Meet Marianna, our HR intern

I was attracted to how versatile the role was. As I am in the earlier stages of my HR career, having exposure to different HR functions was really important to me when I was applying for internships. During my internship, I have covered a variety of areas such as HR administration, resourcing, learning and development and HR reporting. The HR department at United Utilities is very established with over 100 employees so I knew that there would always be a new skill for me to learn from various teams. I wanted a role that would push me and this internship has done exactly that!

When I left University I was equipped with a lot of HR knowledge that I was keen to put into practice. The internship has not only enabled me to apply this knowledge to every day working life but has also pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me lots of new skills. I am now an Excel pro! I’m currently studying towards my Association of Project Management qualification, so the learning never stops.

Each work day varies greatly, which is something I thoroughly enjoy about my role. I am currently supporting several teams such as; the incident contacts team with reporting, the recruitment team with organising interviews and writing job adverts, and the learning and development team with any training needs. I’ve had mentors supporting me along the way so I’ve never felt alone.

My favourite thing about working at United Utilities is the company culture. Everyone is so welcoming and I have received so much support during my internship. United Utilities really cares about its employees and has fostered an environment where employees can bring their whole self to work. There is a strong focus on diversity, with many visible networks available for you to join to show your support such as women in UU, Identity LGBT+ and Armed Forces, to name a few.

The offices are also incredible which makes coming into work so much more enjoyable. We have a beautiful lake at our head office in Warrington and the office in Leigh feels so cosy - like you’re away in a Lake District cottage.

Yes, definitely. When I was researching the company it was very highly praised on Glassdoor so I had a lot of expectations. These expectations only grew as I met my team and heard how much everyone truly enjoyed working at United Utilities. Having been with the company for eight months now, I can confidently say that United Utilities has lived up to its promises and now have another voice vouching for how great the company is.

My biggest piece of advice would be to research the company as much as possible. When I was applying I looked at United Utilities’ LinkedIn and Glassdoor pages and its website. I made sure that the company’s values aligned with my own as this helps to provide a greater sense of purpose at work.