Executive Office Associate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement because it allowed me to challenge myself through engaging work and collaboration with other employees at SAP. Additionally, this placement has offered me hands on experience with a wide variety of tasks which have helped me to develop multiple skills, in turn improving my employability.

I felt like an important part of the team. I was introduced to all my colleagues on my first day and have been a part of big projects with the wider teams as well as working with senior members of the team more closely. Moreover, the team take an interest in my progress and are very forthcoming with feedback which has allowed me to gauge my own performance and improve throughout the placement.

The support given to me by my manager was of a high quality. At the start of the placement, my manager sat down with me to discuss my reasons for completing my placement year and what I expected to gain out of the year ahead. They actively helped me to seek out opportunities which would allow me to achieve these aims. Moreover, we had bi-weekly check in sessions where we would discuss the progress of my goals for the year.

The amount of work I was responsible for varied along with business cycles. At the start of the placement, activity was quieter, so this meant that I was not as busy. However, this allowed me to learn my role properly and the placement coordinators regularly put on training sessions during this time so that interns could learn as much as possible in the quieter period. However, as you reach the end of each quarter, the level of business picks up as projects are reaching their deadlines and everyone pulls together to get them across the finish lines. At these times, I found that my days were much more “wire to wire” and I would be busy all day.

This was my favourite aspect of my role as I found that I was trusted to have a high level of responsibility during my placement. I have been involved with big projects which had a direct impact on the business’ performance. Moreover, I have worked in teams with senior members of the company and led my own teams to achieve business goals. The level of responsibility placed on interns is great as you really develop through this.

The skills which I have developed during my placement translate directly to the career I am choosing to pursue. Since starting the placement, I have noticed that skils such as time management, communication and collaboration have all improved through real life application. Moreover, I believe that my soft skills have advanced greatly thanks to completing this placement year at SAP. These abilities translate directly to my chosen career, showing that completing this placement will help me to enter my discipline of choice. Moreover, being able to work under pressure and manage my time will prove invaluable when I return to university.

The General Atmosphere was very lively and energetic. The office would regularly be busier at the start of the week and taper off as the weekend approached as people would opt to work from home. The atmosphere would become more intense as quarter end approached or other big projects would come to an end, but there are a lot of ways the company keeps their employees motivated through the year. This includes desk drops with chocolates and cookies, employee music lessons and a games room which help to lift the mood.

The work placement was very well organised. The initial induction period helped me feel ready for the year ahead as we were able to spend a lot of time with our teams and our previous intern. Moreover, the placement team were very agile in catering to what the cohort needed. They sent out quarterly feedback surveys to gauge the overall mood of the cohort, reached out to us to ensure we are having the training and experience we needed and remained attentive when handling the needs of the cohort.

At the start of the placement, my manager and myself discussed my goals for the year and they stayed vigilant for any projects they believed would help me to reach said goals. Moreover, I was able to spend time in other departments to gain exposure to new areas of interest, helping me to further develop myself. The company invested a lot of time into training me and allowing me to develop how I thought was best for myself professionally.

Future prospects of employment at SAP are very appealing to me. Having gained exposure to multiple departments, I have been able to gain a clearer picture about where I would fit within this firm. Moreover, the company’s focus on their employees and their development make prospects appealing as you are able to grow into what you want to be.

The social scene was really good. Most interns lived around the Greater London area, so it was relatively easy to get everyone together for socials. There was a collegiate atmosphere amongst the placement students as we would normally meet up every Thursday for a social event. There would be other events, a Christmas party for example, which were organised by the interns.

The cost of living varied greatly depending on where you lived. The closer you live to London, the more expensive is a general rule of thumb. Socialising follows the same general rule as the cost of purchasing things increased as you got closer to London. The opposite side is that the closer you get to London, the more things there are to do. The towns in Greater London are more cost efficient but offer less to do. So, it is important to decide where your priorities lie between spending less money and having more things to do.

The nightlife in Feltham is not great, but we are based very close to places with a very active nightlife. Examples are Richmond, Putney and London. These places offer a variety of things to do such as going to pubs or bars or clubbing. The nightlife has something for everyone, and you will make a lot of great memories here.

There were a lot of opportunities to get in involved with activities outside of work. Firstly, there is a month of service in October where you can volunteer to help charities and companies who work to achieve a good cause. Also, there were also opportunities for students to raise money for Student Minds: a charity who helps deal with rising number of mental health issues in students. Finally, there is a weekly football session open to people inside and outside the company.