Business Intelligence Review

My work experience involved working alongside employees in order to gain an insight into each of there roles within the Business Intelligence department. The placement lasted 3 days and included practical work the apply what I had learnt as well as a short presentation that I put together and presented at the end of the 3 days.

The placement enabled me to gain an understanding of the importance of the area of IT I chose, and allowed me to see how the department's work supports the decisions made by the company in order to improve business. As well as knowledge , I learnt communication skills through the the short presentation I gave.

I definitely enjoyed my work experience. The environment was relaxed and everyone was welcoming and friendly, so in that respect it was better than I expected. Whilst the amount of practical work wasn't as much as i'd hoped for, there was still practical activities for me to do and they were enjoyable.

The work experienced seemed to be very well organised. I was greeted by the organisers of the placement who gave a short induction and outlined what we would be doing for the next few days. They then took us over to the IT department we were working in and they were also very well organised. The only downside was the practical tasks were not very organised and didn't have a particular structure.

During the induction to the placement we spoke to various employees in order to gain an insight into the culture of the company. Everybody was welcoming and friendly and the office atmosphere was very relaxed with a 'smart casual' dress code and various members of the IT team introduced themselves, offered me drinks and spoke about football!

The placement helped me greatly in deciding on my future career path as it showed me an area of IT that I hadn't previously been aware of. Whilst I am not sure that this particular area of IT is for me it was certainly interesting and beneficial to learn about this role.

I was not paid or reimbursed for this placement. The location of the placement was a 30-40 minute drive from my house and meals were not provided but there was many lunch options around the area. Neither travel costs or meal costs were reimbursed. However this was made clear when signing up to the placement , i was aware that the office was not close to where i lived and i was happy to cover these costs myself in order to have the experience.

During the placement not only did we meet other employees within the IT department but we also met employees from other areas of the company do gain a valuable insight not only into the values of the company but also to see what other roles are like within the company.

Yes

I would recommend first response finance to a friend because the atmosphere of the placement was very welcoming and friendly. In addition the knowledge and information gained was outstanding, the employees really went into detail into what they were showing me. They also explained things very well and answered any questions i had.

I would tell them not to be worried about going into a professional environment for the first time, as the staff are extremely friendly and you don't even feel like you are in a new environment. I would also advice them that the presentation, despite sounding daunting, is very relaxed and a good opportunity to develop skills.