Assistant Shopper Marketing Manager Review

My role is an Assistant Shopper Marketing Manager, where I work with Account and Product teams who are responsible for the Boots own brand product portfolio and help ensure their products show up well in stores (promotional show material etc), online and at colleague events/conferences. On a day to day basis, tasks I complete vary as there are often ad hoc requests that are emailed over, so no two days are the same. Tasks vary from receiving briefs from the Account and Product teams to create in store show material, working with design agencies to action the briefs and working with senior stakeholders to gain final approval on artwork. There is also an element of planning in my role, looking at the next big launches or Summer/Winter activity which is really important for the products in our portfolio and how we can make sure colleagues and customers are going to engage and understand our product offering. The range of activities I work on mean I work cross functionally with many different teams from different areas of the business, both internal and external, every day

During my time on this apprenticeship, my personal skills have improved following the focus on this on a professional development module. I have been able to identify the competencies that are most necessary for my current role, and tools and models I can use to help continue to improve. I have also been on internal training courses all about how to build brands, understanding the consumer and building activity around the consumer to ensure it is highly relevant, and also how to implement the activity, work with external agencies and how to ensure working relationships are as effective as possible. This has given me an insight into many different areas of the business and has helped with us all approaching tasks in a consistent way, which has been very useful

The programme is good, but is a challenge alongside a full time job. There could be more interaction with line managers about the programme, as currently this is something we do as an aside from the day job, rather than it seeming to impact on a day to day basis. The only impact it has is when there are study blocks of a week at a time where we are out the office. While I communicate with my manager and keep her up to date, it would be good for her to hear more about the programme from the team who look after this/the uni so they can also give feedback on how I'm progressing. Trying to get a good work/life balance while doing the degree has been more of a challenge than I expected, but I have been managing this as best as I can.

Being on the degree apprenticeship shows the business value the contribution I give, otherwise this wouldn't have been an opportunity available to me. I am lucky in that people do recognise and point out when I've made a valuable contribution to a project or task, however I do work extremely hard and this can sometimes mean working long hours, which is where I struggle to find a good balance of doing the degree alongside the day job

The induction to the programme was helpful, as some of us had been out of the academic system for a couple of years and so was good to have a refresh on how to write assignments, referencing, how to use the online library and other online tools. It is really useful to have a mentor that comes to see me occasionally in the work place - I don't think I contact my mentor as much as I would if I was a full time student. Working in business has meant I have a support network in the workplace that I am used to turning to first.

The majority of lectures have been so helpful which has really helped with making good progress during this year on the degree apprenticeship. My mentor is also really helpful and understanding, but as previously mentioned I don't utilise that relationship as much as I could (due to having a great support network in the workplace) but I am confident that if I needed anything, she would be more than happy to support. I had raised some concerns about one lecturer we had for a module, and my mentor was really supportive and helped pass on my feedback. We haven't heard anything further on this, which I may have expected an update, but I am confident the feedback was passed on.

When I signed up for the programme, I had a different manager and so although I have explained the programme to my current manager, I don't think she has a great understanding of this. Because it doesn't have a great impact on my work on a day to day basis as I complete the work in my spare time, and she has little to no interaction from a HR or uni point of view, this isn't something often talked about. The HR team are available to speak to with any issues we have, but again, as we are all established in the business, we may go to other support networks for advice and guidance before the HR team. The HR team do want us to succeed on the programme and do message to congratulate us when we have received assignment results.

My salary package is much better having moved away from the initial apprenticeship programme. It has taken a good few years following the apprenticeship to achieve a salary/package that means I am in a position to live on my own and have some disposable income left at the end of a month. The salary for an apprentice is good, but there is nothing in place after the programme to help be in a place where you are then rewarded for having completed the programme

This is all dependent on the area you work in. I work in a department that is predominantly younger people who are happy to arrange team activities and nights out, as they don't have any other commitments (e.g. families at home). There are also activities run in evenings at the office, i.e. Pilates classes. The location of the office is just on the outskirts of Nottingham city centre, so easy to get into the city - however the public transport means most people will need to get two buses to work and so it means there are a lot of cars that come to the site.

Yes

Although there are some areas that could be improved (i.e. salary/package and better communication with line managers about the programme), I still feel extremely lucky to be in a position where I have the opportunity to complete a degree through the support of the business, and this isn't something that all employers offer

You need to be prepared to go through a fairly intense assessment centre that focuses on a presentation, competency questions and a group task. For the group task, it's important to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to speak, because sometimes the down fall of people is to want to take control, but from a business point of view, they will be looking for people who are able to work well in a team as well as offer their own thoughts and opinions. It is a big company with lots of people in the office, so could feel overwhelming, but this soon passes as the teams are so friendly and welcoming. You will need to be prepared to work hard and my advice would be to get involved in as many extra projects as possible to help you learn new skills and knowledge, whilst also expanding your network. However, the extra projects should be in addition to you doing your day job well, rather it being your sole focus.