What surprised me most was how great the experience was

Tell us about your work placement.

I worked for the pharmaceutical company Baxter. They provide healthcare products to both private and public hospitals around the world. Two others and I were on placement for the year and we all worked in marketing across different business units. The area I worked in dealt with IV bags, antibiotics, nutrition bags and other similar products.

The placement was in Newbury and, as all three of us had to relocate, we ended up sharing a student house and it was a great experience.

The people I worked with were also very supportive. The company was well structured. I worked closely with a line manager, my personal mentor and various project managers. My mentor was especially great and made sure that I got everything I needed and was able to get involved with the projects I was interested in. I felt like I had a lot of support and check-ups to make sure I was doing ok. The university also checked in regularly and I enjoyed telling them about all the interesting things I’d been up to.

What kind of opportunities did you get during your placement?

I got to go to multiple conferences around the country. A lot of the marketing materials I made were used for training days for nurses. Often my colleagues would invite me to join them on the training days to see my material in action and how the days operated. I got to travel to London, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin.

What was the highlight of your time at Baxter?

Each placement student had a mentor who came from a different business unit than the one you were placed in. My mentor worked in sales for all the surgical equipment. One time I met her in Birmingham and we were allowed to watch live surgery together. 

It was a seven-hour surgery, so I didn’t stay the whole time, but I got to see them using the IV bags that I had helped market. A lot of the equipment they were using was from Baxters. It was amazing to watch.

The other highlight would be my role as a physical and mental wellbeing champion, along with the other placement students. We organised fun events like a pancake flip competition. At Christmas, we did a ‘decorate your desk’ competition. The three of us organised everything and, when we were given a budget to handle, we threw a big barbeque. Everyone came in and we set up mini golf and other activities in the car park.

Did anything surprise you about your placement?

What surprised me most was how great the experience was. Everyone says you will develop all these skills during your placement year but I didn’t realise how much I would actually change. Because I was able to work with a lot of teams I’ve gained a lot of confidence, particularly with speaking to new people. Even small things like how to write an email, how to talk to your line manager, or how to chase people if you have deadlines, were all skills that I developed.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

The main challenge I faced was learning to balance my workload. I worked closely with four different marketing managers but there were seven in total that I worked with. A lot of different people would ask me to do things or get involved in different areas. At the start, I really struggled with saying no to people and I took on a few projects that I then had to say that I wouldn’t have time to do.

I’ve always wanted to do my best and try my hardest. It was a challenge to learn that at points I had to accept that I couldn’t do everything. Everyone was very understanding and I learnt not to suffer in silence if I took on too much work.

How did you become the Student Employability Ambassador?

During my placements I had catch ups with Shirley and Razlan in the School. In my last meeting, they mentioned that there were two ambassador roles they were offering to placement students. 

The Student Employability Ambassador role is about supporting first and second year students who are looking to do placement years. I thought it would be a great opportunity to help encourage other students to do what I’d done and take the jump with a year in employment. 

What are your responsibilities?

So I have a few responsibilities. Firstly, I run the SEED (Sheffield Economics Employability Development) newsletter. This goes out every two weeks and includes information in internships, placements, graduate schemes and employability events coming up. We recently had an event on perfecting your CV.

I also run the SEED website. I update the site with new information and, at the moment, it’s going under a reorganisation to make the website more user friendly. 

Lastly, I co-manage the SEED email address. This involves helping any students with their questions about employability and directing them to useful resources when needed.

What would you recommend new and prospective students do to get the most out of their degree?

Put yourself out there, especially early on. Even if it’s just small things, like making sure you attend all your lectures or joining a society, you’ll meet people and make friends. Then, when it comes to coursework deadlines or exams you have a support system.

My time at Sheffield has flown by, so don’t take anything for granted and make sure you enjoy all of what university has to offer, not just the academic side but the social side too.

If you could summarise your experience at the University of Sheffield in three words, what would they be?

Hilly - both physically because it’s hilly but also because of the ups and downs you experience. It’s important to have the lows to appreciate the highs.

Amazing - I’ve made so many friends and I’ve loved competing as part of the dance society.

Transformative - At university, you get to find out who you are. I’ve definitely become a lot more confident and independent.