How I spent my work experience placement at DJS Research - article by Joe Glowinkowski, student at Ashton Sixth Form College
23rd July 2025 11:56
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Earlier this month we had the pleasure of welcoming a student from Aston Sixth Form College to our head office for a jam packed few days of work experience. From trying his hand at some research and data tasks to listening to telephone interviews and getting a one-on-one (and some pearls of wisdom too by the sounds of it!) from our chairman and founder Danny Sims, Joe Glowinkowski really immersed himself in the DJS experience and we were thrilled when he wrote a short piece about his time with us. Read on to find out exactly what Joe got up to...
How I spent my work experience placement at DJS Research - article by Joe Glowinkowski, student at Ashton Sixth Form College
My name is Joe and during my recent work experience, I spent 3 days with DJS Research. During the week I spent some time with all the different departments within the company, learning about each one individually along with how they function and most importantly, how they all link with the business.
Although at first, I was nervous about how the week would go due to not having worked in an office environment before, I found that everyone I had the chance to meet at DJS was welcoming and helpful, making my experience a lot less scary than I thought it would be. This placement has helped me develop my communication, attention to detail, teamwork and analytical skills.
DJS Research is an employee-owned company and my first day involved shadowing their quarterly EO Voice meeting. In the session EO representatives from each team in the business meet to discuss how the company is and should be run, addressing issues and identifying what they can do to take action to resolve these. Following this meeting I spent time with a Senior Executive with the Field and Recruitment team, learning all about how this department operates.
On my second day, I met with the creative services team to find out about the wide range of outputs they produce for clients from presentations and infographics to videos and other formats. This really highlighted to me the importance of creativity within a business to help it stand out from competitors. Following this I spent time with one of the Research teams, Haven Hill, who set me a specific task to build my analytical skills. I also spent time with the Field and Delivery team (FADs) to understand their role within the organisation and worked on a proofing and checking task to develop my attention to detail. In the afternoon I had the opportunity to meet with the company chairman and founder Danny Sims who shared the story of DJS Research and how they got to where they are today. Danny also shared some valuable insights on how to achieve success in life.
On my final day at DJS, I spent the morning with the finance team to understand how they operate and how to build a future in the industry. I also had the opportunity sit with the HR and Training team, to find out about how employee Partners are looked after as well as the induction process for new starters and the specific training programme for those that are new to the industry. This really highlighted the wide range of professional skills that are developed through a career in market research. In the afternoon I got to shadow a member of the CATI team which included listening to a live telephone interview. Finally, I met with the Data Services team who showed me the software and systems they use to create detailed surveys and data outputs for clients. They also set me a task to test two surveys and identify whether they worked correctly and would meet client expectations.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at DJS, as each day was a different experience with different skills gained. Having the opportunity to work with all the departments gave me suggestions for many potential career paths I could take in the future that I may not of considered before. Therefore overall, my time here has been useful and a positive experience.
