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What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

I am a Communications placement student, and I have been working at Unilever for nearly 3 months now.

What inspired you to apply?

I was really keen on getting a job in my placement year in a really big company as I wanted to learn how such companies operate, and I wanted the experience so I could one day set up my own company properly.

What does a normal day look like for you?

I usually get to the office an hour before work so I can gym then from 9-5 I spend a lot of the time in meetings of working online as my work is predominantly on Unilever.com (the website). Within the day, there’s time for breaks and lunch as well.

What do you find most interesting?

I love working with multiple agencies and making changed to the website real time too. I found the concept of outsourcing to other agencies really interesting.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt so far?

Analytics when it comms to communication is key. That is what will tell you what strategy works and doesn’t

Any tips for anyone applying?

Yes! In collaborative tasks, sometimes making sure everyone in the team is heard and listened to is better than pushing solely your opinion. That said, balance is key!

What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

Currently, I work as a process engineer at Unilever - my second rotation on the Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP). I have been with the company for one year. My role in the factory involves tackling top losses on the production line and strategizing ways to reduce unplanned losses. All these activities are ultimately to further drive Overall Line Effectiveness (OLE) to drive profitable growth and meet consumer demand.

What inspired you to apply?

I was inspired to apply because I wanted to work for a global company known for its innovation and focus on people and the planet. The opportunity to solve complex problems, optimize processes, and improve production efficiency in a fast-paced environment was very appealing. The UFLP also affords you the opportunities to meet a variety of people from all walks of life, expanding your professional network massively. As you go through different rotations, there are many learnings, experiences and opportunities to be had all of which will bring you immense personal growth.

What does a normal day look like for you?

Typically, in morning, reviewing and analyzing the production line performance in the last 24 hours. These are then discussed with the run to standard team at the morning board to decide an action plan for the day to implement solutions that will reduce unplanned downtimes which can be done by investigating minor stops or conducting root cause analysis. Also, another element of my role is ensuring all machine settings are captured and monitored to ensure the line runs at its optimal as well as upskilling operators - this is where your ability to work with different people and coach others come in.

What do you find most interesting?
The most interesting part of my job is the problem-solving aspect. I enjoyed diving deep into the root causes of production issues and finding innovative solutions that have a real impact on performance. It’s rewarding to see the results of process improvements and how they help the team and the company achieve better efficiency.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned so far?

The most important thing I’ve learned is understanding and learning the importance of influencing people. Technical skills and data-driven decision-making are vital, but being able to effectively communicate, motivate, and influence others—whether operators or stakeholders—is key to driving real, lasting improvements. Building relationships and getting buy-in from the team is just as critical as solving the technical problems.

Any tips for anyone applying?
If you're applying for a role like this, focus on developing strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Be prepared to think critically and work with cross-functional teams. It’s also important to have a good understanding of analysing data and technical processes as small changes can lead to big improvements in overall efficiency. Finally, it is important to demonstrate strong interpersonal and leadership potential skills as you will need to be an effective team player that can motivate individuals to help drive growth.

What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

People Partner UKI (HR UFL), I have been here for one year.

What inspired you to apply?

The HR UFL Programme offers a fully paid for Level 7 CIPD qualification, which is a Masters’ level HR-specific qualification. I really wanted to complete this as the next step of my education and felt great that a company was willing to invest this much in a graduate. I also really appreciate the rotational structure of the programme, so I can try different aspects of HR without the commitment.

What does a normal day look like for you?

Start off with a team meeting

Spend some focus time working on projects, such as creating Power BI dashboards, making resources, training colleagues and supporting my team

Meet with stakeholders such as HRBPs and Line Managers to discuss specific employee cases

Lunch time with team members

Meeting with my managers

Some more focus time or stakeholder meetings

Plan for the next day

What do you find most interesting?

I love understanding the best way to help people as much as possible. I work well with data, HR software and Excel and I find satisfaction in helping employees – I like to find ways that I can use my skills to make peoples’ lives easier. I am also really interested in employment law, so I enjoy reading up on legislation and using our company resources to find the best possible solution for an employee within the law.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt so far?

You will never enjoy what you do if you don’t find your purpose in it. My purpose is to give whatever I have to help those who I can – when I’m in a role where I don’t feel I am making a difference, I don’t enjoy it. I have learned from Unilever that purpose in a career is as important as purpose in life.

What has been the highlight of your time at Unilever?

A big highlight has been taking the lead on designing impactful upskilling programmes for students of diverse backgrounds, following a proposal to engage with young communities and drive change in the gap existing between race diversity and up-and-coming talent. I was able to do this through our Empower network, a Team of Unilever employees passionate about racial equity with an ambition to champion change both internally and externally. Unilever’s all about building your purpose, and this for me has been a privilege to act on.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you tackle them?

My biggest challenges to date came from negotiating customer Joint Business Plans across our Nutrition and Ice Cream business. Learning to handle buyer objections and approach discussions with different tactics was a huge learning curve for me, and one which has built skills that I will carry for life. Negotiating plans to a point of agreement in which genuine growth is achieved for Unilever and our customers has been a phenomenal experience.

What 3 words best describe your Unilever experience?

Insightful, stretching, purposeful!

What advice do you have for any future Unilever employees?

Throw yourself in at the deep end where possible, always ask for more where you feel you need it, and always put yourself out of your comfort zone! Be sure to connect with as many people in the business as possible, be curious, and be authentic!

What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

I am currently on the Customer Development graduate scheme for 3 years. In October I will be moving from my role as Assistant Brand Manager in Domestos to a Skincare Category Manager.

What inspired you to apply?

I loved Unilever’s sustainability commitments. When I was researching about Unilever, it seemed like they were very committed to their people and the planet, and this made them stand out from a lot of other corporations

What does a normal day look like for you?

At the moment, in my out of function role, I am working in marketing. I am currently planning an event to be hosted in October, so my days consist of meeting with agencies to figure out different activities we can have in the event. I have to communicate with a lot of different people to ensure that the event can go ahead. This includes; visiting locations, booking food/drinks, aligning on activities, ordering freebies, designing the branded moments. It is a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see it come to life next month!

I am also working on creating a few tiktok/short form videos, which consists of me speaking with agencies, aligning on scripts, shoot locations and storyboards.

What do you find most interesting?

As I have a background in sales, it has been very different stepping into the world of marketing, but it has been really interesting to see how a brand is crafted. There is a significant attention to detail and holistic thinking to make sure the brand is communicated in the right way globally. As I only ever worked on local markets, seeing how different markets adapt products or communications has been really cool.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt so far?

To be honest with what you don’t know! Stepping into new roles every year means you are constantly needing to learn new things. I think the most important thing is to be honest and ask questions when you don’t know something. It is the only way to learn quickly and get up to speed in a new role.

Any tips for anyone applying?

Make sure to do your research! Identify exactly why you are applying for Unilever and that specific function. It will help in later stages of the application process when we want to understand your purpose and what drives you. Take a look at the Unilever website or Unilever Careers Instagram page to find out more about working at Unilever, and how you can fit in to the business.

What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

I am in the Global Quality Expertise Team within the Supply Chain function. We are responsible for the Quality Management System which is in place to ensure superior and consistent quality in all Unilever’s products across all sites.

What inspired you to apply?

Being a user of many Unilever owned brands and having a lot of prior knowledge about different products. Superiority of the company and how well known and respected it is across the world. Various locations around the UK with London being a centre focus of mine.

What does a normal day look like for you?

I often have multiple tasks at once which I have gotten from members of my team that are all working on different types of projects to do with either the Quality Management System or Auditing.

Lots of communication with stakeholders and Quality Managers of the different Business Groups where I collate their requests and present them to my expertise team.

Lots of Excel spreadsheets!!!

What do you find most interesting?

Shadowing calls with senior members of different teams as it is an opportunity to network and gain insight into different roles within Unilever and the Business Groups rather than only having knowledge of Quality Expertise.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt so far?

• Formal communication with senior members of staff
• Having confidence in showcasing my knowledge and work to new people that I have not previously met
• Just overall being confident to chat to new people and introduce myself well, making a good impression
• Being productive on a 9-5 schedule

Any tips for anyone applying?

Be yourself!! I did not specifically aim to be placed into the Quality team nor did I expect to be but I was chosen due to how I showcased my own individual personality in the Discovery Centre and how I used my own knowledge to help me rather than trying to alter my applications and responses to what I thought specific roles would want. I ended up in a completely unexpected role where I had 0 previous knowledge and have had the opportunity to learn something completely new and different!

What is your role and how long have you been with Unilever?

My role is as an Assistant Brand Manager for the Lynx team, I have been here for almost 3 months.

What inspired you to apply?

Unilever is a widely respected business, who’s placement scheme offers such a broad work experience, so it was an obvious choice when applying for placements. The chance to work in and around some of the most established brands in the world was the most appealing way to spend my placement year. These brands positively improve and influence the lives of so many people daily, and I wanted to be a part of that.

What does a normal day look like for you?

I arrive to work before 9am and begin my day by checking emails and analysing performance data to track the progress of the brand in month. I will often find myself in meetings throughout the day, talking internally with other members of the team and aligning on our plans for 2025. There are also external agency meetings, where we collaborate on enhancing the success of any campaigns we have running. Once the tasks for the day are finished and my outlook inbox is up to date, I head home around 5pm.

What do you find most interesting?

What I have found most interesting is gaining a deeper understanding of the varied responsibilities within my team, and how good collaboration can make everybody’s role much easier and enjoyable. Seeing how everybody has a different role to play in developing new product launches or marketing campaigns has given me a great general understanding of my own role and helped me develop quickly.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt so far?

The most important thing I have learnt at Unilever so far is how to use software for data pulling. I have developed from someone who did not know how to use any software, to now someone who is more than competent at pulling data and applying it. The insights that the different software’s give you are imperative for brands to stay competitive, and this is something which is very important in my role.

Any tips for anyone applying?

Ensure you showcase your teamworking skills by being friendly and inclusive on the assessment days. Working at Unilever has taught me the importance of working effectively in a team within a business environment, and this is something to showcase during your application process.