Procurement Intern Review
at Unite Students
Internship (1 Month+)
Procurement
Bristol
Review Submitted: August 2024
Overall Rating
4.9 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
5/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
4/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
I mainly play a support role and shadow the managers and more senior team members.
As an intern,
Some of the tasks may include: contacting suppliers for one reason or another; assessing the operational risk level of a supplier to make sure Unite Students doesn't enter into a contract with a company at risk of insolvency; going through past contracts and updating our summary excel sheets with correct information; etc.
As an intern,
Some of the tasks may include: contacting suppliers for one reason or another; assessing the operational risk level of a supplier to make sure Unite Students doesn't enter into a contract with a company at risk of insolvency; going through past contracts and updating our summary excel sheets with correct information; etc.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
I was given a fair amount of responsibility. The projects weren't at a scale that would significantly affect Unite, but I had multiple projects that I was responsible for completing and a more senior member to answer questions or provide help if needed. The senior member was not giving me directions on how to do the project, unless I asked for help with something I was unable to figure out on my own. If I had no questions, they would simply check on my progress and get back to what they needed to be focusing on.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
4/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Yes.
I have definitely developed my social skills and presentation skills in the short time I have been here. Now, I can comfortably present to a small group of people. I'm not ready to give TED talks, but progress is progress.
I've also learned a few procurement specific skills such as developing an RFP(request for proposal) and, the tender process + what that means. In addition, I've learned a bit of negotiation from the Technology category manager(great guy btw). He routinely has to negotiate with software companies, and some of what he taught me will be quite useful later in my life.
I have definitely developed my social skills and presentation skills in the short time I have been here. Now, I can comfortably present to a small group of people. I'm not ready to give TED talks, but progress is progress.
I've also learned a few procurement specific skills such as developing an RFP(request for proposal) and, the tender process + what that means. In addition, I've learned a bit of negotiation from the Technology category manager(great guy btw). He routinely has to negotiate with software companies, and some of what he taught me will be quite useful later in my life.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
I made it a point to ask a lot of questions. I didn't ask obvious, easy to answer questions for the sake of asking, but whenever I had some issue I couldn't overcome by myself, I would seek help from someone on the team. They were always able to help me find an answer, whether by answering me directly or pointing me to someone who did know the solution to my problem.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
The atmosphere is very relaxed. There is not super strict dress code(just be sensible, don't wear clothes you would wear to a rave). The hours are relatively flexible and almost entirely up to the team you'll be working in. Everyone is helpful and kind too, so reaching out to people elsewhere in the business is not stressful or scary.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
It was great. I think the rest of the review covers my reasons on why I think this
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at Unite Students
4/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Unite Students to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Unite Students
Try to ask questions. Talk to the members on your team and learn as much as you can from them. Talk to members of other teams when possible. Try to be as engaged with your work as possible. Socialise with your fellow placement/internship students.
Open up, and try to be more confident if you feel like you aren't. Nobody knows what you were like before starting, this is your chance to be who you think you want to be/ who you believe yourself to be.
Open up, and try to be more confident if you feel like you aren't. Nobody knows what you were like before starting, this is your chance to be who you think you want to be/ who you believe yourself to be.
