Finance Business Partner Review

I absolutely loved my time during my 12-week internship at Unilever. I was given exposure to a wide range of tasks and responsibilities from day one and I have learnt a huge amount. I have built upon so many skills which I can take back to University and into my career going forward (hopefully with Unilever).

I couldn't have asked for a better team to have been in. On day 1 we all went for drinks after work and from that point onwards there was an immediate bond. All of the managers in my team have shown me great support and put great trust in me to complete high level work for them.

I was given one direct line manager/ supervisor who gave me thorough support throughout my 12 weeks. I have no doubt that the support given to me was a catalyst to my performance. They gave me so much time whenever I had any queries or issues and I learnt so many skills from them.

Other than the last week when work inevitably started to tail off due to my transition out of the company, I have had my days filled with a variety of tasks. These tasks were also not just mundane, admin tasks, but instead things where I could make a real impact and see the changes I was making.

Lots...I was responsible for things which had lasting impact on the businesses performance. I am so amazed at the level of responsibility I was given, and now looking back on my time at the company, I have achieved so much which I will be able to apply in job applications going forward.

I think the main skill I have developed in my time at Unilever is my time management and productivity. Going back to Uni, I feel I will now be using my time more effectively, getting work done quicker and to a higher standard. Completing the placement has also made me value my time outside of work more, and therefore I feel I will have this same transition when back at Uni. I intend to not have to do too much work on weekends, using my weekdays far more productively. My MS office and interpersonal skills have also developed considerably which will ultimately set me up for a successful career going forward.

The office was very sociable and I loved that it was all open plan. I was fortunate enough to sit near the Beauty and Personal Care Senior Leadership team which was great in terms of exposure. In my 2nd to last week my team had a meeting with the CFO of BPC, so it was really cool to have this kind of exposure to such a senior figure at such an early stage.

We had a 2-day induction event where all joining summer and industrial placement students came together. It was great to get to know so many people before joining the company and definitely helped with the transition into the corporate world. I had regular reviews with my manager, so I was always aware of the progress I was making and areas I needed to improve.

Despite only being with the company for 12-weeks, I received lots of training within my first week covering all aspects of finance within the company. This gave me a good understanding of different areas I could potentially work within in the future. I also received lots of support to develop, such as MS office skills, presentation skills and general professionalism.

I intend to secure a place on the Unilever Future Leaders Programme upon graduating. This is a very highly regarded programme and the 3 x 1 year rotations gives a great exposure and breadth and depth of knowledge in a very short space of time, preparing you for a successful career. Unilever, within the finance stream, also pay for you to complete your CIMA qualification, meaning you get your chartered accountancy qualification.

Yes- my team were very social, regularly going for drinks which was great to build up a relationship with them. At the start of the programme a lot of the interns regularly went for drinks, which was also great. On my last day we had a social event and my team went out for a meal as a leaving meal for me.

I commuted from home, saving lots of money on rent as I was based in 100VE, central London. My train ticket still however cost £1000+ so this was a big chunk of money to pay before starting the placement. In terms of socialising, it's London so of course it was pricey, but it was so great to be able to walk out the office and have bars so close.

It's central London so there are plenty of options depending on what you like. Just be prepared to spend a fair amount of money. I went to one club which was £20 entry and then £15 for a double vodka, which was not ideal on internship pay! It's great being able to walk out the office and have such a variety of opportunities on offer.

There were quite a lot different things to get involved in outside of work. There was a 5-aside football team and I also played Softball with some apprentices who had put a team together. If I had been at Unilever for longer than 12-weeks I would've definitely got involved with more.