Lydia joined GSK’s Digital Communications team as an Industrial Placement student. Below, she’s provided insight into life at GSK.
What is your role and how long have you been at GSK?
My role is in Digital Communications within the Communications and Government Affairs Department. I have been at GSK for five months.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I am a BA Geography student at the University of Exeter. At A level I studied Economics, Geography and English Literature. I like to spend my spare time doing Yoga and dancing; I have competed in various styles of dance at the regional and national level.
What inspired you to apply for this role/this company?
I was initially attracted to GSK because of its position as a globally operating pharmaceutical business in the FTSE 100 Index. I wanted to gain experience working in a large-scale corporate company because of the multiple opportunities to learn from a plethora of business areas that are needed to support such organisations. The purpose and reach that GSK has inspired me to apply to work for this company; being able to support this in some way seemed like a rewarding opportunity. I applied for the role in Communications and Government Affairs (CGA) department because I have a wide range of interests that equates to a wide possibility of career goals/options for myself. I am particularly interested in politics and media, therefore CGA felt like a perfect fit.
What has been the single most important thing you learnt so far in your job?
I have learnt that its ok not to get everything right straight away and asking questions could be one of the most important things you do in your job. When you are presented with a task, ask questions if you are not clear on the brief; you won't look like you don’t know what you’re doing. Asking questions is more likely to have the opposite effect as you are seen as proactive and engaged. Ask questions about why something is done or done in a certain way, this could lead to a necessary reevaluation of the way things are done it will also help put your role into a wider context.
What would a ‘normal’ day look like for someone in your role?
I start the day by checking through my calendar/preparing for the day. I usually write my to-do list the night before so when I start working in the morning, I am ready to go. Before I start working, I like to listen to or read through the news. I check through my emails to check if anything came in overnight or if I have missed something and then I can reply to emails/tie off any loose ends. On the odd occasion I might have to author a press release which will go live at 7am, in this case it's an early start, but I always make sure to get my time back! Throughout the day I am likely to have around four or five meetings, this could include weekly team meetings, a 1:1 with my manager, a project meeting, training or, sometimes, company-wide talks. In-between meetings I will be completing tasks and requests. I must be flexible with the order I work in because I will often get requests come in throughout the day, with which have varied importance. This means that my days can look completely different from one day to the next and that I must understand the value of prioritising. Lunch times are quite social at GSK as there are a lot of placement students here, we also have regular socials after work. I usually work the hours 9am-5pm, but this can be flexible to some extent.
What do you find most interesting with the sector/industry you’re in?
The pharmaceutical industry is extremely diverse. There are myriad large-scale and intricate ways companies in the pharmaceutical industry tackle healthcare. Globally, this industry works to improve health for all through research and development. This industry affects most of the global human population, so working in it feels like you are doing something important for someone. Vaccines, drugs, and other treatments are essential to improving human health and fighting against disease; these things are of huge focus in the pharmaceutical industry.
What is the company culture like?
The company culture was something I was positively surprised by when I joined GSK. Everyone is happy to help, and I feel no obvious hierarchy, it does feel like one big team. This might be because employees are united in the goal of improving healthcare for everyone. GSK has targets in diversity, equity and inclusion which are filtered throughout the company in things like training, encouraged discussions, campaigns and employee resource groups.
How important is diversity to you and what is GSK doing in this space at the moment?
I strongly believe that diversity should be represented in the workplace as much as it is in society. The decisions made at GSK affect people across the world, therefore we need to think with this in mind; a diverse team can be more likely to represent this. GSK is now, more than ever, pushing the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). There is a whole section about this on our website. There is mandatory training in this subject and teams are encouraged to have conversations about making GSK a more inclusive space. GSK has to be inclusive for both its audience and its people, this is a large number of people globally so inclusion and diversity must be a priority.
Finally, any tips for anyone who’d like to apply for a role at GSK?
My top tip would be to be yourself; you want to see if you would enjoy working at the company and align with the beliefs of the business, as well as if you can have a good relationship with the people you will work with. You should also do your research and make sure you are aware of the business goals and values; this is important to demonstrate that you would work towards these and how you might be able to support them. Show a willingness to learn and develop your skills, but don’t forget to sell your USPs!
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