Formulation Scientist Review

As a placement student and formulation scientist, you are expected to formulate (make products) and characterise them (understand some of their physical properties as well as their performance). You attend group meetings to make decisions about next formulations, next steps etc. You also support other team members/ colleagues with equipment training or other project related tasks.

Yes, developed more my communication skills, as you are expected to give plenty of presentations and communicate your opinions and findings efficiently. Overall my confidence grew and I trust more myself and with this my decision making skills.

A fair amount I would say. In terms of responsibility I believe more was expected from me, but this was not communicated effectively. I worked alongside with other co-workers most of my year, which comes with some responsibility but is a different kind than running your own experiment which I did get a chance to at the end of my placement. Overall the responsibility was not overwhelming and it usually built upon previous activities and trainings. I also knew I always had support from others in tasks that were new to me.

Quite a lot. My managers were always happy to help and they made that clear from my first day. There were instances where finding the right people to help was more the issue as I might need help with something more specific. I would say it depends on the project you are in and your co-workers, but most people around are always willing to help. In terms of guidance, I believe that due to my project type not as much. Expectations and project plans were not clear from the beginning. Which lead to confusion and a lot of self doubt. This however as time went by, improved.

Nice, amicable and in most instances relaxed. As mentioned most people are willing to offer their help and support and have managed to build a sense of community around most teams. Unilever as a company offers a lot of tools and support for personal development and carer growth. At the beginning there is a general incentive and push for this, which tends to fade as time passes and more (direct) work related activities are required to be completed. However, I found that there is a weird mix between being supported in your own journey but indirectly being compared to your peers. I believe this is due to the end of year comparison they have to perform to be given a bonus. Something which I know and understand is quite common not only at Unilever but throughout other companies.

To a high extent. There were many ups and downs and I wouldn't say it was a complete smooth sailing but I leant a lot through it. I believe no two placements are the same and so many factors influenced each one. Overall looking a the positives I did enjoy it.

Yes

Try to understand the broader business and be enthusiastic/ in some way passionate about you might be doing and everything you will learn from it.