Sales Support Intern Review

I had a difficult start to my placement year, but as the time went on I enjoyed it more and more. The work itself was interesting at first, and there was more than enough opportunities for me to take on stretch tasks to make sure I was never bored. That, combined with the activities you are encouraged to take part in outside of work, meant I had an extremely enjoyable placement year working at HPE.

All throughout the year, I was an integral part of the team and was made to feel as such by those around me. The work I completed made a real impact, and my colleagues showed a lot of gratitude. They rewarded me by giving up a lot of their time to help with my development and push me to do better, whilst guiding me and introducing me to the right people. All in all, I felt extremely valued.

I was given specific work to do and introduced to the right people, but it was my personal determination that allowed me to really flourish by taking on a wide array of stretch tasks. I think if I had been given any more guidance it would have taken away from my personal development, and learning how to cope without being spoon-fed was an important growth point for a lot of interns during this placement year.

This very much changed depending on a number of factors. As we approached the end of the financial year, I ended up working a couple of 11 hour days. However, on the whole I was able to balance my time and ended up with some free time, which I was able to fill with stretch tasks and by expanding the remit of my current role. This meant that I wasn't left twiddling my thumbs when everything turned remote.

I had responsibility over my reporting, which was relied upon by around 3 dozen people on a daily basis. I also took on some larger tasks, which gave me exposure to more senior people in the business - meaning more responsibility and more pressure. I also made a couple of calls to customers, which was above and beyond what I expected as an intern. On top of this, I was allowed to find, interview and hire my own replacement - and I am now in the middle of a 4-week handover where it is my job to train her.

The role I had during my placement year doesn't really have anything to do with my degree. I think the skills that I learnt and developed will definitely stick with me, such as time management. The knowledge I gathered will stick with me, and hopefully put me in an advantageous position when it comes to graduate recruitment. I have also had regular contact and practice interviews with hiring managers, meaning I have developed some key skills for life beyond University.

I was based out of the London office, which I see as the unofficial sales hub for the company. This meant the office was often lively and busy, with people often seeing visiting the office as a day out and an exciting prospect. The majority of interns are based in Bracknell, where it seems to be quieter. I spent some time in Manchester, where the atmosphere is probably the best for early careers - everyone there is so young and energetic.

Very well organised - I had structured developmental sessions with the Early Careers team within the company to check on my progress, we had development days with guest speakers from different parts of the business, as well as having a reasonable amount of work at a decent level of difficulty. This shows that work has clearly been put in year after year to make the internship a success, and ensure that the interns and the company get the absolutely maximum from it.

I was part of a sales program designed for interns and lead by Sales Specialists throughout my year. People spent a lot of time to build and deliver this program, ending with an assessment. This gave the selection of interns some really good structured learning and allowed our skills to really flourish. On top of that, anyone in the company will give you time - it doesn't matter that you're an intern. The mentor program is very popular, and each intern is assigned their own personal mentor.

I would like to return to HPE in the future, and the development path is certainly there for anyone that wants to return. HPE have continuously given examples of senior leaders who were themselves interns, and have told us that hiring interns as graduates is a big priority. The company put so much effort into our development, it makes sense to take us back and have graduates that are ready to hit the ground running.

The Bracknell office is the hub for interns, and there is a very good social scene there. In London, there aren't many interns meaning it can be more difficult. However, the teams are young and inclusive and often encourage you to socialize with them.

I was lucky enough to live at home, but living/socialising in London is very expensive. £6 a pint next to the office.

London - clubs, pubs and bars everywhere.

HPE gives a certain number of hours each money with which you can complete volunteering activities. Some of these are organised within the company, but you are always free to do it yourself. Some examples of company organised events include painting local primary schools playgrounds or helping to clean local areas in the community such as cemeteries and parks. There are also large company events, such as the Palace to Palace bike ride which a large number of people take part in.