Business Analyst Review

Overall my placement has been a great experience and one I have very much enjoyed.

My colleagues have always been very friendly and helpful, especially during the beginning of the placement. They have also been consistent in giving me feedback and helping me to feel like a valued member of the team.

The support and guidance given to me during my placement has been spot on, I frequently met with my direct manager and he was always happy to discuss any issues I was having.

As the type of work I have been doing has varied so much so has the workload. There have been times when I have had a little too much spare time and others when I have been very busy, however if this ever became a persistent issue my manager was happy to review my responsibilities.

When I first started my placement I was very impressed with the amount of responsibility the company were willing to give to me. During my placement I have been given the opportunity to take ownership of my work and I believe this has been crucial to my professional development.

Although I am from a fairly technical background my placement has been very business orientated. This was at my request, and although a more technical experience would have been ideal when it came to my university studies, I am sure this will be of greater benefit to me in the long run.

I would describe the office environment as friendly and during my time here I have found people to be very approachable. Between my immediate team and the other interns here there is always plenty going on and the atmosphere is generally upbeat.

The company seem to take their intern program very seriously. From the start it was clear that they have thought about the program and everything came across as very well organised. This included things like the 6 week handover period I received and the 'buddy' I was assigned from another department. Altogether it meant I was able to immediately take on responsibility, aware that I had the support should I need it.

During my placement my personal development has been an ongoing discussion with my manager. He has been more that happy to assist me where ever possible. For example, I expressed interest in working on a larger project and this was something he was happy to help facilitate. Being such a large company there are also many training courses available to all employees.

Based on my experience at the company as an intern I would find it very difficult to turn down a job offer if it was made. The company does have an established graduate recruitment program should you impress during your internship.

With around 80 other interns at the same site as me during my placement there was always plenty of events going on, ranging from nights out to a ski trip.

Compared to the places I have previously lived Swindon is very cheap, both for living costs and socialising.

Swindon has a relatively small town centre, and while there is a nightlife it is mainly restricted to a few bars and a couple clubs.

The company does has a great sports and social network which often arranges activities like concerts and comedy gigs. However, again being a relatively small town there are not that many activities located within Swindon itself.