I can’t believe how quickly my placement is going. The time is absolutely flying by. My experience with Hewlett Packard has been invaluable to me in so many different ways. And I’m not referring only to the things I’ve learned, but also to the people I’ve met and the situations I had to deal with. But first things first: getting there! I have to tell you it hasn’t been easy. I have applied to many placements, got rejected many times (P&G rejected me on a Sunday morning, at 8am – HR never sleeps!) Just when I was about to lose hope, I got a call from HP and had my phone interview. Although I had previous work experience with them, I couldn’t skip the dreadful assessment centre day. Having been to other assessments, I knew what to expect: an army of managers, scrutinizing every move you make, assessing you at every step. But HP has a way of surprising people. The day turned out to be relaxing and fun! Yeah, sure, we had a group exercise, a face to face interview with a manager and a networking session but the activities weren’t built to put pressure on us, but to help us relax and show who we really are.
I can’t describe the feeling I had when I got the job offer! It’s the moment when you look back and realize all the hard work paid off! The benefits of taking a placement year are not related just to work experience; you also develop a range of life skills: communication, team work, time management, networking, skills that make you a well-rounded person
Teodora
BSc Marketing on placement at Hewlett Packard, London