Commercial Intern Review

I was the Commercial Intern for LDB. Day to day, I would liaise with our clients on upcoming product launches, campaigns that are happening, and supporting with random queries. I also took on some tasks from the Data Analysis side and helped transform raw data into an easy-to-read format using PowerBI. Following up on that, I also monitored sales data and reported any unusual activity to help combat any performance dips for our products. The role needed a lot of communication with a lot of parties, both internally and externally, to make sure everyone is aligned and on the same page.

I achieved my main goal going into the internship, which was to improve on my public speaking skills. I was able to do this by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and helping the different teams in the division with any events that came up, and presenting in Division Wide meetings. I also upskilled myself on my Excel, Photoshop, VBA, and Powershell skills. Using these tools on a daily basis helped and pushed me to learn more about them to try and become as efficient as possible. So I learned Excel shortcuts to no longer use a mouse, Photoshop to create Artwork, VBA and Powershell to automate otherwise monotonous and boring tasks.

I was fortunate enough to be able to take ownership of quite a few projects during my internships. Namely a Stock Room Tracker, and Presell Trackers. I asked my manager if she would be fine with me taking on/starting these projects and she pushed me to go for it and provided a helping hand when needed. The Stock Room Tracker helped us keep track of everything that we had in the stock room, so there was no longer any need to rummage around for products, it helped us learn more about which products. The Presell Tracker helped the sales team keep track of how much they've been allocated, gave them a suggestion on how their allocations should be split, and sped up the landing of the presells in stores. I was also able to take full responsibility of quite a few of my daily tasks.

I received an immense amount of help and support throughout the internship, especially the first few months as my manager was out of office. The market director took me under his wings and helped me however he could and tried to minimize my workload as much as he could as I was still finding my footing. Once my manager came back, she was very supportive and always asking if there was too much on my plate, if I needed help with anything, and making sure I wasn't doing anything outside of my remit. Everyone else on the team and the office in general was also very nice, and always supportive.

It was great, and was one of the highlights of my internship. This could be due to the small office size, but everyone knew everyone in the office regardless of their role or department. Everyone was very welcoming and willing to help when needed. It was a very relaxed and nice atmosphere that invited you in and pushed me to try and go to the office as much as possible. Everyone, from the interns to the directors all would interact daily and would crack jokes with each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the internship and wish I could stay for longer. The team became my family during the year as I got to know everyone and would chat to them on a daily/weekly basis. The tasks I completed were almost always used by someone who sits beside me and would thank me for it or make suggestions on how to do it better. I was also able to take on the Presell Tracker project as it became apparent to me that it was an issue that should be addressed, and everyone on the team supported on that project when asked to. All my interactions, tasks, responsibilities, and projects have been extremely positive. There were a few times where I had to push the timeline on some of them back due to other things taking priority, but an overall very positive experience.

Yes

From talking to the hiring manager and my manager, the main thing that they mentioned that would definitely help in the hiring/application process was authenticity. They know that almost all skills and tasks for the job can be taught, so as long as you have an understanding of the basics you should be good. The way you conduct yourself during the interview and how you speak of yourself teaches them a lot about you and if you would be a great fit for the role/job.