Anabel Goncalves

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: Johnson & Johnson

When I applied for university, I chose my course based on the fact that there was a placement year included. I really wanted the opportunity to work somewhere for a year and get experience in a job. I thought it would help me see if I actually liked what I planned to do in life or if I should change my career path. I had also read that taking a placement year increased your chances of getting grad jobs as well as improved your performance when returning to university. I am really glad I have done one.

With regards to my role, I was mainly part of marketing, but sometimes I did a bit of work in the commercial side of the business. I would liaise with marketing agencies for the production and approval of marketing materials that were to be used in the promotion of products. I was also involved in the preparation and running of promotional and non-promotional events for certain LCM products. I was also in charge of the logistics of EPREX, which is delivered by a homecare company. I ensured that we had enough stock of marketing and patient support materials through working with them, agencies and other HCPs.

Within the sales role I would input the sales data from the vast portfolio of products and customers that life cycle management had into our new database system and look over the approval process of these. This involved working with multiple departments to ensure that our customers were paid on time. As well as this, I ran the monthly accruals for my department. I also looked over a pricing system and was the UK liaison for pricing enquiries within EMEA.

I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible people and be part of a fantastic company. It has been great learning about the Pharmaceutical industry and marketing within that industry. I was able to experience how a company works and what it is like to work in an office. I also had the opportunity to see how what I learn at university translates into the working world. I have enjoyed working life as well, and gaining as much advice as possible from my peers and colleagues. My colleagues were very welcoming and made me feel part of the team. It was great to hear about everyone’s experiences in life and at work.

I definitely plan to stay within the field of marketing once I graduate. I hope to come back to Johnson and Johnson but even if I am unable to, the experience has given me lots of transferable skills that I will be able to take forward in my career. I look forward to coming back to LUMS and completing my degree, but I am also excited to graduate and fully enter the world of work. This year has been a lot of fun.