Work experience placement Review
at Matalan
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
Voluntary
liverpool
Review Submitted: November 2022
Overall Rating
4.6 /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!
4.5/5
-
Overview of Experience
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.3/5
-
Company Culture
4.5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Recommendations and Advice
Overview of Experience
Please give an overview of the insight and what was involved on a day-to-day basis.
I was based on the home design department, where I worked alongside a lovely, lovely team!
Each day was different, from reviewing samples, helping to put together trend boards and even designing and painting motifs to use for beddings. I spent a lot of time going through colour trends and matching Pantone swatches, which was really insightful. I was given my own laptop which had full access to trend forecasting websites such as WGSN and pulled documents to save as research - I also was invited to join into the regular team meetings and was included in meetings with the buyers, to understand how the different teams work alongside one another.
The opportunity to try other departments was also available during my time there.
Each day was different, from reviewing samples, helping to put together trend boards and even designing and painting motifs to use for beddings. I spent a lot of time going through colour trends and matching Pantone swatches, which was really insightful. I was given my own laptop which had full access to trend forecasting websites such as WGSN and pulled documents to save as research - I also was invited to join into the regular team meetings and was included in meetings with the buyers, to understand how the different teams work alongside one another.
The opportunity to try other departments was also available during my time there.
What was it like understanding all about the business and potential roles available?
Really eye opening to see how such a big company such as Matalan operates; there are many more roles which I was previously unaware of.
Please rate how insightful you found the insight
5/5
How would you rate the structure of the insight
4/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
It gave me a really good insight into how the design processes work within industry. It was also amazing to be able to look through all the colour trend books and resources which industry use. The home team I worked with were all so so helpful! They gave me lots of tips and advice for designing and were really friendly, happy to answer any questions I had :-)
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate the knowledge learned around industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate the knowledge learned around personal or professional skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how the knowledge learned has helped you with regards to your career development
5/5
Company Culture
How would you rate business leader involvement during the insight
4/5
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
The home team were amazing and made me feel so welcome to the team! Really nice atmosphere to work in and I had my own space and laptop to work on.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the networking opportunities?
4/5
Please rate how valued you felt during your insight?
4/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
Really enjoyed my time at Matalan and felt as though it helped me to understand industry in more depth. The only thing which I found negative was the location, as it was quite difficult to get to if you don't drive - I had to arrange transport to and from each day by a family member.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on the insight
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
4/5
Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
I was not paid and had no expenses
Recommendations and Advice
Please rate the future employment prospects at Matalan
5/5
Would you recommend Matalan to a friend?
Yes
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Matalan
Definitely worth experiencing, I chose to focus mainly on the home department but the opportunity to work on other departments was available and encouraged.
