Let your true self out to show itself and shine!

Name: Mariana Aleqsaniani 
Course: BSc International Business and Management
Placement Position: Customer Service Intern| R&A Benelux
Location: Merck Chemicals B.V, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Post #5

Hope you all good and having a productive year so far!

An update from my placement year is that I have progressed more at work and I have now started to train team members on Global Strategic Account handling. I am training employees on how to manage those specific orders and how to handle conference calls and meetings, and also introducing dedicated people to customers (establishing a bridge between those who are taking over my role with GSA customers). But other than that it, all is going steady and according to plan.

These months have been very busy personally and professionally, and tiredness is taking its toll. :(( However, the busier the better! Time goes very quick and, as I have mentioned in my previous blogs, this ever-growing and changing environment will never bore me, it gets only interesting.

I feel like I no longer have any issues fitting into Amsterdam society, and I feel very comfortable in this country. My lifestyle is still the same as in previous months, so not many changes. I am having a good time with my peers from the university as we do lots of fun activities together in our free time!

There are a few upcoming events with my staff members from the Amsterdam office and also from Belgium office. We will get to have dinner together and a few interesting and productive informal meetings outside of the office.

I hope you guys are keeping up with your studies and are enjoying your academic year, as you will miss the academic years while being on placement! Keep on going, there is not much left until the end. To the ones who have not yet found their placements, focus on it and don’t waste your time on worrying!

Stay Well Everyone!

Post #4

Happy 2019 everyone! Wishing you all a prosperous, successful and peaceful year! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays with loved ones! Like everyone else, it was pretty difficult to get back into the usual routine after holidays, but now I’m getting there…slowly, slowly. I was home for half a month, which was so joyful and nice but I’m happy to be back as I missed my job!

I feel I have grown personally, and recognise that my perception of life and work has changed a lot. I have recently started to think about things that would never have bothered my mind previously. I feel confident when making important decisions whether at work or in my personal life. Yes, I feel grown now and much wiser than I was before. I have experienced so many life lessons which are simply priceless!

During December and January I got to communicate closely with people from higher positions, which taught me many things. I considered every meeting as a new lesson for my career and extracted as much as possible from it.  I was responsible for the results of those meetings, as some were unsupervised. I was in charge of them, whilst also training an employee (who will take over my tasks when I am gone). The most exciting thing is that even though I am an intern myself and I’m here to learn, I had the opportunity to teach someone how to do the most responsible job in our department. I could not have wished for more!

This week I had a special guest at my desk; it was my friend from university who is on the same course as me. Jaya and I are in the same company but in different departments and she was sent to my department for work shadowing. I got an opportunity to briefly explain to Jaya what it is that we do here and what my daily tasks are. I hope she enjoyed my long and boring lecture))

So far, my work remit and responsibilities have continued to grow, but this is exactly what I was expecting and aiming for. The more time I spend in the company, and the more communication I have with different people on different levels, the more confident I become that I have made the right choice in choosing my profession. All those fears I had about whether I have made the right choice or not have simply disappeared. Now I cannot wait to graduate and start the professional path again.

My company supports me to the best of their ability, providing me with me with new challenges and opportunities so I can experience different roles and challenges while being here. I have received exciting opportunities since day one, and that continues now, so even after 6 months the role still feels new. It is ever changing and ever growing with new situations all the time. I continually come across new problems, which I need to solve in order to complete my designated tasks. These problems are the best teachers; they play a crucial role in my self-development, help me to discover new skills and provide opportunities to apply my theoretical knowledge to real life issues. I am taking on some projects now to improve the order management process for key/preferred accounts for my department and will let you know the outcome once it’s all complete and approved.

To cut a long story short, the further I go with my placement, the more skilled I become in my profession. Surprisingly, my lifestyle has changed! I have become more social and have adapted so much to this culture that I am already sad about leaving this country in a few months time. I fell in love with Amsterdam ❤ We had our Xmas party last week in a very nice restaurant with a posh dress code. It was amazing; I met many interesting people, we had great food and a lot of fun! I have attached some pictures here for you ))

Dear second year students, I know how much you are looking forward to completing your second year and heading off to your placements, but please do not rush so much that you end up making mistakes! It will all come in time; for now concentrate on your studies…because you will need it on your placement! For those who have not yet found their placements, be patient and do not panic, there is still time. I am wishing you all the best of luck, to those who found their placement and those who are still in the process!

 

Post #3

Hello everyone,

So here we are, nearly six months passed since we started our placements…and so far so good!

As time has gone by, a lot of improvements and progression has taken place at work. I feel more secure and confident, and at every one-to-one meeting with my buddie he highlights my progress. Trust from my management is rising, which is one of the hardest things to achieve as a student.

So far, I’m finding the pharmaceutical industry fascinating as it is amazingly broad and diverse. I am currently in the life science (research and applied solutions) department, and every day I find out something new about our products and industry itself, which is progressing and growing fast! The biggest reason for my curiosity and will to stay in this industry is the fact that everything we do as a company, we do for our well-being as humans. We invent to save lives, and we work for charities to support those who need our help. Being part of a group which is working for humanity is the best feeling so far!

Placement is going really well so far, as I am getting more and more involved in a wide variety of tasks. I am now required to attend regular meetings for Global Strategic Accounts, and I take part in more conference calls than in previous months. With more responsibilities, the workload is heavier, but at the same time it’s extremely useful (responsibilities are the best teachers!), interesting, and very challenging. It also helps to reveal one’s true powers; without the workload and responsibilities you will never know what you are capable of. Thanks to this placement opportunity I get to know myself better. I never knew I could do all that I do now on daily basis. It’s just great!

My life is getting back to normal (after family visit and little holidays) and it looks like a true professional’s lifestyle. I work office hours and then have a relaxed evening, and from time to time I do some entertaining activities on weekends with colleagues (who are my good friends). I have a few Aston University students working with me in different departments, and having each other helps us not to feel alone or isolated. We are good friends at work and outside of work. It truly is a big emotional support to have “your people” in a new environment with so many strangers around.

Highlight of the month:

My colleagues from the Spanish team decided to give some Salsa classes after work to keep us entertained during the week. On 22^nd November we had our first class – we had so much fun! It was great entertainment and at the same time we gained some dancing skills. So far this was the most pleasant entertainment I have experienced here, as dancing is my number one hobby! So looking forward to having classes every week! I can proudly say this is the most enjoyable part of this month for me.

Finally, my advice to second year students this time is – guys study well! You are going to need knowledge. The more you read and educate yourself in various fields and topics, the easier you will find things in professional life! I educate myself on daily basis and regret every procrastination I have done. I cannot wait to get back to my studies at university, to learn more and be more educated. Don’t ever think that you will need to know one thing but not the other- that is not true. You need to know all to achieve all goals!

Here is the motivational quote of the month for you guys:

“Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow.”
― Richard Baxter

Post #2

It has now been four months since I started work at Merck and day by day I become more experienced in what I do. I have learnt how to deal with those difficult customized issues that constantly arise independently! I require much less help and advice and this helps me to be more proactive in my role. In comparison to previous months, I feel much more confident and even ready to help newcomers (if I am asked to). I am also ready for new challenges as my curiosity continues to rise. Another new thing that I can say I have learnt so far is that now I can identify various job roles better. Previously it was very difficult to know what others’ job roles involved only by the title of the role. Now with just a title I know what that person does and what are its specific responsibilities. I believe this knowledge helps me a lot in addressing various inquiries that require immediate action and I do not lose time on finding the right people and right departments. It takes a while to know every corner of the company you work for but it’s absolutely worth knowing everyone. One piece of advice that I’d like to give those at the beginning of their career is – “Start networking from day 1. Eventually, throughout your career you will need a strong circle to be able to do your job at your best. People that you think you will never be in touch with are the ones you will need the most. Always be open to everyone in your business and you will be the strongest!”

As for the lifestyle, I can say that I am still who I am with a little bit of more knowledge of Dutch culture. I will never adopt this or any other culture/lifestyle, but I respect it and follow the flow… My current priority is my career, my job, and my education. Hereafter I do not occupy my mind with external things of other nature in order to stay focused. I will always be able to discover other lifestyles and / or change my own but only after my placement mission is complete))

Very recently we had a number of events going on in the company, which were celebrated for a whole week. The main event was a celebration of the 1^st anniversary of becoming “Purple”. Becoming purple is a symbol of merger of Merck Millipore (blue) and Sigma-Aldrich (red), (blue+red=purple). There also were some internal little events going on and now we are preparing for a Halloween with all the “scary” decorations around the office.

Of course, all my university knowledge is useful and helps me do my job. I would not be able to understand all the business abbreviations and theories that our company adopts and follows without my university education. I can say with confidence that so far the most exciting process for me was an exploration process of theory at university and real life use of these theories. It is very interesting to see how the theory works in practice and does it really solve real problems.

I wish I knew at university how difficult it is to implement changes within the organizations, how time consuming it is and how much hard work from every single employee it requires. When we are given real life examples of other companies on how they adopted a change or switched from one theory practice to another, it seems easy and all possible. However, when now being present in the company, which is going through the life changing process, I see how difficult this is. It takes a lot to go through changes especially for multi-million corporations such as Merck. This is the most fascinating business process that I could have been part of in the very beginning of my career.

My advice to those who are due to go for placement is again go for big! If you want to play hard, you got to work hard! It will seem impossible in the beginning and at some point in the middle of the placement but believe in yourself, as I am sure you can do it. There is nothing impossible in this world. A golden rule for me is that if I don’t ask, no-one would like to give me anything. If I do not fight for what I want, it will never be mine. If you want to have it, go ask for it and believe me you will be much more appreciated for your initiative!

The most joyful part of this month for me is the fact that my entire family visited me here in Amsterdam together. It was amazing having the whole family here sharing my excitement and new experiences. I was given an opportunity to have a little rest and enjoy the time with family. My mother is still here with me and this inspires me more every day! The support of my family gives me all the strength to go through this difficult but exciting time successfully!

And yes, of course I miss home… On weekends I wish I was home with my family… But I know that this is worth all the difficulties that are present during placement abroad… this will be paid off!

Dear university friends, have a little bit of patience and find something to motivate you and inspire you during this life-changing period of your lives!

Thank you for reading about my experience. I will try my best to gather all the facts that can assist you during your placement and to help you avoid those minor mistakes caused by having lack of experience in this new career-world of ours!

 

Post #1

The actual process of finding a placement was very tough, and at some points it seemed impossible to find a job which would be entertaining and educating at the same time. Obscurity and lack of experience in the professional world was affecting my confidence, and fear of making a wrong choice was rising rapidly. However, the choice had to be made sooner or later, regardless of what would be waiting for me at this new step in my life.

After going through these placement searches, I wish I had a better knowledge of companies that are always looking for interns from various countries, and I wish I knew which industry I would be specializing in. But it is never too late, as the processes that I went through taught me all of these things.

My travel experience was very exciting; full of adventures and very life-educating. Being in a country where I did not know anyone and did not have accommodation brought out new powers in me and raised all the fears that a person can have in an unknown new place. But eventually it all worked out in my favour, and I settled down even better than expected.

I am still in the ‘fitting in’ process in this new culture. It is very different from where I grew up and lived. Sometimes I find it very difficult to understand people’s way of thinking in the Netherlands, and I am still working on myself to try and adapt to this culture.

The best thing about my placement is the company that I work for. It is beyond all my expectations and is full of so many opportunities that it gives me a hope that I could have a very bright future. There is so much to learn and it gives me an opportunity to develop and structure myself as a future professional. Merck took part in helping me to find my professional path and choose an industry that I would wish to specialize in. I had many struggles to identify the industry/sector that interests me the most, or what it is that I am good at. Before choosing business, I always wanted to be a surgeon. However, I could not become one for a number of reasons, and business professions was my second and final choice. Having said this, Merck Chemicals combined my two favourite professions and helped to determine the industry of my interest.

My current responsibilities have differed from what was originally planned and they are very different from other interns’ responsibilities. Very luckily for me, I got into the right place at right time. A colleague of mine who is fully responsible for all the important key accounts in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg is now moving into a different department, and I was the only one who potentially could do this work (by showing my manager how eager I was to be given more responsible and challenging tasks). In the end, I was trusted with the most important customers and now I am the first contact person for customers such as GlaxoSmithKline, Kela Laboratoria, Janssens Pharmaceutica, Baxalta (Shire) and Catalent. I run a weekly ‘open orders’ report for these customers and solve any issues which concern items of my department, which is Research and Applied solutions. Heipha items are very fragile to deal with due to various reasons and require constant observation from the moment when customers order them up until they are fully delivered. All in all, I am responsible for all R&A items for these key accounts in BENELUX. Additionally, I am solving issues that other customers have when ordering R&A items.

As well as Merck helping me to find the most appropriate industry, they also helped me to shape my future goals. I am now aiming to continue working for Merck after graduation in Australia. I am confident that Merck will help me to maximise progress in my career.

This may sound a bit unreal but I haven’t had any kind of obstacles, issues or any funny/ uncomfortable situations at work. Since 4th June up until today, I have only progressed at work and gotten better in what I do. Even when I overwork most of the time, it only helps me to grow. Ah, the only thing that I still need to improve is to remember to always silence my phone when going into meetings or conferences, as my phone is very keen on ringing at those uncomfortable moments.

Reality absolutely matched my expectations and even got beyond it. My short-term hopes have now turned into big future plans.

No matter how much advice we all give to new second year students, what is meant to be for them will inevitably be! All I can say is that the job hunt must start early, and the perfect option must be patiently waited for. I suggest not to accept easy options thinking that “oh it’s only placement’. Go the hard way and results will definitely worth it. Do not take up a placement just to tick the necessary box, but think about the opportunities that it will give you. Placement is a fundamental link into our professional life. It is our starting point in growing into our career, so think of it as our whole career life and not just one year compulsory university requirement.

For me, placement became the beginning of a career thread that I will not let go of…no matter how difficult it will be. I am well aware that it won’t be this smooth for the rest of my placement year or the rest of my professional life. I am awaiting those break down moments to make me even stronger and I am eager to turn these struggles into the highlights of my career, to help me achieve every single dream that I have!

To conclude this topic, I can only say that success depends on how you look at your opportunity. Some students that I met at Merck from Aston University left the job with empty hands, happy that the ‘boring’ year is now over. I will leave Merck as a winner, only because my intentions vary from theirs.

Here is a little motivation to students who think they do not have such opportunities:

“Opportunities don’t happen; you create them.”

— Chris Grosser