Unilever Summer Placement Review

The placement was very enjoyable, the people were very friendly and willing to help, and I was given very challenging tasks.

As part of the Project team, my opinions were often highly valued, and I felt very much part of the team.

My line manager was responsible for overseeing my placement, providing support and guidance. There was also a large support network from the management team which showed how much they value placement students.

The majority of time I was kept fairly busy, working at a respectable pace through my tasks. At times, working towards tight deadlines, I found myself putting extra hours in - However this gave the opportunity to work under stressful situations and tight deadlines, with real business responsibility.

Many of the tasks I worked on individually, reporting back to my line manager. However all my work was part of a bigger project. In my view, I was given a lot of responsibility, which was the main drive throughout the placement, as my work really did count and make a difference.

Throughout the placement, I gained a variety of placement specific skills, such as technical/commercial skills. Most invaluable skills developed were transferable skills such as interpersonal, communication, presentation, time management etc. These can be adapted and transferred to any future environment or industry.

The general atmosphere was OK. People were generally very friendly and receptive, and the atmosphere I would describe as Professional.

I started the placement on the Corporate Induction Scheme the company ran, which provided quite a good overview of the company, the site (i.e. Leeds) and the general objectives of the company. I was then introduced to my team in the following days, who provided a more extensive background to the project I was working on. I was assigned a placement brief, containing all my tasks - so overall very well organised!

There were no additional personal training and development programmes throughout the placement, however this is expected being a 12 week placement!

All placement students were invited to a presentation given by the Graduate Recruitment team, providing an overview of the scheme, the application process, and general advice. This proved very helpful, not only for future applications to this graduate scheme, but to any other gradute scheme.

There were a number of students on the summer placement scheme, and we all enjoyed lunch together everyday - provided a good support network!

I did not relocate for this placement, however the cost of accomodation and living when compared to other cities is average.

Leeds has a great Nightlife, as would any major UK city.

There were various hiking expeditions organised by the work place which summer students could enrol for.