment out of the office. I have certainly made some friends for life here!

As expected, the cost of living in the area is high. And as a student this did make it a struggle for money at times, but with a good budget there is no reason why you can't still socialise and have a fun weekend with friends as there is plenty to do around the area.

I live in Reigate, and the nightlife isn't great. There is one club and a few pubs but nothing too exciting. Travel a bit further to Epsom and again there are a few more pubs and clubs but nothing too exciting. However, if you are prepared to take a 40 minute train into London and stay out till 4am - the nightlife is pretty wild.

You are allocated 5 volunteering days which I urge you to take and use wisely. You can use these however you want and it can highly benefit you as an individual and a great way to team build either with work colleagues or friends.