Management Trainee Review

Managing an Enterprise branch to put it simply. Allocating returning vehicles to new reservations. Calling insurance customers to book them in for their courtesy cars. Liaising with businesses and corporate accounts who require bookings or other services. Sales is a big part of the role, whether it is pitching various excess reduction products or vehicle upgrades to customers. Customer centric role and service is very important and a key part of the role as well.

I've learnt many new skills at Enterprise. Communication and teamwork are the main and key skills in my opinion. Sales skills are a new skill I picked up on and had a chance to continue to improve it and develop. Problem solving skills are a very important skill that also gets developed, as problems arise regularly in this industry, for example if a customer shows up in a branch and their vehicle is not here yet for whatever reason, problem solving and customer service is important when handling such situations.

You are given a lot of responsibility in the placement. Sometimes you can be left alone in a branch and sort out all sorts of issues and phone calls alone once you have enough experience. When running a day (acting as manager/ day runner), mistakes that may arise are your responsibility to solve for the branch, as well as the next day. With customers, you have a responsibility to give them accurate information as they take your word for everything, so mistakes in what you say can have some negative consequences, but can be solved.

I had 2 different teams with very different styles. The first team I had, when I was new, was very supportive and helpful. Any issues or mistakes I made were sorted quickly by them. It felt like I was being guided throughout the whole first month. The second team I had, I was still relatively new, but the approach was more getting 'thrown into the deep end', and learn along the way (although support and help was still available). Both approaches can work, but it depends on the person, therefore in general, you will receive support, but sometimes you may need to adapt to each manager's style, as some I know are very unsupportive and can have very little care.

Everyone is generally friendly at Enterprise, everyone makes you feel at home. Sometimes you feel as if you're with your friends and happen to be doing a job. Sometimes however, if stressful days and situations, you can feel responsible for errors and feel alone. But there is always someone to reach out to. It's better I found to see everyone at the company as nice colleagues, not friends. Sometimes, depending on the team, conflicts can arise and the blame game is a common thing that can happen. Gossip is very common wherever you go.

I enjoyed my placement overall, although there are many ups and downs with Enterprise. Some days you may be out on the roads and feel tired and that you're just being used, without gaining anything useful. Some other days, you can feel very motivated and looking forward to getting all the work done. No day is the same at this company, so being honest, some people will enjoy the placement, some will not. I have had a very mixed experience, where some days I would finish very late regularly and felt burnt out. It depends on how you take these hard days and stay positive, to make sure you power through the placement, and ultimately decide whether you want to return to the company.

Yes

I would explain to them in detail what it's like, because it needs a long time to grasp the work at Enterprise, and then let them know that some days will be very hard and difficult, but you learn a lot from it. The job is not for everyone, but with the right motivations and dedication, anyone can do it. I would say be sure that you're ready for long days and hours, some Saturdays you will have to work. Confidence is key and don't take everything too seriously. Have fun with it, you need to!