I am currently on placement with DMU as a Careers and Placements assistant. It has been a wonderful experience full of opportunities for me to grow professional and personally. I think the hardest part of your placement is the first couple of months. You are getting used to the work environment and your team members as well as learning what your responsibilities are.
Here are a few things I wish I knew on my first day of my placement:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions (they are expecting you to)
I was really shy at the beginning of my placement and really uncomfortable asking questions because I thought that I should already know what I needed to do and how to do it. My supervisor took me aside and said that everyone asks questions even colleagues that have worked for the company for years. No one person can know everything. So, ask questions and you will find that it also helps build your relationship with your team.
2. Think about what you would like to get out of your year (its good to have a goal/ a focus)
Everyone will benefit from their placement year but it will be in different ways. My predecessor wanted to improve her digital marketing skills so she took every marketing opportunity that came her way. On the other hand, I am interested in Human Resources so I asked for tasks that would help me improve my skills that I might need in a HR career, I also looked for opportunities to learn about the different areas of HR and helped with some of their processes.
You can make your placement your own and find ways to achieve your goals. This will have a positive impact on your reputation at work to as you will be seen as proactive individual with a can-do attitude.
3. If you make a mistake its not the end of the world
Everyone makes mistakes, some will have large consequences and others will have small consequences but you can always learn from them. Turn it into a learning opportunity which will help you become a better person professionally and personally.
I think the areas that I have developed in the most are areas that I made mistakes in. Off course there is always that feeling of anxiety and those damaging thoughts like ‘I can’t do anything right’ or ‘how could I be so stupid’ ‘This is so embarrassing’, it is important not to go down that negative rabbit hole and instead process your emotions, keep perspective and acknowledge that you made a mistake and evaluate the situation and your responses.
My advice is to remember that your team is supporting you and wants you to succeed, bring you’re A game and come with an open mind ready to learn and you will succeed.
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