Innovation IP Review

Day-to-day varies as some days I may be performing lab work all day, completely office-based work or a mixture of both. Lab work is mainly formulation work with standard or novel ingredients, sometimes testing these formulations for pH/colour. Office-based work varies depending on projects ongoing at the time. Day-to-day I complete assigned objectives for specific projects; these can often be online-research based (ie understanding scientific literature, researching competitor products) and then communicating findings in the required format eg PowerPoint/Word.

New skills learnt: accordance to safety procedures and how to use specialised equipment in lab, recording data in a lab book, emailing etiquette, networking, applying creative thinking to a scientific setting Existing skills developed: time-management and task prioritisation, oral and written communication (in general and of scientific topics), working effectively with a project team, computer literacy, organisation

Depended on the project; I was given most responsibility in my own independent projects but less in collaborative projects as more senior colleagues were involved (this kind of setting was a useful learning experience without the fear of messing up a very important project).

Wider team were very supportive to the placement students, we felt like permanent members of the team which meant we would be comfortable reaching out to anyone (even if not our managers) to discuss any concerns.

Large focus on growth and development, not just for the company as a whole but also alot of emphasis on employee development ie through lots of talks/workshops on important topics such as mental well-being, fitness, personal wealth and opportunities to get involved with DEI groups.

What I enjoyed the most was becoming fully integrated into both my team and the company as whole, and being able to work with colleagues from various different business functions was a very valuable learning experience. I also developed industry-specific skills that will benefit me in any future roles I undertake. The main downside was there were often quiet periods where there would be a lack of work assigned to me and not much I could do day-to-day. Compared to the constant workload of university, I found it hard to stay motivated in these times.

Yes

Ensure you can identify with the company values and culture and be able to talk about this. Emphasise the skills you have that are specific to the role but also your general soft-skills that would make you a great colleague and team-member. Most importantly, be yourself in the interview and be able to showcase your strengths.