In this blog, placement student Elly gives her advice on starting a placement remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dear Future Placement Students,
My name is Elly and I want to share my experience as a placement student during a pandemic.
My role is Junior Global Brand Manager for Eliquis at Pfizer. Why I chose this role? Well, before the world was taken over by you know what I dreamed of doing a placement that will enable me to travel around the world and learn about my position from different countries’ perspective. I also wanted it because working for medicine that saves lives appeals to my vision of indirectly helping to change the world which is very important to me.
Let me be honest starting a placement is never easy. You have to learn your responsibilities, get used to the pace, build networks and find your place, but also, it involves moving and getting used to that as well, which is an additional experience. Working remotely for me was a bigger challenge than I expected because I am not British and that proved to be important during a pandemic. In the beginning, I had to move somewhere in the UK so if we are able to start physically working, I am close to the site, however, that meant a lot of isolation and getting used to constantly worrying about where to live as there was nothing available near my job location. This is not something anyone could have predicted and it’s not something easy dealing with while you are new at your workplace.
However, my job made it easier for me. Before I started, I couldn’t have imagined having a better manager than the one I have now. She is understanding, supportive, kind, trusts me and treats me as an equal which is very important to feel at home when you are in uncharted territory.
Working remotely
At the beginning of working remotely, I had to fight my biggest enemy yet – technology! I thought I will never get used to the platforms I needed to use and contacting people proved to be quite challenging, of course, later it felt like a piece of cake. Another challenge of working remotely was dealing with the constant fear of work evaluation “maybe my manager thinks I am not working enough/ maybe my break is too long/ maybe my results don’t show the hours spent behind them”. It’s hard to make a good impression when working from home but I guess you just need to become more creative.
I signed up for as many activities as possible (organisation of undergrad events, colleague engagement groups, and anything that came up). I started without having any high expectations as I didn’t want to be disappointed, but Pfizer never lets me feel alone. We have a big group of undergraduates and activities all the time! I meet so many people and the company really encourages us to befriend each other. I believe that, currently, I know more people than I would have met if I worked on-site.
My daily job is leading two big projects and supporting others. It is great as I am busy, and I am learning a lot. I am responsible for launching a website for internal communications and managing promotional materials with all European countries. Moreover, I get to work with people from all positions and countries and hear about their journey. Being conscious of times zones and cultural aspects has really made me feel as if I am actually travelling and I love that. It’s been a very beneficial experience so far and I recommend doing a placement even if it’s virtual.
Yes, there are days when you feel gloomy. Motivation can be hard to achieve when you work remotely but my advice is to treat yourself with understanding and remind your heart that you are doing the best you can. Working from home can be challenging but it’s the perfect way to learn how to be in control and urge yourself to be more innovative and proactive.
My top tips are:
- appreciate your efforts
- do home workouts
- try to organise virtual coffee breaks with your colleagues to get that daily dose of communication
- go outside even if it’s for a very short time
- be approachable. Remember that it’s hard for everyone and your kindness can be just what someone from your work needs to be productive and seize the day.
Thank you for reading this and I wish you an adventurous, positive, and remarkable placement year. I know you can make the best of it!
Kind Regards,
Elly