Assistant Buyer Review

Negotiating with internal and external stakeholders, producing a customer focused range, building a promotional plan for the year, reporting key commercial metrics and accountability for ownership of the financial performance for my buying area. Alongside all of this, personal development is always an active conversation with plenty of training courses and internal support available to help you. Spotting key consumer trends and acting on them is also one of the most exciting parts of the job.

Whilst with Tesco I have learned many different deliverables, such as: commercial accumen, time management, planning, leadership skills, financial knowledge and personal brand. Tesco massively encourage their colleagues to develop both their blind spots but also their strengths and always ensure you are provided with the resources to achieve this. Empathy and resilience are the two other skills that stand out the most to me as ones I have learned mainly through working at Tesco though.

Commercial roles tend to be known for their volatility in emotion, ups and downs are to be expected so it's important to be aware of this prior to applying. During my time with Tesco I believe I have been supported by the majority of people I work with, whether is be emotionally or from an execution and skills perspective. Tesco encourage an open culture where if you are facing challenges you feel welcome to speak about them.

Initially it was very organised, over time though that began to change and I was challenged with chasing for my work grading and feedback. Tesco also aren't brilliant at providing a detailed end to end timeline of your scheme however there will be a vague guide in place that you will have as reference. The incentive is very much on the apprentice to drive their development but perhaps an over-reliability on them to chase their work.

Tesco are supportive of you during your time on the scheme, time to study is provided during your working week and there is always a contact that can help if you have questions. PeoplePlus also are brilliant at resolving questions and providing learning to aid you in your journey but often take a while to respond. I'd also say their isn't a lot of guidance on 'what's next' when you're finishing your scheme.

I think their is definitely a heightened support system at Tesco versus other schemes and my training provider is clearly passionate. Without my trainer I believe the course and workload would be overwhelming. I'd encourage anyone who is about to begin the scheme to be really proactive and utilise the trainers knowledge of the syllabus as it is pivotal in understanding the asks on the tasks and developing your skills whilst doing your day job.

It helped massively, lots of what we worked on or were taught through the qualification and course helped me to manage several different aspects of my role. Project Management and Stakeholder Management were two areas that were focused on in depth have been incredibly beneficial for me in my role. Alongside this skills in presenting, communicating and resource management have also been useful. I would also highlight the importance of some of the technical skills you learn from the scheme that will be related to your role.

There is an apprenticeship and graduate society, talks from local business' and Tesco business senior leadership to show their stories and career journey. You can even propose your own team building exercise in your team. You can also get involved with charities within your own community and the office will support where possible. Throughout the year there are also regular off-site events/activities and you are given the freedom to decide what you want to do, and when.

Yes

Mainly due to the culture and development opportunities. Tesco have been instrumental in developing my core commercial skills and giving me the platform to use them. If you have an eye for the commercial world and want to impact millions of lives then working for Tesco is definitely for you. You also get recognition and your effort is celebrated if you go out of your way to help a colleague or customer which is really rewarding.

The application process is long and it is designed to filter out your best qualities. The process is to see what role will be suitable for you. So I would suggest to be honest during the process. Also, be really passionate about the area you are applying for, I believe this is something they really look for in the interview stages. Other areas I believe they look for are innovation and a willingness to learn and build on your skills, particularly if you are applying to an apprenticeship.