I’ll be honest - as a student searching for internships my questions
were quite straightforward: where will I be based, how much will I be paid, and what will I be doing on a
daily basis.
My placement year has been different in that I have had the chance
to work in different companies, in different sectors and industries. However
Enterprise alone has taught me that the daily tasks you’ll be completing and
where you’re living are not nearly as important as the type of company you’re
working for, what the people are like and whether you’re actually going to enjoy
working for that company. To illustrate this, the following 10 points are what
I have learnt during my time with Enterprise.
1.
There is so much more to Enterprise than
renting cars.
Enterprise employees will
tell you this all the time, but it wasn’t until I got here that I realized it
was true. In fact, in my first 4 weeks I
almost forgot I was working for a car rental company, because there are so many
different areas of the business to get involved with, and while rental is a
part of most of them, very few of them are concerned solely with car rental.
2.
They live by their values and mission
statement, at all levels of the company.
Ask any employee what
affects the way they make their decisions and they’ll tell you- we first ask is
it right for our customers, for our employees? Then we’ll assess whether it
makes financial sense and how it can grow the business. Because if we take care
of the first part, the second part will take care of itself.
3.
You’ll be asked for your contribution and opinion
from day one.
You won’t be expected to
know the right answer, but you will be expected to give an answer, and
demonstrate your ability to learn. Making mistakes is a key part of
development, and while we all make them, what is important is that we make
mistakes early on, and learn from them. 99% of Enterprise employees started as
Management Trainees, so you won’t find anyone looking own their noses at you.
Your contribution is valued, and will be taken on board by everyone from a
fellow intern, to senior management.
4.
I still don’t know how to use a copier
And the only time I have
had to use a printer is when I’ve needed to print something out.
5.
They want you to succeed
Enterprise is going
places- literally and figuratively, and it wants you to, too. They want you to
get as much as you can out of your career, and will help you to get it through
training, mentoring, support, and providing new and exciting opportunities
every day. When you come back as a Management Trainee after an internship
you’ll pick up where you left off – Enterprise won’t ask you to redo training
you did on your internship, meaning you’re able to progress even quicker.
6.
They’re honest
About everything.
Expectations, work, themselves. Enterprise is a case of what you see is what
you get. And that really is quite refreshing.
7.
You’ll get out what you put in- and more
The more you put into your
work the more return you get. But think of it like compound interest instead of
a flat rate- the more you go over and above, the more you’ll get back.
8.
There is no such thing as a set career path
Most people I spoke to
didn’t start out in the department they’re currently in. The beauty of the Enterprise
training scheme is that it gives you experience in- and so a chance to ‘try
before you buy’- all areas of running a business, whether it be rental, HR,
Insurance or any other part of the company you can think of. It will set you up
to be a success in whichever area you choose, but additionally, once you get
there, gives you the basic training allowing you to change and move into a
different department completely if you wanted to. This is perfect for someone like me, who knows
they want a career in business, but isn’t sure what area.
9.
It’s a big company, with a family feel
In many companies you can
feel like a very small fish in a big pond, as it can be hard to see how what
you’re doing is having an impact on the business. Not at Enterprise. You’re
given the chance to make a change, and you’ll see how what you’re doing affects
your branch, region, country, and the business overall. It’s this understanding
of the bigger picture that engages Enterprise employees at all levels, and
helps them to see where and how they can do things differently.
10. I
really have no idea how everyone in the office takes their coffee
Interns don’t make the coffee and tea here. Enterprise
knows that the more
you allow employees to do something brilliant, the more
often they will
surprise you and do something truly amazing.
Samantha Dartnall, Loughborough University
Management Undergraduate of the Year Award, winner
Follow @erac_jobs for more great advice and insight to Enterprise Rent-a-Car and see if you could be the next winner here: undergraduateoftheyear.com
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