CRM Manager Placement Year Intern Review

I was a customer relationship management optimisation manager, using digital tools to help maximise the satisfaction of our customers with our service. CRM stands for a set of integrated, data-driven software solutions that improve how you interact and do business with your customers. In this role, I was tasked with using different sources of software (not such Excel but also Alteryx, SQL and Tableau) to draw insights on how to improve our relationship with customers.

I learnt a lot of skills - not just in Excel but also other data visualisation tools such as SQL, Alteryx and Tableau. On the Excel side of things I learnt how to use more advanced functions such as Power Query and pivot tables. This will help me to stand out as a candidate for future data analysis roles. I also learnt how to improve my soft skills such as public speaking and people management skills.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my internship, especially when considering the fact that I was straight out of university and plunged into a managerial position. This proved to be a big challenge at first but I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed interacting with many different employees and customers, and this helped me to improve as I became more confident when speaking to people. I also enjoyed the responsibility of overseeing other people's learning.

I received a lot of support during my internship, both from my line manager and other colleagues. A lot of the customers were very helpful as well, since my role was based around their needs. They provided me with a lot of feedback on how the company could perform better, which made my job a lot easier as I was able to feedback to senior figures. I also received a lot of moral support from my coworkers.

The company culture and general atmosphere was great. The energy industry is taking a bit of a beating at the moment, with the current cost of living crisis. However, I found that most of the people at bp, including senior leaders, were genuinely nice to work with. I believe that the industry has gone through a lot of turbulence in recent years and many of the employees are hard working but also cordial towards customers.

I really enjoyed the insight. It was a good chance to explore my options for what I want to do with my career. I was unfortunately not offered a full time position but I still picked up a lot of skills. We were made to feel welcome at all times by all of the people we encountered. This is not surprising as the industry is suffering a hit to its reputation but was nice nonetheless.

Yes

Try and key an open mind about the type of role you want at an energy company such as bp. bp is not just about energy extraction and scientific research but also very much about business opportunities. They have many roles in areas such as finance, human resources, marketing and procurement. These roles are suitable for students from all sorts of backgrounds. They also actively seek students from a range of pathways, so long as your skills set is good.