Industrial Placement - Commercial Management Review

Every day is different - consistent parts of my role each day involve doing a small amount of admin work for my team; updating spreadsheets, organising media lists etc. I often have a big task for the day that needs to be completed such as writing up a blog or assisting in the process of a PR strategy. I also attend a number of relevant meetings relating to projects we are currently working on.

Every skill that I learnt in university relating to communications or PR has become more refined - wheter that be interpersonal skills I use on the daily or testing of my organisational and reaction skills when crisis communication comes about. I have of course learnt new skills relating to aspects such as my writing ability - as I have been taught how to write with professionalism in a journalistic context.

Currently in my placement - my manager and team are pushing me to have as much responsibility as I possibly can, however, due to the industry I am in requiring media training for various parts of it and with it being in the earlier stages of my placement, there are certain things they cannot delegate me. That being said, they have still tried to push me outside my comfort zone, and I feel accomplished

I receive a decent amount of support and will continue to receive even more support when my manager's manager starts in December and then he will have more time to focus on me and developing my skills. As it currently stands, he has to handle a lot more work than his role would normally entail as this gap hasn't been currently filled, but overall, he is doing an excellent job and helping brilliantly.

There is a great atmosphere coming into BT in comparison to prior experiences. I am glad to say that people who are above me, can still relate to my level and thus feel like acquittances rather than just colleagues. There is a real sense of team effort and pride when it comes to working for BT, which is understandable because of the number of opportunities there are and chances to network and make friends.

I am yet to finish my placement, but I am currently loving every day of it, as I have mentioned previously; every day is different. There are always new opportunities to be had, places to go, things to see and participate in. I think a bigger company works a lot better for me as I love to communicate, and I wouldn't be able to apply my skills as beneficially had I been somewhere else.

Yes

Go in with an open mind - don't box yourself into one corner. There are so many departments and skills to be learnt, that it's best that you let yourself be free to rotate and try new things as you may enjoy something more than you previously remember it. You should take every opportunity you can as you don't want to have any regrets and you should have fun.