Spring Programme 2016 Review

The Spring Programme at Unilever was a great experience and gave me a good insight into the company. You will get a tour through the office and listen to presentations, free Ben&Jerry’s ice cream and have department related challenges. A typical day lasts from early in the morning until late afternoon, which ensures that you will get the most out of your time there.

Unilever does a great job in making you feel valuable. They’ll cover your transportation costs, accommodation and the programme is well structured. During your Spring Programme, you’ll have the opportunity to not only speak to current industrial or summer placement students but also senior managers, who are really interested in who you are.

At the beginning, you’ll receive a booklet with a booklet with the programme, your fellow colleagues and the phone number of your contact person. In an unlikely case that you feel lost or do not know what to do or where to go, there will always be someone who can help out.

Being in the marketing department and having department related challenges gave me a good insight into procedures one has to go through in such a large corporation like Unilever. Especially the conversations with the senior managers taught me a few tricks from just listening to their stories. In sum, I did recognize a few theories but I would not say that it will help you tremendously.

What I really like about the Spring Programme was the structure. Everything was planned out and aside from a few breaks you were always busy, which I find good. While your first day will be more concentrated on Unilever itself, the second day will be more department specific. This mix ensures that you’ll get the most out of your few days at Unilever.

The atmosphere was laidback but still professional. Everyone had a great time and you’ll meet great people from other universities. The atmosphere made the Spring Programme much more enjoyable. The employees were all friendly. Even on the assessment centre day they tried to make you feel comfortable and not nervous.

The spring programme gave me a great insight into my department and how it would be like to have a full time role with the company. During your time at Unilever you’ll have the opportunity to talk with many people from different roles and everyone is willing to share a glimpse into their work.

The spring programme gave me a great insight into understanding the company culture. The office is filled with all their products and the layout is an open space office. This reflects the company culture, which is very open and friendly. Unilever owns a gym, which is free to employees, free Ben&Jerry’s ice cream and access to a paid meditation app. Thus, Unilever does a lot to improve the company culture and this is something that you can sense from day one.

The content during the insight helped me a lot in deciding my future career path. It gives you a good insight into how it is to work for a large corporation and what it really means to be a marketer. Although the spring programme was just for a few days, it was sufficient for me.

Your travelling expenses will be covered up to 100 pounds and the accommodation will be paid for you as well. Furthermore, Unilever will provide transportation between the office and hotel. In addition, you’ll be able to have breakfast and dinner at the hotel and lunch in the canteen of Unilever.

During your Spring Programme you will have many opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company. There will be Q&A’s with current industrial placement and summer students and you’ll work with them during your challenges. This gives you enough time to ask them anything. The dinner with the senior managers was very good as well.