My placement year at Honda

WBS CareersPlus Ambassador Amelia Leslie shares her insights on undertaking a placement year at Honda, including her role, the benefits of work experience, and top tips for success.

What was the best part of doing a placement?

It is hard to pinpoint the best part of doing a placement year, as there are so many! From learning new skills to experiencing a corporate environment and meeting new people! The placement taught me lots of things, including skills to help my employability and general ability to perform well in work.

After finishing the placement, I found that I had learnt a lot about myself and what I wanted from a future job. I learnt that I enjoy event organisation and management, which had never really crossed my mind before as an option. I also learnt that I like to work in a creative environment and with a company that shares my values.

Can you describe some of the tasks and responsibilities you were involved in at Honda?

My role was the Customer Experience Undergraduate, which covered a wide range of tasks in my time at Honda. My set responsibilities were to handle all the reporting from our customer satisfaction surveys, which were completed each month for European contacts and quarterly for Senior Management. This task involved lots of Excel and formatting, which helped me improve my data skills and made me more confident going forward in my studies and career. However, outside of that my line manager and I were always innovating new ways to engage the company in customer experience and improve our customer's satisfaction levels. One task I was largely involved in was the Yushu Recognition Scheme, where the Dealers with the top satisfaction scores across Europe get awarded and recognised for their excellent customer satisfaction. This task included designing, liaising with different teams for marketing to communicate the awards and organising the process throughout the year.

I also helped organise and present at the annual Customer Experience workshop, where associates across the company discussed customer experience, trends, improvements, and future initiatives. This was a big responsibility, which taught me lots of prioritisation and time management skills.

The final task I was heavily involved in was recruiting and training the new undergraduate who took my place the year after. I got to see the recruitment process from the employer side, assess CVs and Cover Letters, attend interviews and ask questions of applicants. This was one of my most insightful experiences, which provided useful tips for my future applications.

How did you find the application process?

The application process for placements was at first difficult, as I had never done formal interviews and didn’t even know what a cover letter or assessment centre was, so there was a lot of learning along the way and utilising the CareersPlus resources to assist me.

I applied for roughly around 30 places and stumbled across Honda by accident. The role I ended up getting is very specific, and not often something people would search for, but I got excited reading the job description! I feel this excitement and the want for the role came across in my interview process and helped my application.

There were lots of psychometric tests and digital interviews, which were weird and daunting, but after I had done a few it became a lot more natural. Interviews are always nerve-wracking, however, I think my experience in hospitality and therefore better interpersonal skills helped me stand out in interviews as the conversation came easier. I only took part in one assessment centre, which was online, and this was very stressful at first, but it was a great experience and prepared me for the future.

Honda’s application process was simple, I sent it my CV and Cover Letter, got an email for a Microsoft Teams interview and very quickly got another email for a second interview and task to present in the office. I liked this process as it felt personal, and I believe that was one of the biggest reasons I chose Honda rather than other offers.

What skills do you feel you’ve gained or developed from the experience?

I gained lots of skills from the placement, such as presenting in front of large audiences, data analysis and proficiency with Microsoft. However, I feel the soft skills were where I developed more and will help me massively in future applications and jobs. The placement helped me improve my interpersonal communication and teamwork, especially working with people from different countries across Europe. It also massively helped my prioritisation, organisation, and time management.

What tips would you give to other students considering doing a placement?

In the application process, tailor your CV and Cover Letter to match the skills required in the job description. For your Cover Letter, don’t just copy and paste your CV, you should expand on experiences and why they give you the skills required for the role. If you are unsure of the standard of your CV or Cover Letter, use the CareersPlus team, as they are there to help and will give you all the assistance you need. For the interviews and assessment centres, be yourself, and do not try to fit into an image you think they want!

My biggest tip if you get a placement is to ask as many questions as you can! If you are interested in another area ask someone in that department for a meeting. The placement is to help your development, so take every opportunity and make the most of your year to progress. You don’t want to look back and regret not learning more about something or attending a meeting that could have helped your development.

What are your future plans?

I am currently applying for graduate schemes at companies with similar values to mine and job descriptions that suit me and my skill set, mainly within the marketing and event fields. However, if I do not get a graduate scheme then I am not going to pigeonhole myself and will look for entry-level positions instead. Sometimes as students, we can often get tunnel vision on the route we are ‘supposed’ to take after university. However, I want to make sure I am broadening my vision and not missing a great opportunity outside the norm.

Our Undergraduate Careersplus team offers tailored advice and support throughout your studies, including how to secure work experience. Find out more about how we can support you here.