IT Telecom Placement Student Review

The role requires you to apply problem-solving skills on daily basis. This is done via the requirement of providing support to the mobile and desk phone users on a daily basis - using a ticket system. You may be assigned to help out on the mobile side, preparing phones to be sent towards the users and making sure they are configured prior to that. The role does also involve you taking part in any of the departments projects that you might be assigned to work towards, liaising with stakeholders in those and it requires you to have good listening skills. The role may also involve travelling to other sites. Moreover, you may have to go through various data at times, showing trends and reporting them on a specific time period.

I have learned a lot of new skills throughout my placement. Having never been involved with the Telecommunication side of IT, I found it to be interesting to the beginning and the team was very keen to get me onboard with that. It is worth mentioning that the company does cultivate a culture of asking questions. Therefore I have never felt anxious about asking questions, as I was always getting the answers I needed. Throughout the placement, I have learned a lot about desk phones in particular, how they operate and how communication systems work in general within a big organization. I have definitely improved my self-confidence skills by speaking with various stakeholders, some of which were in management, which naturally has also led to improvement in communication skills. As problem-solving is used in this role quite often, I now find it easier to solve problems on a day-to-day basis at work and also in IT in general. If you have never used spreadsheet software like Excel on a IT role, like I did, you will find that you will learn a lot on that area as well. It is utilized quite heavily and now I feel much more confident about using this kind of software.

You might be given quite a lot of responsibility depending on the projects going on in the department. Having been involved in one big project for our team, I have been given responsibility to act as a client PM for the project, having been given confidence in me doing so by my manager. It came to me naturally and I did not feel anxious about it, as by the time I was given the project, it was more than halfway through my placement. Therefore, I knew how the company (and importantly, my team) does operate. Apart from that, you would be given some responsibility for other projects you make take part in, some user support and responsibility to deliver certain material on a monthly basis.

Having mentioned before, the team I was at was absolutely amazing. I have never felt anxious to ask any questions or anything really. The company does not seem like a typical corporate environment/image you might have. There is a lot of nice conversations and sometimes even laughter, which was a relief for me when I have started my placement - not knowing what to expect. Whenever I needed some help with any project/work-related matter, I have received it, which definitely has made my experience better.

The company values focus heavily on "care" and generally - people. Therefore, I was quite surprised that the company does actually follow their values. Many companies boast about their values, but do not follow them, unlike Cummins. There is a lot of very nice people and generally maybe once I had to deal with a not very nice person from the company. All around there kind and helpful people, who are generally curious about what you are doing etc. Highly recommend the company culture.

Having been coming to a placement, I did not know what to expect. I did not know the company very well, apart from reading about it. Prior my application I did not even know about the existence of such company. I was very pleasantly surprised by my experience. I have never felt bad during my placement, nonetheless extremely stressed. There is a good work-life balance in the company and I feel like people do get recognized for their efforts. I was lucky enough also to be in a wonderful team, as the only placement student in that team (or even generally a younger person), meaning that I got to spend a year with very experienced people in the field who were keen to get me on board with different stuff and to teach me. Therefore, the last year was something amazing and I feel nothing but sorry, that my time at the company has come to an end.

Yes

Prepare your general knowledge in the field you are applying, as well as study the company itself. Whilst the questions are not so company focused, it definitely helps to know it. Be prepared for a psychometric test and an interview.