Lee Cardy

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: Cristal Pigment UK Limited

I chose to take a placement year to become familiar with job application processes and to get a taste of the role and industry I wish to go into after university. In addition I wanted to support the holistic nature of my degree with a placement year to see how I could draw upon different management theories while working in industry.

My role as a purchasing intern at Cristal Pigment UK was varied and included expediting orders with suppliers, taking ownership of several raw materials and being responsible for IT, R&D, training, HR, environment and health and safety purchases.

I thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of tasks I undertook throughout the year. I gained access to numerous avenues within purchasing and covered the role of a graduate buyer for five months. As a result it was an invaluable experience that provided deep insights into the workplace which complemented my learnings from university.

Not only was my placement experience beneficial from a career perspective, allowing me to experience transactional and strategic purchasing, it was also beneficial from a personal perspective. I often found myself in situations outside of my comfort zone which allowed my skills and confidence to grow by overcoming unfamiliar situations. For example, I am now confident holding negotiations with vendor sales teams and achieving the associated savings required to meet targets. I found this personal development to be the most rewarding aspect of the job.

As I have enjoyed my placement year working in purchasing I am keen to pursue a graduate role in procurement. My  work placement highlighted that the comprehensive nature of my degree will enable me to explore career paths in a wide range of industries and departments, therefore when applying for graduate jobs I am not restricted to a specific avenue and the personal skills I have developed. The core skills of confidence and professionalism that I developed over the year will prove to be very valuable when seeking future employment.

I am grateful for the help I received from the LUMS Careers Team as I felt the insights they arranged from previous placement students were enlightening. Additionally the feedback I received on my CV and advice on covering letters was particularly appreciated as it enabled me to successfully overcome the first hurdle of the application process.