Placement Year Review at Unilever

The Role

Role Description

Creating automated programs to analyse batch data

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

What made my placement most enjoyable was the people I worked with. Everyone I encountered was always friendly and willing to help which has not always been the case with previous jobs I've had.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I always felt valued after making a significant contribution to the team, yet sometimes I felt like a non-entity in that the work I had been given was simply to fill in gaps or were jobs no one had much concern over.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

My manager was excellent and we developed a very strong bond over the course of the placement. He was always willing to give me support and guidance when I was struggling with various projects.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The extent to which I was busy really varied from day to day. Many of the projects I was working on relied on items to be delivered or other parties to complete work. I would have preferred to have more on my plate.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I did feel that I held a lot of responsibility on some of the projects I was involved with. In some cases my manager was on business trips so it was completely down to me to deliver.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I feel the skills I have developed will help me more in the years beyond University as I didn't encounter many projects that were particularly technical or specifically related to modules that I had done at University previously. I would say the skills I did develop were life skills that will hopefully help me succeed with future employment opportunities.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The office atmosphere was generally quiet, probably not helped by the fact that I was in my own small office with one other placement student. It was fun to be around everyone during break times though.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

I feel the placement could have been arranged and organised better. It almost felt like I was assigned the jobs that should have been done by someone in the past but were never completed. There wasn't too much of a structure to my placment in place before I arrived which would have helped.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

The company were usually more than willing to invest in my personal training and development and I'm sure they would have done more had I asked.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

• Flexi Time
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Company Parties/Events

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I would be happy to continue to work within Unilever particularly within a graduate position.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The social scene was excellent. It was enhanced by the number of placement students present within the organisation. Something was always going on every single weekend, in some cases it was too much!

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was able to share a flat with a fellow student from University so that significantly cut down on the cost of rent. Trains and transportation into Liverpool were also cheap.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

With Liverpool just across the Mersey there was not excuse not to have a good time. The only trouble was the fact that there was nothing closer to were I lived, yet I know plenty of placement students that lived in Liverpool so that was really my decision.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Football was a popular activity outside of work. There were always lots of other sports taking place, from rugby to badminton and squash. I wasn't just restricted to sports however, we went to visit several musuems in Liverpool and could always go shopping if we had nothing else to do.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Everyone is exceptionally friendly and always willing to help which is really the best part about the placement. Good people really make a job enjoyable and that was certainly the case with my placement.

Review 42/52 for Unilever

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