What originally drew you to apply for a graduate programme with M&S?
One of the reasons why I wanted to apply for the graduate scheme at M&S was the company’s long history. I knew that if I joined M&S I would be able to work with people that have years of experience working for a successful company that is valued and trusted by its customers.
How was your onboarding experience into the business and how were you supported to work on projects/rotations that were well suited to you?
Starting your first job can feel scary and overwhelming however when I started at M&S all of that went away quickly. With the support of my manager, joining the business felt like a very smooth process. Everyone within the team made me feel welcome and they were happy to spend time with me and help me learn. The Early Careers team made sure that my projects were aligned with my interests and that I got involved with projects that would challenge me and help me develop my skills further.
Tell us a bit about projects you have worked on during your time on the programme so far?
My first rotation at M&S was in International Food in Business Development. I got involved with two main projects whilst there; for the first one I was responsible for finding an international online marketplace that we could sell M&S Foods through. For my second project I needed to review the Bakery catalogue that is offered to our International partners, find new products that could be added and expand the range. At the same time, I also supported C&H with the launch of M&S lingerie on the Zalando website.
What has been the most rewarding or enjoyable part of your programme/ project you worked on so far?
What I enjoy the most is being given the ability to rotate within the business, work with different people, experience a multitude of projects and be able to structure my path the way I want to.
How have you felt as a graduate at M&S? Have you felt valued, trusted? Have you been given autonomy to do your role?
I was given responsibilities from day one which made me feel like I was a valued team member. You are constantly given opportunities to learn and develop your skills because you are a graduate but at the same time people trust you with important projects which feels very rewarding.
Can you tell us something about the M&S Graduate programme that many people might not be aware of?
As part of the Enterprise Graduate scheme you can rotate within M&S to different parts of the business and work within different business units that you wouldn’t be able to if you were on a regular graduate scheme. This allows you to not only gain more experiences but also make a more informed decision regarding which business unit you would like to work in after you complete the graduate scheme.
If you could give advice to those hoping to join M&S on our graduate programmes, what would it be?
My advice for people who want to join would be to be confident in yourself and in your abilities as that is what will make you a valuable part of the company.