HR Assistant Review

Unilever are an amazing company to work for and really value their interns. I was giving real responsibility from day one and therefore I really owned the projects that I was working on, making it enjoy (if not stressful at times!). I enjoyed being in work each day and will really miss the office and my responsibilities when I leave!

At Unilever, interns are treated as 'real' employees so I never felt undervalued. My team trusted me with large amounts of responsibility and were always appreciative of the work that I completed. At Unilever, there is a real team spirit within the company, which ensure you feel valued and welcomed.

There is support available when you need it (especially during the first months) however, you will largely expected to work independently and solve problems using your own initiative, which is a great learning experience. I would have liked more support from my line manager at times, however, this made me more independent and ultimately benefited me in the long term.

For the most parts, there is a good balance of work load (however there are always busier periods, which were then evened out by times I had less work). My working hours were mainly 9am-5pm, although there were certain days where I got to the office early, or left a hour later. At Unilever, the importance of a healthy work balance is stressed and therefore, I felt my working hours and work load to be manageable.

During my placement, I was giving large amounts of responsibility, managing the undertaking of a number of high profile projects. However, I did always have the support of my line manager and consulted her on any important decisions made, but largely worked autonomously. Interns are very much valued and seen as regular employees, therefore are given real responsibility from day 1!

During my placement, I have learnt many invaluable lessons and gained transferable skills that will benefit me no matter what profession I enter. These skills range from stakeholder management to communication and networking. Whilst my placement will not directly impact on my degree, I believe there is no substitute lesson for your first job and at Unilever, you will gain skills that will carry you for the rest of your career.

There was a good atmosphere in the office and everyone is very welcoming. There is good team spirit and the atmosphere is very much geared at getting the best performance possible for the company. Whilst there is a good atmosphere in the office, there are not many team events or socials outside of working hours.

The work placement is well organised and as it is a well established placement programme, it is well structured. Although well structure once on the programme, the communication before starting is limited with information on location and team delivered very late (making it difficult to sort out accommodation, although the company does support with this).

I felt the company did invest in my personal develop, with not only my line manager coaching me, but the rest of the team assisting in my personal development. I would have like to have had more initial training at the beginning of the placement, however, especially Microsoft suite training.

There are a number of graduate jobs within the company, but competition for these jobs is very high.

There was an element of socialising among the interns and would socialise in the evenings approx. 2 a month, usually going for drinks or dinner. During our lunch breaks, we would very often eat together and often go to the gym or go for runs together during this time also.

Unilever has offices and factory sites based across the country, however I was based in Blackfriars, Central London so the cost of living was very high. There is no difference in wage between sites and therefore, being based in London meant the majority of my salary was spent on rent.

Blackfriars is a very buzzy and social area of London, with many bars, restaurants and pubs! You will never be sort of places to socialise, and there are good connection to all parts of London. However, do not expect a cheap night out here, it is an expensive area of the Capital!

There is a vast range of opportunities to get involved inside of work ranging from gym classes to sports teams, musical bands and volunteering opportunities. Volunteering including helping at local food banks and providing mentoring opportunities to disadvantaged school children. I attended many of the gym classes before and after work and they were a great chance to get to know new colleagues, network with different people and unwind after a day in the office!