Meet Kimberley Aston, Information Technology Management for Business BSc (Hons) student who completed a placement at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

What skills have you gained whilst on your placement?

Through my time on placement I was really able to work on and develop my time management and presentation skills. I also learnt specific skills relating to the work place such as project management and business analysis. The projects I worked on were constantly changing and moving forward which meant I had to learn how to be flexible and think on the spot.

How has your placement helped to prepare you for a professional career in your chosen subject area?

I have gained a wealth of industry knowledge which has helped me when it comes to filling out job applications and means I have strong answers based on real experiences and examples to give in interviews. It has also given me the opportunity to work in this particular industry before graduating which has allowed me to see if this is something I would like to pursue as a career.

As a result of completing a placement, how do you feel you can make an impact in your final year and after graduation?

Being on placement really helped me to improve my organisational skills and I feel that this will help me balance my workload when I return to final year. Due to work I did and connections I made, I was also able to secure a graduate job at GSK which takes a lot of pressure off my final year as I know I have a job waiting for me when I finish.