HR Industrial Placement Review

I work within the Pay, Rewards & Benefits department. My daily tasks are varied and I have the opportunity to be a part of various projects. For example, working on improving benefits such as Long Term Awards or figuring out the best way to communicate overall company benefits. I have also had the opportunity to participate in many calls regarding pay increases, rewards and bonuses. I also manage the company's benefits platform - setting up accounts and helping with the queries, as well as the company's recognition scheme.

I think that I definitely both developed my existing skills as well as learnt some new ones. In my role I do quite a bit of lookups etc. in Microsoft Excel - I didn't have the opportunity to use Excel before in a work setting so I can definitely say that I've managed to get some new skills. Working in a hybrid mode - few days at home/few days in the office has definitely improved my organisation skills and forced me to get better at planning my activities and meetings.

Even though I have only been in my role for not a long amount of time, I feel that I have already had enough of opportunities to increase my HR knowledge and that I have been given a good level of responsibility. I am managing the benefits website and recognition awards by myself. I have been also making sure that the health cash plan for each member is up to date and that the payroll deductions are correct.

Both my manager and my team have been very supportive throughout my placement. I know I can always talk to them or ask for help. Everyone is incredibly friendly, and the office environment is great. Due to the project I'm working on at the moment I have already had an opportunity to have 1-2-1 calls with Heads of HR in different departments within the company. I can say that everyone has been extremely helpful, answered all my queries and I have been treated as an equal member of the team.

I would describe the company culture and general atmosphere as welcoming, warm, friendly, supportive. I have not been the only new person joining the team this summer and I can see that all new employees are being extremely supported and encouraged to ask questions and not feel silly about it. As mentioned before I had a lot of calls with Heads of departments or even Directors and they all have been extremely supportive and I have been treated as an equal member of the team, not just a trainee.

I really like my role within the company. I feel that I have already had enough of opportunities to increase my HR knowledge and that I've been given a good level of responsibility. I believe that I am regarded as an equal member of the team and that my insight is always valued. I'm picking up a lot from this experience, and the skills I developed while I was here will stay with me for life.

Yes

I would recommend putting effort into your CV and cover letter. It's also good to research the company and the role that you're applying for to have a general knowledge of what to expect and what are the companies values - as often it is being looked at when recruiting. Also, after you apply I would recommend checking the e-mail frequently to make sure you don't miss the invite for an interview and reply in time.