Trainee Section Manager Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement; the company ethos and the nature of everyone that worked in John Lewis was fantastic. I made some fantastic friends whilst being consistently challenged on a daily basis! I love the company, it genuinely cares about creating "a great place to work."

John Lewis is one massive family and my particular branch treated me as part of it from the first day. My opinion was constantly valued from a team, department, branch and company level. The more time I spent with the company the more I began to be asked for advice and help with complex situations and my answers were taken on board and more often than not implemented.

I had both a personal mentor from my department and a coach from learning and development, who supported me every step of the way. They met with me regularly and were always there to aid me, without hesitation. They consistently pushed me to achieve that little bit more and taught me the importance of reflecting on situations. In addition the team of section managers within my department supported me daily, alongside my department manager and also gave me the opportunity to support in return. Finally, unique to the John Lewis business was the support I received from the top management in my branch; they all met with me individually at the start of my placement and supported me throughout which was fantastic and went beyond their role.

It's hard to rate this question as everyday in retail is completely different and this was therefore reflected in your work load. However there was never a day I felt bored and there was always lots to do. More than anything, John Lewis encouraged you to also think like a top manager and find the work to do instead of just being told. Christmas was extremely busy but so much fun and I was given a fantastic project to get stuck in to also.. so all in all I had a great balance with my workload.

I wouldn't go as far too say I was running the show... but from the first day I was given a great amount of responsibility! I was treated as a section manager from the beginning and had to establish myself in a department of over 100 Partners. The responsibility aspect kept on growing and provided me with a number of challenges along the way; which allowed you to show what you are capable of by taking on new responsibilities and achieving in those areas.

Without a doubt, the set of skills I received at John Lewis are skills I am currently using in the final year of my degree but will also take on into my future career! I have built a set of transferrable skills and learnt my strengths and weaknesses for continual improvement but more than this, I have learnt how to identify them in both myself and my team to be an effective manager. I improved skills in figure analysis, communication, dealing with complex situations and so much more. Furthermore I was fortunate to receive valuable training from the learning and development team during my placement, this include presentation skills, team-working, MBTI analysis and innovation and creativity in the workplace.

Like before, everyday was different, however the atmosphere was consistently great in my department. I worked with a fantastic team who found the perfect balance between making it enjoyable and ensuring the work was done to the highest standard.

The organisation of the placement was great! Although it differed from branch to branch with the other placement students, I found this a great advantage as it was tailored to you specifically as an intern. My branch worked on a internship programme which allowed me to see the full scale of what John Lewis offered. Furthermore, this was adaptable by myself if I found there were certain things I wished to do, my team went out of their way in order to help me do this! Brilliant placement scheme.

Personal training and development is core to John Lewis, through consistent review of a personal development plan, with which they invested a lot of time in helping me achieve. I was stretched to achieve difficult targets and was encouraged to improve in my areas of weakness which helped my development dramatically. My coach was constantly looking out for potential opportunities and training courses I could take part in that would assist me further and I felt that throughout my time the firm itself was investing in me and my future.

Fantastic! I am joining John Lewis on their graduate scheme in 2015!

There was a great social scene within both my department and my branch. The department held nights out and nights-in, to give the chance for Partners to socialise outside the work environment and these were highly attended and a lot of fun. Furthermore the branch offered so many social activities you could take part in from meals out, theatre visits, night at the zoo, spa days, sports teams and so much more. Plus there was a fantastic subsidised bar in branch once a month which was a great way to socialise beyond your own department!

Edinburgh was quite an expensive place to live with relatively high rent and living costs which are generally the case with any capital city. However venturing off the beaten track, you found some fantastic places at good prices... so it just took a bit of exploring to find better costs!

Edinburgh has a fantastic nightlife with everything from cocktails bars and clubs covering all genre's of music! There is also a massive comedy scene and we can't forget the fantastic fringe festival every year and also one of the best Hogmanay's (new year) to experience.

There were loads of opportunities to get involved in outside work provided by John Lewis at subsidised prices. I attended the theatre, went for dinners, drinks, to museums... there was always plenty on offer.