This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I looked at the Heinze's and IBM's of this world and were very impressed by what effect a name like that could do to my CV, however after discussing it further with family and friends, I began to understand that it was less about a big name giant company and more about learning how businesses work and really have a more vital and meaningful position on my placement, in which I can genuinely have an impact. My placement at ProspectSoft delivered this in abundance. I have thrived on the responsibility given to me and every question I have ever asked has always been answered in a thorough and friendly way. The diversity of the work I have done has been great too! I really have received a fully comprehensive and enjoyable 13 months. Thanks ProspectSoft!
Because of ProspectSoft's size, you are part of a fairly close knit group of people and your are also a vital cog in the larger ProspectSoft machine. This results in your peers and managers having to entrust you with great responsibility and thus I felt like a very valuable member of the ProspectSoft team.
This has been a major factor in me getting the most out of this year. If it wasn’t for the whole management team and directors putting their faith and confidence in me I could not have had the opportunity to shine like I feel I did. They are also some of the easiest going and friendliest people to work with and learn from.
I'm not going to lie, this year has been very challenging and one aspect of this is the work load. This is down to the fact that it is a "proper job"! This is not a tea making position, its a full blown sales position and thanks to that, you get a "proper experience"!
As with any full and proper sales position, with it comes a lot of responsibility and I have been given this in abundance this year.
Previously, I had only ever worked in the B2C market for a large high street company. Working at ProspectSoft has expanded my knowledge hugely to include how the world of B2B sales and also how SME's work too, which has been fascinating considering that SME's account for 99% of all enterprises in the UK.
The Company
There has been some great banter around the office. The sales managers are great, fun loving people and they were always there to pick you up on a bad day and have a giggle on the good days! The whole company is fairly young, so there is a great vibe about the place.
Thanks to ProspectSoft's past experience with placement students, they are very good at equipping you with what you need to shine on your 13 months with the company. Also, as I understand it, this is going to take another leap forward in the next year or so with the placement academy, which is just another demonstration of ProspectSoft's dedication to the placement scheme.
There was an initial few weeks intense training on the product and then lots of learning in and around the job. Also, when new products and versions are released there is often plenty of training around those areas. Ongoing development tended to be embraced in to the regular reviews that were scheduled in with my line manager.
My placement was pretty much a year long job interview. Luckily, I managed to impress my managers and the directors at ProspectSoft, so much so that they have felt inclined to offer me a job, and the prospect of returning is a very exciting one.
The Culture
I have made some great friends this year. There is always something going on and if not, people are always open to suggestions and up for something fun to do.
Being a Northener, I thought that moving down south was going to be a ridiculous hike in prices, but its actually not that bad around the area.
Depending on where you live, there are different grades of Nightlife. High Wycombe is not too great, however London is only 40mins on the train and Oxford is a 25min drive away, which means there is plenty of scope for a good night out.
There was always someone going out for a meal, going to the cinema, wanting to play some sort of sports or just fancying a drink. There is a large diversity of tastes and preferences within ProspectSoft, there is pretty much something for everyone. And if its not currently happening, you can definitely make sure it does.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Scotland
July 2009