Tze Xin Teoh

Country of origin: Malaysia

Placement: Hewlett-Packard

My role in Hewlett Packard was Sales and Strategy Business Analyst. I worked in a Strategy Planning team where we decide on the short term HP sales plan. I mainly worked on data analytic works which assisted in the managers’ decision making, with the information mainly being sourced direct from the Sales team whom we had frequent reviews with. I involved myself heavily in these reviews with different aspects of the company to provide up to date information for strategy planning purpose.

Although my role was a business analyst in Sales Strategy, I got to see different aspects of the company at the same time. My role gave me an opportunity to explore the whole sales process indirectly. Starting from exploring a new client up till signing the contract, and further into the devices deployment stage, I have had the honour to oversee the whole picture of the process in a corporate perspective. This experience has led me to understand my own strengths even better which has assisted in finding me suitable role for my future career.

The thing that I like the most in my placement was the responsibility given. In HP, interns weren’t treated like interns but more like permanent employees. I was given with great responsibility throughout the placement and felt appreciated when I was getting the work done. The responsibility that was placed on me was quite heavy and pressured at the beginning, but when I started to live up to their expectation, the feeling of achievement was priceless. The best part of my placement was the trust that was given to me.

I very much appreciate the help provided by LUMS on various aspects. Apart from the great help on CV writing, mock interview and assessment centre, the most useful support from the LUMS placements team was the mental and emotional support. The placement preparation wasn’t easy at all, in fact it is really hard especially doing alongside with your first year study, but they are there to support you all the way just like friends do. Even while you are on placement the team are still there to confirm you are well taken care of by the employer. I very much appreciate their support throughout the whole process.

I am expecting myself to be looking for graduate job after my undergraduate studies and corporate strategy would be career direction I would like to pursue when I graduate. My placement role at Hewlett Packard was very close to where the real sales strategy was set and I got to oversee the whole picture of sales and strategy making process throughout the year. The placement experience has widened my knowledge on data interpretation and making linkage with the current trend in the industry.

The placement year provided me with a real opportunity to explore my real interest for my future career. I considered the placement to be an opportunity to “taste” it before fully diving into a specific industry. When I graduate from Lancaster, I will not only be equipped with a degree from top University, but also withreal working experience to prove my employability.