Finance Placement Student Review

My role was that of a Financial Accountant within the PFR team, specialising in VAT and corporate Accounting. On a day-to-day basis, my role included the general accounting of VAT and other expenses, as well as contributing to each period's month-end Financial close. I also assisted more senior members of the team on a ad-hoc, and contributed to process improvement works and team-wide projects.

Working within a role with a lot of financial deadlines, it was imperative I kept my workload in order to keep up with these deadlines. This helped my organisational skills a lot. I also greatly improved my written & verbal communication skills, mainly by interacting with my immediate team and others outiside, by talking about finance aspects in a way understood bt them. Project work as another fascinating aspect, allowing me to see Six-sigma metholodogies.

Once my intial training period with the tream was completed,the responsibility and autonomy given to me within my role was great, allowing me to put my own stamp of authority on it as well as my tasks and duties. I was also given free-reign to suggest process improvements within these tasks where applicable. I didn't feel micro-managed by my managers, and this allowed me to take ownership and accountability of my work.

My guidance and support i received from my team and other personnel and Cummins was brilliant. Due to the estabilished nature of the placement scheme, everyone within the team knew how to make me feel welcome and were more than happy to answer any questions i had (however annoying they were!). Regular 1-2-1's with management also give me a platform to express any queries/conerns i had.

My general atmosphere was great, with everyone i interacted with (whether it be online or in the office) making an effort to support me in my role or just in general. The company culture was strong, with it's core principles and philosophy spelt out in our onboarding sessions, but also expressed and demonstrated by our line managers and senior leaders.

I enjoyed my placement experience a lot, with it serving as a great platform for me to develop my skillset and hopefully start off a career in Finance.

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Research the company thoroughly before applying, particulary their working ethos and philosophy, major projects, news articles, etc. It's also a good idea to look into what skills/competancies are desired by the firm, and whether or not you've demonstrated these in your everyday life. Lastly, don't be afraid to be annoying and ask a lot of questions, whether it be about the company or about the prospective role in question.