Account Specialist Review

I really enjoyed my placement and I definitely gained a lot from it. Everyday was different which made it exciting and it exposed me to so many aspects of HR and recruitment. I have learnt so many new skills, as well as developing on existing ones, including building on my confidence. All of my colleagues were very welcoming and made me feel part of the team immediately. I always felt like they were happy to help and support me.

My colleagues made me feel like I was part of the team from my very first day. I did not feel like I was 'just the placement student', they made me feel like a valued member of the team. It was very refreshing working in such a supportive environment where hard work was always acknowledged by the managers and other colleagues. My colleagues definitely helped to make my placement year and I am very grateful for all the support they gave me.

My manager was extremely supportive throughout my placement year and any problems I had I knew I could always go and talk to her. A personal development plan was created for me from the beginning of my placement to ensure that I was constantly developing and being exposed to different aspects of the role. I had regular 121 sessions with my manager to discuss my development and areas of improvement and focus which helped me get the most out of my placement year.

Some days were busier than others and it would have been nicer if it was more consistent throughout the year, as the days where there was not as much to do could get rather long. For the majority of time though the workload on the busier days tended to be manageable, but even if I was struggling I always knew I could rely on my colleagues to help me out. Overall, I was relatively busy and always had varied tasks to complete.

I was surprised with how much responsibility I was given, as a number of my course mates on other placements unfortunately did not all have the same experience. Through having responsibility throughout my placement contributed to me feeling like I really was a valued member of the team. These responsibilities pushed me outside of my comfort zone and drove my personal development. I really enjoyed having a level of responsibility and believe it helped me get as much as I have from my placement.

I am looking forward to being able to apply what I have learnt into my final year studies. Since finishing my placement I have begun another internship where I have been able to apply some of the skills and training I have gained from Randstad, highlighting how beneficial this placement has been. I am looking forward to applying such skills I have now developed into a graduate role and being able to continue developing them.

The office atmosphere was very friendly and supportive. My colleagues were always wanting to help one another and see each other succeed. Everyone was very hardworking and there was a strong team work ethic. Overall, the office atmosphere was very positive which made it a fun and enjoyable place to work. It was the best workplace atmosphere I have experienced, as you could tell that everyone was very passionate about their jobs which was very infectious.

Overall, I would say that the placement was very well organised. My manager created a personal development plan for me which helped me to build and develop my skills and she would try and ensure I was involved in as much as possible, giving me more exposure into this area of work. Despite being the only placement student in the area I was working, there was also opportunities to visit other sites and meet other placement students which was interesting.

I received a lot of quality training from my peers which helped me to feel confident in the tasks I was given. I was never fully left to do anything until I was completely confident with it. In addition to this, I received a variety of other types of training, including training days at the head office, online training sessions and virtual presentations. I would say that the company did invest in me and I am grateful for the training which was provided.

Despite being the only placement student there, we did have a few team nights out throughout the year which were good fun. In addition to this, there were a few company events which gave me the opportunity to meet employees from other divisions. There was a relatively good social scene, however it would have been nice to have had another placement student more local as, because I did not know the area, it was hard to meet people my age.