Danny tells us what it’s like spending his 12 month placement at Experian, hear his experiences and see what skills he’s gained during his time.

• Name: Danny Roden
• University: Aston
• Course: BA (Hons) Business and Management
• Placement / Internship Position/Job Title: Year Placement: Project Analyst

What was the application process like?

“The application process was very efficient. I saw the job on the Business School’s intranet, and applied using an online form. Within a week or so I got a phone call back inviting me to do a telephone interview, and immediately after that was a face-to-face interview (4 days after). All in all the process was very quick, and communication was very good, unlike a lot of other placement jobs I’d also applied to.”

What do you do on a daily basis?

“The work I’m doing here is exactly the same as what a graduate would be doing, in this role. Day to day activities include: responding to email queries, chasing suppliers/internal departments to keep our updates cycle on time, as well as doing project work, attending and contributing in various meeting. This has taught me the importance of prioritisation and meeting deadlines as well as given me the skills necessary to do this.

At QAS there’s always opportunities to engage in new projects/activities; at present I’m working on a project which involves creating a schedule of workloads between different departments involved with the updates cycle, and another project that’s looking at giving the graduate section of the careers website a complete overhaul.

Recently we’ve had a National Company Meeting (NCM), where everyone who works for Experian QAS meets up (this time at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium) to learn about what’s going on in different areas of the business and meet lots of new people. This day I found thoroughly enjoyable and mentally engaging as it gave me a real opportunity to see, from a top level, how the company is progressing and evolving, as well as a fair insight into some substantial projects that are going on.”

What did you learn on your placement / Internship?

“I’m only 3 months into my placement year here, and already I feel like I’ve progressed loads. I’ve developed project management skills (prioritisation, time handling, communication etc), general business skills (handling a very busy inbox, dealing with queries, explaining complex things in an understandable manner), and also some technical skills (using new pieces of software, looking into raw data etc). As well as all this I’ve learnt a lot about how a business-to-business (B2B) organisation works as well as a great insight into a market I’ve had very little prior knowledge on.

Overall I feel like each day brings with it a new challenge/problem, which I’m tackling and learning/developing useful and transferable skills from.”

Any top tips for a student interested in a placement / internship here?

“Take hold of any opportunities available, and get involved with loads of projects. Meet loads of people and socialise. I’ve made loads of great contacts through playing squash/badminton, and attending social events, with colleagues who I’d otherwise not have met.”

What are your thoughts? Would you like to work for Experian? Has this helped you with the application process? Comment below!