Strategy, Planing & Operations Intern Review

My placement at Hewlett Packard Enterprise allowed me to involve myself with a variety of tasks, meaning my responsibilities throughout the year evolved to fit my strengths & development. My role allowed me to involve myself with a wide range of individuals across the business, helping me expand my network across teams and at different levels of the organisation's hierarchy. Being based in Erskine, I also had the opportunity to travel to the Manchester/Bracknell/London offices multiple times throughout the year for meetings & intern development days. There were also a large amount of social events & volunteering opportunities throughout the year.

I felt very valued. As a Strategy, Planning & Operations Intern, a lot of my tasks involved resolving issues & analysing/manipulating data for members across the organisation, meaning I would directly receive praise.

I felt that I could easily ask for help/guidance if I was struggling or unsure about any of my work. I would also receive feedback on tasks regularly allowing me to understand where my strengths were, and areas for improvement.

The nature of the role meant that I had some responsibilities that were to be completed weekly/monthly, but the majority of tasks are ad-hoc, meaning you can be quite busy if you receive a lot of asks at once. I was especially busy during readiness prep for the next financial year (the last few months of my placement).

I feel like I was given multiple opportunities to manage tasks myself and take a lead on some areas. This allowed me to operate with a good degree of independence.

Lots of the skills I learnt where based on the tools used. My Excel skills have improved dramatically along with use of CRM tools including Salesforce. I also have the chance to develop sales skills through the Intern Sales Ready programme, teaching skills such as opportunity qualification, handling rejection & selling solutions.

I was based in Erskine (outside Glasgow). The Erskine office is very populated and has a friendly atmosphere. Other offices Bracknell & Manchester are hubs for early career hiring, so have a younger more competitive vibe, while Erskine felt a little more relaxed. Recreational areas included pool & ping pong tables, which were a great way to connect with team members in ways other than tasks.

My placement combined 2 internships from the year before, meaning there was plenty of responsibility. THe year felt structured with mid-point assessments, end of year presentations and continuous training throughout the year.

The firm invested a lot into training & development for me. Ask I was based in Scotland, the company allowed me to travel to southern offices for training if I asked.

The organisation has a clear progression path for early careers employees, making it an appealing graduate employer. The organisation also has an aim to re-hire interns, so an internship is a great chance to get into the company.

The Erskine site has a small intern community (4 interns/year). Compared to other sites (Bracknell) which have 50+, the intern social scene wasn't a large part of my placement year. Graduate hire was also primarily into Manchester, meaning most employees in Erskine had been there for a multiple years.

I lived in Student accommodation in Glasgow City centre. GLasgow is cheaper to other cities in the UK, so easily manageable.

As I lived in Glasgow city centre, there were plenty of opportunities to go for nights out with both work employees and friends from my accomodation.

There were various volunteering opportunities outside of work hours, however this wasnt something I typically involved myself in.