Project Consultant Review

I worked as an intern in the Supply Chain consulting team. This involved collaboration with all other teams within the company to help procure the materials that the company uses to supply its services. I mainly worked with the pricing team to help procure the material at the lowest possible cost. This involved a lot of meetings with both employees and external partners, and on occasion travel to different clients' headquarters to help negotiate good deals.

Technically, I learnt the principles of coding which made things a lot easier during my final year and even now in terms of my data analysis skills. These skills are very marketable at a time when computer literacy is so important for the job market. I also learnt a lot of social skills. Moreover, I received a lot of support in developing my soft skills - in particular public speaking and stakeholder management.

I was given a decent amount of responsibility - enough to learn significantly and come back as a full time employee. This responsibility was increased over time as I became more comfortable with the role. I feel like I can be trusted to delegate responsibilities to other interns in the future, having been through the process myself. Moreover, I was trusted to perform highly critical tasks which the rest of the business relied upon, and this helped to build my confidence.

My manager was great - she was able to answer any concerns I had at all times, and I was given plenty of feedback by my colleagues who were supervising me. At all times, this was constructive, and made me better at accomplishing my goals. This I believe is a result of Arcadis' inclusive culture, where asking for help is considered a sign of intelligence, rather than something to be ashamed of as it is in other firms.

Great - we had a young and vibrant team full of people like myself, and this helped well with our cohesion. As data science techniques are increasingly being used in supply chain management nowadays, to some extent it was to be expected as most people at Arcadis are in the early stage of their career. That said, everyone working in the team and Arcadis created a positive atmosphere, where the challenges of day to day work were embraced.

I loved working at Arcadis as a supply chain consultant intern intern. It gave me the social skills and confidence to kick on with my career, having previously been unsure about what I should do. Moreover, the supply chain industry is a dynamic one, undergoing a lot of digital transformation, and it was exciting to see how Arcadis are coping with it. Therefore, I learnt a lot about the way in which supply chains are being disrupted at a global level.

Yes

Try and look at what service Arcadis provides. Then gain an understanding of the different teams within the company and figure out which, if any, you would like to work in. It is important to be able to articulate why you want to work for Arcadis and within the specific division you are applying to as it shows interest within the company. Also try and see how Arcadis distinguishes itself from other competitive supply chain companies.