Marketing Review

I really enjoyed the year at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. I've had the opportunity to get involved in some really exciting projects that have both expanded my experience for future work and my understanding for where my strengths, weaknesses and interests are. Everyone in the company is very happy to help in making the placement as enjoyable and beneficial as possible. This is absolutely a "proper" placement where you can expect to be doing valuable work and really contributing to the company.

Within my role i was able to perform tasks that really added value to the team i was working in. At no point throughout the year did i feel i was being given work just to be kept busy, i was always doing something that added value to the team and company and my colleagues were always vocal in expressing their appreciation for completing different tasks. At no point throughout my 13 months did i not feel valued!

The support throughout the year was absolutely fantastic. At no point did i feel too stressed out and it was made very clear at the start of the placement that all other employees are always there to help - both within and outside of my team. Everyone is always happy to give their time to answer any questions or help with certain tasks so from the very beginning there is no need to worry as you never feel like you are alone within the role.

My workload fluctuated day to day but generally throughout the placement i was very busy (but not overwhelmed). There was always work to get on with and plenty of options for extra projects and teams to get involved with if there were other things that were of interest. At no point throughout the year did i find myself with nothing to do - there's always a way that you can do something to benefit the team in some way.

I always felt valued during my year - knowing that everything that i was asked to work on was going to benefit the team in some way - at times being able to see the benefit shortly after which was very rewarding. At no point was i looked at differently for being a placement student - from day 1 you are valued as any other employee would be and held to the same standard which is great.

I found that i have developed a lot of skills to apply to general life and my final year at university in particular. I've found lots of new ways to ensure i am more productive when working on something or keeping to a deadline. During the first few months some of my weaknesses were shown to me through my work which has allowed me to focus on them throughout the year and finish with them being strengths.

The overall atmosphere of the office is very friendly. Everyone is always up for a chat and are genuinely nice people. However, that does not impact on productivity as people are always very busy and the business, considering it is in the technology industry, moves incredibly quickly. The office is nice and open rather than keeping everyone in their own small spaces which is very nice and i think encourages a lot more collaboration between employees.

The placement was very well organised. My role was clearly laid out for me from the beginning and the previous intern spent a month teaching me everything at the start. I felt fairly confident after the first month and was able to reach out to anyone in the team for help at anytime throughout the year. I cannot stress enough that you truly are a member of the team and the role certainly reflects that.

Within my department there are not specific graduate role opportunities which was a shame but i have been assured that when opportunities do arise that interns are often considered. During my time at the company i actually saw a previous intern was hired for the department which shows that, regardless of the availability of graduate roles, there is always a chance that you may be given the opportunity to return to the company at a later date.

I go to university in the same area as the office that i was based in so knew the area well and had plenty of friends in the area. This meant that i was able to go out and enjoy the nightlife on offer. Whilst i did not live nearby for the year, i know that the cost of living in the area can be very good if you start looking early and have others to live with.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in outside of work. An example is the pride committee where this year a large group of employees went to Pride in Manchester. There are also other opportunities to get involved with charity projects such as Palace to Palace bike ride and you are able to receive funding for charitable events outside of work if you are able to get enough people involved which is a great option to have.