Hi, my name is Luke, and I am a final year Economics student who completed a placement year last year in the E-commerce department at Ultimate Products.

Why did I apply?

Firstly, before I applied I looked on the Ultimate Products twitter account and found blog-style posts from the current placement students, highlighting how great the job is. A lot of what they were saying matched what was on the job description, particularly regarding the opportunities for personal development and both internal and external training.

As someone who wasn’t too sure on what roles to apply for, I was open to exploring roles and companies I hadn’t heard of before. I was more interested in the opportunities to develop skills that would be useful in most roles which was the case at Ultimate Products! I would definitely recommend considering roles at lesser-known companies such as Ultimate Products because sometimes the opportunities can be more personalised to your needs.

What did I get out of it?

My time at Ultimate Products benefitted me in more ways than I imagined. The big thing for me was having the opportunity to develop skills that I hadn’t had the chance to before. Not only was there regular technical training, there were monthly ‘graduate training’ sessions (which placement students would also attend), which focused on soft skills and learning more about the company and industry – these were really beneficial! Then I had opportunities to practice these skills in my day-to-day role. For example, as someone who wasn’t a strong public speaker and wanted to improve my group speaking and presenting skills, I had lots of opportunities to present in front of senior colleagues and even led important meetings. The confidence I have gained from putting myself in these situations is unimaginable and probably the best thing I have got out of the placement in terms of personal development.

The experience of getting into a routine and improving my organisation in terms of punctuality and time management was a very important part of my placement. Not only has it given me a taste of working life which will make it easier to adjust into a graduate role after university, it has also massively improved my organisation and productivity in my final year here at university. I am much more organised in terms of planning my studying and prioritising deadlines. It’s also made waking up for 9am’s much easier!

Lastly, and probably the most underrated aspect of a placement is the social life – both inside and outside of the office. A lot of the graduates at Ultimate Products were a similar age to me as it was their first job, which made it much easier to make friends. There is also a lot of extra-curricular activities and societies to get involved in – I was part of the football team which trained after work for an hour every week which was really fun and a great stress reliever. I have made some really good friends who I still keep in contact with.

Adjustment to work life

Probably the most difficult part of starting a placement is the adjustment into the routine and working 40 hours a week. I won’t lie and say it wasn’t difficult for me because it was, especially considering I’m partial to a lie in every now and then! I got home on the Friday after my first week and I was asleep by 7:30pm. The first couple of weeks will be tiring, but the adjustment process is quite quick. You’ll soon forget what it’s like to not have a routine.

There is also lots of support in the form of a mentoring scheme, where you are assigned a mentor within the department who is an experienced colleague but not part of your team. They are there to listen to your concerns and ensure you get the best out of your placement, there was definitely an emphasis on ensuring I was coping with the adjustment, and I was made aware that they could help if needed, which was very comforting.

I know I’ve already mentioned the social aspect, but it was also very helpful in making sure I wasn’t losing a social life going from university to a full-time job. Not only did my friends in the office help me adjust to work life, but I was also still able to see my friends from university regularly as they were still in Manchester. The extra money also goes a long way when planning to do stuff with friends!

My career plans – will I return?

I was delighted to hear that Ultimate Products would like me to return as a graduate, and I would be accelerated on the grad scheme. As much as I enjoyed my time there, I wanted to keep my options open. As I haven’t got a full idea of the exact career I want to pursue, I’d like to try something different.

The door is still open for me I believe, as they said they would love to have me back at any time, but I’m exploring other options at the moment that are more suitable for my situation. There is no doubt that the whole placement experience has made me realise what I do and don’t want out of a graduate role, and it has also given me a great platform for any career I choose to pursue.

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