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Business Management with Marketing Student – Placement Experience

Matthew Varns completed his Placement with Hewlett Packard as a Commercial Channel Sales Executive.  We asked Matt a few questions about his time on placement:-

What would you say to a student thinking about taking a placement?

I’d say placement years are critical to kickstarting your professional career. I learnt an enormous amount during my time at HP. The company give great trust in interns, and I was given great responsibilities. A placement helps introduce you to corporate organisations, to see what goes on day to day and to have a meaningful impact.

 

How was your placement, what skills did you learn?

My placement was truly meaningful, and it answered the question “Do you know what you want to do after university?”. I enjoyed the B2B environment, dealing with high C-Level executives and learning from some of the great account managers in technology. I built on both soft and hard skills. Skills to highlight that I developed include communication, teamwork, time management and flexibility.

 

What have you taken away from your placement?

I was given a great responsibility to interact with other businesses that drove HP sales, managing questions and queries daily. I was responsible for running campaigns that generated revenue in an enjoyable way. A placement has helped me secure a graduate opportunity and taught me skills to work in a field where I feel most confident and excited.