Industrial Placement Intern Review

I speak to customers in person or on the phone. I rent them the vehicle they require and offer additional services to make their rental risk free. I am responsible for collecting and delivering vehicles, checking their mechanical status and appearance. I am also responsible for ensuring that our customer service level meets or exceeds the company/ regional standards. I enjoying going above and beyond for my customers. But I have also learnt some great skills to de-escalate situations as some customers can get very irate if a vehicle is not available or they feel that they should be upgraded and and feel it is appropriate to shout! I now know the best way to get a win from this type of situation.

I have learnt to be a better customer service representative and to truly understand what world-class service is. I have learnt negotiation skills, leadership skills and I have better IT literacy. I have been exposed to a sales environment and I have learnt excellent team skills - we all win together - as a team. I had had some exposure of this before I started my placement, but Enterprise really let me develop these skills and appreciate my ability and my team mates' abilities as well.

Yes, it is actually a strength of Enterprise. They don't treat you like an intern. They teach you how to take on leadership and then they let you develop your own style. I was responsible for "running the day" on several occasions and also was allowed to run the branch as I prepared to take my management exams.

I had lots of support and guidance from the Assistant Manager, the branch manager and my area manager. Head office were always available to support with any tricky customer questions and I received the opportunity to go to head office for training to help me develop my sales and marketing skills as well as my customer service skills.

I felt that the company culture was great. It was hard work, but the team were rewarded and recognised appropriately. My Area Manager was particularly supportive and called out great results. Not all customer interactions are positive, but each of them were a learning moment and I enjoyed looking back and analysing what could be different next time. I feel really lucky in my branch that everyone had great focus. My Branch Manager particularly made my placement a fun and rewarding learning adventure. I was always encouraged to speak up and I never felt like "just the intern".

I really enjoyed my placement year. I have learnt about things I enjoy and I am good at. I have also found things that are not my strenghts and I would not want to pursue in my longer term career. I think that the team around me were great and supportive. I am much more confident to enter the world of work after my final year now. I will stay in touch with the team and my branch manager.

Yes

Be prepared for hard work and sometimes long hours to get the job done and be part of the team. Be open for all the opportunities afforded to you and make sure that you ask if there is something you are passionate about pursuing. Say yes to all the projects and all the responsibilities. Reflect on successes and reflect on failures and learn from them. Network alot (I wish I had done more) and ask questions so you understand. Don't pretend to understand and then get stuck. People are willing to explain it again!