King’s BSc Psychology student Tyler is currently undertaking his placement year, working between HR and Talent acquisition at WarnerMedia. Read on to learn what Tyler’s placement journey has been like so far, and what advice he has for students interested in placements…
Hi, I’m Tyler, a King’s BSc Psychology student, currently undertaking my placement year with WarnerMedia Entertainment. In particular, I work with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to assist with day to day tasks and administration, alongside projects that the teams are working on. Whilst studying a broad-ranging subject like Psychology, it is nice to work in a department that provides such a range of responsibilities. It really allows me to test the multitude of transferrable skills that I have learnt as part of my course in real-world scenarios.
Outside of work, I love entertainment. Music, films, TV shows, theatre, reading, games… you name it!
What I do at my placement
My role is split between Generalist HR and Talent Acquisition. As I assist both teams, my duties vary from day-to-day. In generalist HR, responsibilities include maintenance of employee files, administering benefits and references to employees across the business and being the main HR point of contact for all interns in the UK. The main project I help within Talent Acquisition is the organisation of intern recruitment for the next cohort of placement students. This includes arranging assessment days, preparing new intern contracts, and ensuring recruitment is as inclusive and fair as possible.
Journey to the placement: the application experience
At Warner, I found the application process fun and engaging. The entire application process was broken down by multiple stages. Initially, I had to fill out an application form answering various questions, as well as recording personal info and my CV. After being successful at this stage, I had a video interview which involved me filming my response to a number of questions about me and the job role that I applied for.
Finally, after passing the video interview, I attended an assessment day with a group of other successful applicants. This day was really laid back and enjoyable, but also really professionally run. I feel the environment created by Warner was the best it could have been to allow candidates to authentically be themselves. The day comprised of several group activities and individual tasks, alongside an individual interview. I received a call the morning following my assessment day, telling me I had been offered the job!
The placement experience during Covid-19
Fortunately, WarnerMedia had the tools necessary to allow their intern cohort this year to start working remotely. My role is similar to what it would have been going into the office, and with today’s technology, I have not faced many issues. I am still able to work full time from the comfort of my own home, using video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams to conduct meetings on.
In addition to Covid-19 related adversities, it is also a big-time of change at WarnerMedia. There is a big organisational restructuring going on at the moment, as the backend operations of the business are fusing with other WarnerMedia owned entities (the teams at HBO and Turner Broadcasting) to become one larger WarnerMedia team. While it will allow the business to run more efficiently, it also requires a lot of work and organisation to pull off. As confusing as it’s been at times, it is a really interesting time to be on placement with them!
King’s Careers’ Take: A placement gives a great opportunity to get a snapshot of the working world – such as Tyler’s experiences working within an organisational restructuring. These experiences are great transferable examples across all jobs and sectors and can showcase resilience, problem-solving and organisation skills. Read more about developing your employable skills from our KEATS pages.
Inspirations about my placement
WarnerMedia was a perfect place for me to apply, as my main interests lie in the entertainment industry. My role is also one of the few that gives exposure to every single department within the business. This allows me to get to know all the interns and apprentices across the board on a personal level and understand in-depth how each unit works to form one cohesive organisation. The company’s forward-thinking and progressive culture have exceeded my expectations and helped me feel welcome from the outset.
To other students thinking about year-in placements…
Originally, I was put off by the idea of doing a placement. I felt as if it would disrupt the flow of my degree as a whole. However, this year was definitely the right decision for me to make! I have learnt so much about not only Human Resources but the corporate world at large. If you are considering a placement but aren’t sure, my advice would be ‘definitely go for it’! No experience is a waste, as you will have learnt so much regardless of if you enjoyed your year in industry or not. If anything else, you are likely to gain many connections to add to your personal and professional network, that may help guide your future prospects. Even if your placement isn’t what you were expecting, it will still provide you with some form of direction for your future career pathway! Good luck!
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