ZARA'S EXPERIENCE IN THE SALES DEPARTMENT AT RCI FINANCIAL SERVICES

Hello, I’m Zara and I study Business and Management at De Montfort University. I work in the Used Vehicle Team within the Sales Department at RCI Financial Services.

I have been undertaking my placement for 3 months now and my managers have involved me in numerous projects, giving me great responsibility. I believe that this is largely to do with the company culture, in that interns are treated equally, giving the opportunity to develop both your soft and hard skills. As a result, I have developed my knowledge of both the automotive and finance industries, boosted my confidence, and improved my communication and excel skills vastly.

In my role the tasks vary quite a lot, ranging from running regular reports for Renault and Nissan, to attending regional sales meetings. This has given me a good overview of the sales department and the business as a whole.

I have also been able to get involved with an electric vehicle project, which is an area I find very interesting especially as there is now an increasing focus on electric vehicles within the automotive industry. This project is cross-functional therefore giving me the opportunity to work with a range of colleagues and gain a greater insight into the work that they undertake. A key highlight from this was attending media pitches with external providers, at which I was encouraged to give my own opinions and suggest ideas for development.

I would recommend a placement at RCI Financial Services to any student who wishes to gain real work experience and develop their skills in a welcoming and supportive environment.