Assistant Manager Review

Completing a degree in Business Management at university, I accepted the placement feeling that the role would be beneficial in developing my business acumen and to further my people management skills. My keen interest for the retail sector was also another driving force behind the placement. Overall I found the placement was not completely as I was expecting. I felt the role was far more physically challenging due to short staff and long shifts and as a result was required to do a lot of work out of my job role. I enjoyed the fact I was given a lot of responsibility, however I would have liked to have been taught more about the underlying objectives of the business such as accounting and operations relating to more to my degree. I felt I progressively enjoyed the placement more as I was given more responsibility developed stronger relationships with employees and other managers. I found the job rewarding as you received instant and long term gratification. I enjoyed the people management side however this was something I found I was only made fully responsible towards the end of the year. Overall, I feel my year at Moto was highly beneficial to my development however the job itself was quite repetitive and physically strenuous.

I did find it was a bit of a challenge entering the business as an assistant manager at the age of 20, I was greeted by some hostility by those who were older and not as senior and this was a challenge I had to overcome. I felt that it was a true test of my personality, a few individuals made things difficult as expected for example would be reluctant to listen to something I’ve asked however I tried not to let this get the better of me and I feel this strengthened me as a manager in the long run and is typical of any working environment. Once this initial barrier was overcome and I gained the friendship and respect of these individuals, I felt that I obtained great relationships with those I worked with. Unlike the other managers who took a very autocratic approach to management, I was more diplomatic which I think most enjoyed as a change and felt that I was very approachable. I felt highly valued by those working underneath me however I feel that there was little recognition and feedback from higher management.

I found the supervision of the management to be one of the weaknesses with the placement. As mentioned above, I felt that there was little acknowledgement or positive reinforcement by higher authority. I felt that I was treated as if I had worked at Moto for years rather than I was on a graduate training programme where you are expecting to be supported and your learning continuously challenged. I did point this out to management whilst at Moto and found that the support did improve once I had flagged with senior staff.

One thing I felt wasn’t pointed out during the interview stage at Moto was the hours/days you would be working. As you are working in the retail sector, be prepared for early starts (7am-3pm) or the contrary (3pm-11pm). Also quite often you will find yourself working weekends although management tend to be pretty flexible with you having the odd day at the weekend off. The shifts actually worked pretty well for me as I was still living at UNI and so was still able to enjoy the mid-week night out with the knowledge I had the next day off. On a day to day shift you would be very busy. Limited staff was always an issue and I would find myself helping out on the shop floor regularly. This was obviously god to keep you on your toes however when you often found yourself staying late to ensure the shop floor was up to standards.

One of the great things I can take away from my placement at Moto was the level of responsibility I was given. After 6 months working on site, I was given the responsibility of duty manager, making me accountable for all staff across the site. At first this may seem daunting, but the sufficient training meant that this was welcomed as a challenge. I was given a taste of all aspects of being a manager, from the interview process to disciplinary hearings. At the same time, i also felt I could have been challenged more and did find the job role monotonous. I wanted to learn more about the business strategy not just how we get the products on the shelves. Please see below for other responsibilities that I had during my placement: • Supported the Department Manger to ensure that the whole team is focused on driving sales. • Responsible for driving operational standards. • Ensured brand compliance. • Helped with day to day running of the store, delivery, stock replenishment/rotation, occasionally acted as cashier. • Dealing with customer queries. • Helping the team to meet audit requirements. • Supported the Manager to develop the team and to deliver budgeted profit. • Undertook interviews, monitored staffing levels on a day-to-day basis and delivered training to teams. • Actively encouraged the team to drive sales and monitor costs as directed.

The graduate training program was one the strongest assets of the Grad scheme. The training was in-depth and beneficial to all practicalities of the job role. We covered topics such as finance, human resources and operational management. Each course was well organised and used case studies of Moto which gave the training good authenticity. It was also a great way to get to know the other graduates and share experiences. At the end of the placement year we were required to pick a subject of which we found of interest from the program and create a presentation around this. We had to present this to a board of Moto directors which was a great learning curve and gave a great sense of achievement at the end. We also completed additional training outside of the grad program such as risk assessment, Personal Licence, interview training and health and safety. The interview training I found particularly beneficial as this was something I had no previous experience of, and which I am now able to put into practice and use confidently. All the courses I found have been beneficial to my personal development and helped with my degree for example, I was able to do my dissertation based on my placement using first had resources. Working a Moto for a year was a really valuable experience. It made me learn a lot about myself and learn personal weaknesses that I wouldn't have known if had not worked a full time role. It helped assist my time management which was crucial to completing my degreee at uni. I felt that i was able to organise my workloads better and found i was able to work in teams more effectively. Retail is a difficult environment to work in, at some points I found the job repetitive however others would be completely new. I learned so many new skills including people management as well as client facing skills. I have a whole new found appreciation for how businesses work and how valuable staff/products/customers are and how vital it is to use them effectively. Whilst I decided that I probably wasn’t fully suited to Moto, I loved the brand who I worked for (M&S) and it made me want to further my career in retail however looking at new avenues such as a buyers role. The knowledge and experience that I have gained from the placement year is invaluable, and gives me much more sustenance/experience when applying to other roles.

The shop floor was usually busy- especially at the weekend. I didn't particularly have an office so cannot really comment. The atmosphere varied sometimes it was calm and collected, other times chaotic!

I felt that the placement was very well organised. From the induction to the courses, everything was well managed and on point. I liked the way the placement was set up so that we would attend a number of courses building up to a presentation by ourselves. This gave us something to aim for at the end and made the courses engaging. A limitation to the courses however were the fact we had to drive across the country to get some. Moto were however good at reimbursing travel costs and organizing accommodation if necessary.

The company heavily investment in there training and development programme. This was a massive highlight of the scheme and is something that i will now have with me wherever i go. I attended 13 courses whilst on the placement, from personal licence to disciplinary hearing. All were really well organised and informative.

I was asked back on the Moto placement with the prospect of becoming a department manager after 18 months. This is obviously a great opportunity however i think the year made me realize that i wanted to work for a larger and more people orientated company.

No not really. I found as i was living at UNI still I was eager to get back as soon as possible and that the location of my work meant that after work socializing was not really possible.

The largest cost for me was driving to and from my location each day which was £8. I didn't socialise with work members very often as of the location of the service station and difficulty in getting home.

Not very good as was working at a service station!

None