Special Projects HR Officer Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Vauxhall as I was given real tasks to do, with the outcome affecting the company either in a positive or negative way. Therefore, I wasn't just there to photocopy or make the drinks.

All of my colleagues treat me with respect and I felt valued by everyone I worked with. I worked closely with my Manager and felt that she trusted me to produce top quality work.

I would meet with my manager for a one-on-one meeting every 2 weeks to ensure that we both knew what needed doing and when. On top of this I would have a quarterly review with my manager so that we could both grade how I was doing. I also had support from other colleagues and a personal mentor for the year - incase I wanted to speak to someone other than my close colleagues.

As I worked on Projects,I was extremely busy when in the middle of a major project and then not so busy when these had been completed. Therefore, sometimes work was a bit quiet but my manager gave me the opportunity to support other departments which was beneficial as it meant I could understand what other departments do as well as my own.

My Manager gave me full responsibility for the tasks which I worked on. I was left to run these tasks and my manager would get more involved if I hit hurdles along the way. This was the perfect way to work as it made me feel much more valued and I learnt more.

Everything I learnt on my placement year will vastly improve my performance during my final year at university and will put me at an advantage from others when applying for graduate jobs.

The atmosphere was always positive and everybody had a laugh. When it was someones birthday there would be cakes and sweets in the department and everybody would gather round to sing Happy Birthday. A very enjoyable environment.

The placement was well set up with Director presentations, training and a full social schedule planned for our first two weeks. This gave us a great insight from an early stage into the company and was a perfect opportunity to make friends.

I was given presentation, interview and Microsoft Excel training which set me up well for the year. There was also E-learning which was available for me should I need it - I used this several times to help build my knowledge in different areas.

Although the company tend not to take many graduates on, they only take graduates whom had a placement with Vauxhall therefore the future prospects are still positive.

There were 75 undergraduates altogether based in Luton so we always went out together. I couldn't have asked for a better social scene whilst working for Vauxhall.

I paid £270 per month rent so it was fairly cheap compared to some places. Also the nightlife was fairly cheap - cheap drinks, food and pubs etc.

The nightlife in Luton isn't the best but it is only 25minutes on train away from London and the nightlife in London is very good!

There were charity events such as Skydiving and London to Brighton bike ride, plus sporting activities such as golf events and football matches.