Essay Sample on My Internship at GSK

Introduction

I worked as a sales intern at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. I served for six months from 21st May 2018 to 29th November 2018. The chance to undertake my practical work experience at GSK was a unique learning experience. I have gained significant insight due to time spent at the organization. The internship program, which is a compulsory requirement for my academic major, was an excellent opportunity for applying theoretical knowledge [4, 181]. I also learned several valuable lessons from firsthand contact with different participants in the field. The opportunity to train and perform various duties at GSK was exciting.

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GSK Consumer Healthcare is one of the top global pharmaceutical companies. The company is reputable for its research-based activities geared toward the development of reliable healthcare products. GSK's unique business strategy entails meeting client needs through the provision of top quality brands[1, n.p]. The organization develops exceptional products by embracing great innovation practices in its Research and Development (R&D) department. Its objective is to increase access to standard yet affordable drugs necessary for consumers' wellbeing. GSK has attained the status of a leading over-the-counter healthcare company. Thus, it qualifies it as a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) organization. Besides, its commitment to improving the quality of human life made GSK an appropriate institution to practice my co-operative education.

A co-operative education program is a curriculum that engages students in internships for a specified length of time. The practicum, referred to as Coop training, is a result of coordination between institutions of higher learning and diverse industries [3, 3]. Activities undertaken during this period seek to equip learners with career knowledge that is relevant to the course of study. An internship gives the students a real-life experience of the workplace environment. They gain work experience by taking up responsibilities and duties in various institutions as per their designated fields of study. Learners can work in places such as in the government, organizations, and institutions. I fulfilled my course requirements during my training period at GSK, Jeddah.

My objective for participating in the internship program was to acquire skills that would improve my performance in the workplace [2, 1]. I hoped to gain practical knowledge necessary to sharpen my competencies in fulfilling a wide range of duties. The primary goal was to improve my teamwork capacity as well as communication ability. Proper speaking and writing skills are essential in relaying accurate information. As a sales intern, I would work with other colleagues to market and sell specified goods. Thus, I intended to learn how to deal with and respond to different situations that arise within the department. I also hoped to gain organization and analysis skills from handling data generated by the sales team. My overall goal was to improve my professional competency and use the training to increase my employment prospects.

The first expected learning outcome is the ability to take up responsibility for various tasks within the sales job capacity. The internship program serves as a platform for interns to learn and interact with a wide range of factors that characterize the workplace atmosphere [4, 181]. The exercise is not mandatory for academic purposes only. Therefore, students should show enthusiasm and engage with other professionals across the organization. By interacting with others, they will gain critical information on the roles of different persons, tools and resources at the office. It is essential for the students to learn how to perform varied duties related to the job function. Hence, possession of the information should enable the intern to assume different responsibilities.

The participation of the intern in the sales department should result in a significant increase in the company's level of output [2, 2]. The training program involves tasks such as completing study assignments, helping sales representatives, and compiling documents used when selling. The essence of these activities is to create an individual who understands the various sales processes. The purpose of any sales team is to ensure maximum financial output for any organization. Therefore, the student should demonstrate the ability to increase the productivity of the department. For instance, duties performed by the intern should lead to more volumes of sales. Besides, the organization should also experience a rise in its number of contacts.

Another expected learning outcome is the ability to organize materials and information within the department in an interpretable format [2, 2]. The student should demonstrate competency in arranging these resources in an orderly manner. Sales teams generate a lot of data that can help the company to develop a unique understanding of their target market. Besides organizing skills, the intern should acquire analyzing abilities. The skills are crucial when interpreting diverse sets of data. Well explained data is secure in presenting and supporting to members of other departments. Also, analyzing abilities are essential in dealing with human and social situations that arise when clients interact with staff. Therefore, the student should be able to assemble and process information.

The school, as well as the company, identify the ability to implement ideas as a critical learning outcome. The intern should implement new or modified plans with ease within the enterprise [2, 2]. For instance, the sales team may face some challenges in increasing the volume of sales recorded per day. In response to suggestions from members and the superiors, the workforce decides to adopt an experimental approach to boost sales. Thus, they enforce a new or improved procedure for conducting business. An adept student should embrace and utilize the adopted strategy conveniently within the organization. Correctly implementing the proposed tactics is an implication that the intern understands their role in the structure of the business. Hence, they can contribute to goal realization.

The internship program had a significant impact on my personal development. As an FMCG company, the experience was very educative. It changed my perspective on the importance of proper information management and collaboration across all departments [4, 186]. GSK handles a lot of operations in its supply of over-the-counter drugs on a daily basis. Therefore, several activities occur within a single day. The management of the involved departments has to coordinate efforts to ensure smooth operation. Besides, observing the commitment of the teams toward achievement of organizational goals taught me the value of a team spirit within an enterprise. Thus, I learned the importance of teamwork and cooperation in ensuring that consumer needs and expectations take priority.

The six months spent at GSK enabled me to form meaningful relationships with members of the company. I interacted with professionals from different departments and benefited from incidental learning [4, 182]. The company also offered me an exceptional opportunity to network with other people through conferences and sales conventions. These events, organized by the management, were a platform that provided access to current and emerging issues that define the work environment. Information shared at these occasions also served as a refresher course on practices that lead to improved output. Apart from networking, I gained new knowledge that will shape me into a better teammate. Thus, the internship was an insightful period.

I gained critical communication skills that are necessary for dealing with issues that occur in enterprises [2, 1]. Given the distinct traits that differentiate workmates as well as customers, disputes are bound to arise. In such situations, it is vital to respond in a manner that does not agitate others or aggravate the conflict. I learned that promoting harmony and understanding among one another is an appropriate approach to addressing differences. Besides lessons on the essence of good working relationships, I observed the impact of different leadership styles as used in GSK. While some tactics lead to safe and productive atmospheres, others create unnecessary pressure and tension among the staff. Therefore, the varied styles are applicable in different scenarios.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I had an exciting and informative experiencing working at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. For six months, I served as a sales intern and gained extensive practical knowledge. Going into the program, I aspired to improve my competency in fulfilling my duties as assigned. However, by the end of it, I had learned much more about the workplace environment. While the cooperative education package primarily contributes to the student's grades, it results in the creation of a well-rounded, prospective employee. It also increases employment prospects due to the work experience that students acquire during the practicum. Thus, it is a crucial opportunity for students to interact with various factors in a real-life workplace environment.

Bibliographies

[1]"Consumer Healthcare | GSK", Gsk.com, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/about-us/consumer-healthcare/. [Accessed: 18- Jan- 2019].

[2]"Learning Objectives for Internships", Cpp.edu. [Online]. Available: https://www.cpp.edu/~cba/management-and-human-resources/documents/01149-MHR_Internship_Learning_Objective_Guidelines.pdf. [Accessed: 18- Jan- 2019].

[3] D. Johnson, R. Johnson, and K. Smith, "Cooperative Learning: Improving University Instruction by Basing Practice on Validated Theory," Personal. Cege. 2013. [Online]. Available: http://personal.cege.umn.edu/~smith/docs/Johnson-Johnson-Smith-Cooperative_Learning-JECT-Small_Group_Learning-draft.pdf. [Accessed: 18- Jan- 2019].

[4]S. Renganathan, A. Karim and S. Chong, "Students' perception of industrial internship programme", www.emeraldinsight.com, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911211210288. [Accessed: 18- Jan- 2019].