Retail management placement Review

The year is split into two parts, roughly 6 months in store 6 months in Head Office. In store you begin as a store assistant and work your way up to Assistant Store Manager in a small space of time. You will be expected to learn how to run the store in its entirety as well as get your head around KPI's, Terminology, intricacies of day-to-day operation, the people, etc. In Head office you will undertake project work which is dictated by the Area Managers and their areas of responsibility (Specials, Availability, cleanliness, etc). These projects have the general aim of improving efficiency for the business or counteracting an existing problems.

Yes! I would say I have certainly developed over the year in some areas but not others. I would say I have developed technical skills such as Excel and data analysis. I have developed my confidence ten-fold, I can talk to new people easily, I am able to give direction and I am able to present confidently, something I couldn't do before. This placement will develop you in ways you wouldn't imagine, you’re exposed to many areas of the business and generally people see you as an area manager, it’s important to be mindful of this.

I was given a lot of responsibility from the onset, you're expected to walk into your first store as a leader. You will begin as a store assistant but you need to demonstrate leadership skills wherever possible, within 7 weeks you will have responsibility for the safe, staff, ordering and other store duties a normal dep would undertake. When shadowing AM you are given a perceivable level of responsibility, due to the intermittency of the mentor shadowing you don't actually gain a large insight into the actual area manager role, more structured shadowing where you have set skills to learn would have been beneficial!

The amount of support generally varies depending on the mentor you're given. some mentors will offer more support and guidance than others. This can mean your development can be overlooked when working in store. It is important to be a self led person who drives your own training! The mentors are generally very nice and easy to get along with but they can be very busy given they are area managers. Your direct leader will offer you the most support, your direct leader is generally a director of store operations, you will not see them a lot but when you do the interaction is always meaningful and valuable to your development.

On a store level the culture varies from store to store. Some stores are better than others. In some stores you are subject to poor culture such as seeing IPs as an extra pair of hands and deviating from the training plan, as a result it can be difficult to drive your own training as you assume they know best. Always drive your own training regardless of context! In others you’re welcomed with open arms, this is where valuable training would take place. On an area manager level the culture should be improved, there’s a general disinclination to IPs and often it can be quite gossipy. The general atmosphere in head office is good! Your direct leader (ops director) are very supportive and want to drive your development. Be open and honest with your directors about your development.

Overall I have benefited greatly from this placement. It has developed me in ways I didn’t expect. I feel I can take anything head on now. It has developed my resilience and work ethic and has also made me a much more well rounded person. It’s important to be mindful of a few things before entering this placement. You're expected to work 50 hours a week, sometimes you will work upwards of 60 hours a week, this placement is not for somebody who is not entirely career driven. You drive your own training! I’m store if you’re not getting the training set out in your plan it is for you to speak to the store manager and rectify. Some stores will negate from the training plan and use you as a body in their own store- this is not the intention of the company. Try and develop a meaningful relationship with your mentor. Use any opportunity to develop your existing leadership skills, those who are invited back as a graduate must display their leadership potential!

No

If you are genuinely thinking of applying. You need to go in with leadership at the forefront of your mind, if you do not display leadership ability, regardless of how well you perform in other aspects you will not be offered the role- they are looking for leaders! Ensure you also make good relations with store managers and your mentor, their feedback ultimately leads to the graduate job offer. Try and find time for socialising and a good nights sleep, you need a good support system as the year can get quite difficult at times, try not to isolate your self. The other IPs will feel exactly the same as you and you can be open and honest with them, it’s important to create a friendship with the IPs prior to head office time to make that transition easier for yourself.