Section Manager of I.T, Imaging and Small Electrical Review

My placement has been an incredible experience. The company really does give you as much responsibility as you are willing to take and have the opportunity to do so. I was given a live Section Manager position after being in branch for just over 2 months and was placed in a really complex area with plenty of challenges. I was in a New Format store too so this experience will really stand me in good stead for how the business is developing into an omni-channel retailer.

I have had such good working relationships throughout my placement, so much so that I've had 3 leaving parties planned! If you are willing to give it your all and make an impact and introduce changes, you are bound to succeed and be valued by your peers.

I had a mentor during my placement and my line manager had previously been on the graduate scheme so I have had really good support in a business and personal perspective. The scheme is very much geared towards you learning through experience so you will never be spoon fed, you need to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them but have the support with how you deal with this and I have had that continuously.

My day absolutely flew by in a live Section Manager position. Prior to this, I was running a project across branch so I have always been busy but my time management skills have been incredibly tested as a line manager for up to 40 partners at one time! I have never once looked at my watch and counted down the working hours as I just haven't ever had the time to do that!

As mentioned above, I have been given extremely strong levels of responsibility. I have been responsible for one of the most complex selling sections in the business and been a line manager to 15 partners in my direct team and 40 in the whole department. I was also required to run the stock take and clearance after being in role for 10 days as well as being responsible for commerciality, sales, minimising cash loss and improving ways of working. Furthermore, I was responsible for leading my own project which I created but also assisting in two branch projects with fellow Section Managers.

My view on time management has completely changed! Prior to my placement I felt I was very organised but as retail is so unpredictable, you have to be very good at prioritising and knowing what tasks need to be actioned when and think this will help me at university. I have also learnt so much about managing difficult personalities and poor performance and I think that this will help me within team projects at university.

As a Retail Manager you very rarely spend time in the office but the atmosphere in branch was so lively and positive which could be influenced by it being a new branch and new ways of working. I have been able to be myself throughout the whole placement and I have felt as though work has become a family to me!

The placement is well organised in the sense that you network with fellow placement students at John Lewis and Waitrose. There is very little training in terms of management as you best learn by doing it yourself so don't expect to be told how to manage people but more how to improve the style that you have.

The company really does invest a lot of time into you! You are able to go to networking events every 2 months with fellow John Lewis placement students and Waitrose students where you have personal and business development workshops. The company itself is renown for investing in partners so any courses that you want to go on, you can and it can be for anything from your influencing skills to giving constructive feedback. I cannot describe the value of that and just how good the company is in general for that!

I have been offered a referral for the graduate scheme following my placement and I would absolutely love to keep working with the company for the next few years and see how I can develop and progress. John Lewis is such a unique company that it is a privilege to be apart of.

As your other Industrial Placement students are located all across the UK, you cannot really socialise/meet up with them unless you are in the same region. However, we kept in touch with one another via social media which helped.

York is an expensive area to live in but there has always been plenty going on in the social scene and I haven't had any problems making friends in and out of work so I have been able to successfully live by myself for the whole year and not really realise!

York always has things going on in the evening as mentioned above!

Yes, I was part of the choir and we went to several events in London to perform. The branch also had it's own football team but this does differ between branches.