Spring Week Intern Review

I very much enjoyed this insight and my time spent at Unilever. This insight was not only really beneficial in terms of personal development, but it was also genuinely a really enjoyable week. The interns formed a close bond and I found the insight to be a great networking opportunity.

I felt well valued during my time at Unilever and everyone made sure we were welcomed. Upon arrival, we were greeted at the train station by representatives from Unilever, which was then followed by a networking welcome dinner. Throughout the insight week, we were treated to a fantastic programme of activities and events. The effort that Unilever put into this programme was testament to how much they valued us as interns.

Throughout my time at Unilever, we were always supported by an employee representative, who we could turn to with any questions we might have. The HR team provided constant support throughout our time at Unilever and I never felt lacking in guidance. We were given lots of information before we joined the programme, which helped us to prepare.

The skills that I learnt on this insight week will be very beneficial to me in the future. I leant a number of key professional skills such as networking and analytical skills. Such skills will benefit me on any future assessments days, as well as any future career. However, I would say that my biggest improvement was in my confidence.

The insight was extremely well structured and I really cannot fault the organisation of the programme. On the first evening, we had a welcome dinner, which was a great chance to get to know other interns on the programme. Following that, we had full days packed with networking sessions, team work exercises and presentations on working life at Unilever.

There was a really great atmosphere during the insight. The interns formed a close bond, and due to the fact we were staying in a hotel for the duration of the insight, we would spend the evenings together having dinner and drinks etc. At the offices, I found the Unilever employees to be extremely welcoming and friendly- they were all more than happy to answer any questions that we might have had.

In terms of personal development, I felt well invested in. There was no 'formal' training as such, due to the short nature of the programme, however all the skills sessions were focused on our personal development. The sessions were tailored at improving our understanding of how global businesses operate and demonstrating the skills needed to succeed in such a business.

As we were only with the company for a very short space of time, I do not believe we got a full understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role. However, having question and answer sessions with current employees did help to find out more what it is like working at Unilever.

The insight was very useful in understanding company culture. Unilever prides itself on having an open and diverse working culture and we had many presentations on the working culture at Unilever.

I found the content to be valuable and we found out more about the different roles and departments at Unilever.

Accommodation costs were covered for this insight and we were put up in a very nice hotel. Additionally, all food and drinks were provided. I was also reimbursed my travel expenses.

There were so many opportunities to network and, for me, this was one of the highlights of the placement! We had a couple of informal networking dinners and lunches, which was a good chance to get to know people. On the final evening, we had a more formal networking dinner with senior employees. All the employees that I met during the networking sessions were really friendly and answers all my questions.

I really enjoyed the networking opportunities.

Yes, I found out a lot about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. There are lots of sporting activities on offer, with numerous sport teams, as well as a gym offering free gym classes. Furthermore, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities and all employees are actively encouraged to take part in these events.

I would 100% recommend this insight to a friend, it is an amazing insight into one of the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies in the world and a great chance to network with some very influential people. It is a really enjoyable few days and there is really nothing to lose by taking part in this scheme.