GMS Early Talent Recruitment Coordinator Review

I have completed a HR placement with GSK and can honestly say that I have had a fantastic year. I was recruitment coordinator for early talent in our global manufacturing and supply (GMS) business, so was exposed to a diverse range of employees globally and within different areas of the business. I really enjoyed being given responsibility from day 1 and working on real activities and projects that have had an impact on some of the people working at GSK, and those looking for placements, graduates roles and apprenticeships. The atmosphere at GSK is brilliant - the people are so friendly and eager to help out with any questions you may have. The job wasn't without it's challenges, but the support that I had from my colleagues made the year an incredible experience!

The GMS early talent team was just myself and my line manager, so we were a close-knit team from the very beginning! We linked in to the GMS human resource team so we did form part of a larger community. My colleagues were great at helping me to settle in - in the early days I had catch-ups to understand what everyone did within the team and how early talent connected with them. I felt extremely valued by them, as they would always have time if I wanted to learn or experience anything else. I also worked closely with the larger early talent recruitment team who were great at helping myself and my line manager to support the wider business need.

My line manager was really good at recognising my potential and helping me to develop throughout my placement. She helped to identify projects that would enrich particular skills and helped me to expand my network to get more experience in other areas of the business. During challenging times, she was brilliant at helping me to focus on the postitives and celebrate our successes!

My work load varied depending on what phase of the recruitment process we were in. I was never bored, but some months were a lot busier than others! We implemented two new recruitment stages to our process, which meant an increased workload to ensure that we remained on track with our targets. I do like to be busy, however, so this didn't phase me!

Being part of a small team means that you will automatically have a great deal of responsiblity. I was responsible for identifying our business need for particular early talent programmes, and then planning, coordinating and running the assessment centres. I would then provide feedback to those applicants who reached assessment centre to ensure that they understood their strengths and development areas. I also led three large events throughout the year involving senior leaders from across the company - even the CEO!

Having spent a year working at GSK, on real projects with real impact, I am convinced that I will be able to apply a great business understanding to my studies when I return for my final year - being able to apply the theory to real life experiences will be a huge benefit. The experience that I now have, and the skills that I have developed, will hopefully make me a great candidate for any graduate programmes that I apply for. I have had a taster for the real world which has only fuelled my ambition!

The office was generally quite quiet, as everyone was mostly quite busy. This wasn't a negative thing, however, as there were various places around GSK House where you could go to socialise. People in GSK House generally 'hot desk', so you do move around a lot to have meetings. I also found that if I was stuck for an idea, or needed a little inspiration, I could go up to the 12th floor to re-focus my thinking - the atmosphere up here was different so would enable a different way of thinking!

Really well - my line manager and the former industrial placement student had an induction plan in place to help me get up to speed with what I needed. There is also 'IP Unite' which gives industrial placement students the opportunity to network with each other and help each other to settle in.

I didn't receive much formal training, however I was lucky enough to go on a 'Leadership Edge' course with some of our graduates and also run an assessment centre at a site in Italy. GSK has an online training programme which all employees can access, so it is up to the employee if they want to use it. Most of my development came from the projects, daily tasks and responsibilities that I had throughout the year.

I have applied for one of the graduate programmes at GSK and have my fingers and toes crossed that I am successful. I love GSK - what they do and how they do it. The future leaders programmes that GSK offers a really good at developing your leadership capabilities and giving you the experiences and the contacts that you need to be able to take your career further.

Although I wasn't an active member of IP Unite, and didn't make it to many of the social events, I know that the IP community within GSK House especially was very sociable. There were often nights out including bowling and boat parties.

Living and working in London is not cheap! GSK House is located out in Brentford, which is cheaper than central London but not as attractive for socialising. I lived in Hammersmith which was great as there was so much going on, but a huge chunk of my salary was spent on my rent.

There are a few pubs and bars in the area surrounding GSK House, but most people would travel to central London for nights out.

GSK do have sports clubs that you can join, which are great for socialising whilst keeping feet. GSK also do 'orange day's where employees can spend 1 day a year working for a charity or local community.