My role was to report to and assist the Senior Commercial Manager for Localisation in the process for administering the grant claims from the government. The role of Finance Intern involved several accounting tasks for the Goole Grant project including:• Collation and Reconciliation of actual cost defrayment for Grant applications • Forecasting of future applicable costs – including cash flow forecasting• Preparation of BEIS Government Grant application documentation• Producing all documented evidence for EY and BEIS Grant application audits• Creation of process documentation for the Grant quarterly process• Communication with several internal and external project stakeholdersThis experience has allowed me to gain initial insight into numerous financial processes and procedures including accurate forecasting and reconciliation of costs. I had the opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills on computer software such as SAP and Excel which allowed me to work effectively with data.

My role as Reward and Policy Intern was to work as part of an international Compensation and Benefits team, supporting on various areas of benefits and acting as a point of contact for employees with any issues. The tasks I carried out included:• Creation of communications, ensuring they were fit for purpose across multiple geographies.• Analysing employee data in SAP and Excel reports, adhering to Data Protection policies.• Communicating and working with external benefit providers to deliver projects, including the successful development and implementation of a new employee recognition tool.• Presenting key information to all levels of staff through a variety of channels.• Delivering an effective remote induction to my successors.This internship was my first opportunity to gain day-to-day workplace experience within a large organisation. I have learned about the challenges which businesses face, how they approach these and how individuals and teams contribute to success. My organisation and prioritisation skills have been further developed and my confidence, when presenting and communicating with staff at all levels, has increased.

I ensure customers receive exceptional customer service at all times, no matter how busy or short staffed the floor is. Deal with any customer queries or complaints in order to keep customer satisfaction high, escalating any issues to the appropriate level of management.My communication skills have developed all round whilst working at Next, interacting with a variety of customers and ensuring they get any help they need.I am good at multitasking and using my initiative in busy periods, this is particularly obvious during the Next Sale periods where we often get huge surges of customers all at once.I work as part of a successful team to ensure all tasks are completed to a high standard and all areas of the are covered by staff members whilst keeping it all tidy and replenished.As team coach, my role involves training new staff members to ensure they have all of the relevant skills and knowledge to keep the customers satisfied. I act as a second point of call for new staff members if they have any questions or worries about any job they have been given.I also provide supervisory cover in times of need, this includes covering breaks of management or running the floor in times of shortages.I keep my own knowledge of the store updated and pass this on to new colleagues who may need it.