Virtual Insight Intern Review

I enjoyed the two-day insight programme thoroughly, mainly due to the range of activities and workshops that we engaged with. My favourite part was the Purpose Workshop, where I was able to work towards finding my purpose in my life and career and I genuinely feel like this has woken me up and motivated me in terms of thinking critically about who I am as a person in ways I never have before. I also enjoyed the Sustainable Brand Challenge as it gave a taste of the kind of projects that we would do on our placement.

It was clear that a lot of time and effort went into planning the event and it definitely felt like Unilever wanted us to feel valued and gain something from the experience. However, the two day event is simply no comparison to the full summer placement. Many other companies have offered a virtual internship replacement however Unilever has only offered a two day insight, unpaid. It would have been nice to make exceptions and perhaps offer us fast track through the games or online interview for applying for the UFLP for 2020-21, otherwise we are expected to take a gap year, something not feasible to everyone especially those who cannot move home after university.

The employees running the insight were absolutely amazing, did a great job of not making things awkward and helping us all feel comfortable to engage with the activities! If we split off into smaller groups we had a Unilever member help guide our discussions. They always made us aware we could ask questions at any point and clarified instructions very well. I can't thank everyone who was involved enough because you were great! I can't fault this.

I definitely developed some skills and information that will benefit me. Firstly, this was my first professional experience with using virtual meetings! It was great to get familiar and comfortable with using Microsoft Team and gaining confidence to speak on a virtual meeting, which I had previously found intimidating. The Sustainability Brand Challenge also gave great teamwork skills, particularly doing it online, taught me how to communicate and compromise which may be harder without face to face interaction.

The virtual insight was incredibly well planned and structured, I cannot fault this! We had a set plan for the two days sent out to us in advance as well as various pieces of prework to help us gain the most out of the insight as possible. There were frequent breaks, and even the longer activities were thoroughly enjoyable and engaging so did not feel like hard work or too lengthy. I can't thank the organisers enough!

The atmosphere of the virtual insight was good, obviously it is very hard to get a great atmosphere over Microsoft teams online! However the organisers, including Sam and Ellen and everyone else, did a great job of being so positive, fun and engaging. When we broke off into smaller groups it was a much easier opportunity to get to know some of the other people on the insight as we felt more comfortable to chat - the purpose workshop and the brand challenge gave us this opportunity and its great to gain some connections.

Obviously our summer placement has been deferred to next summer which I am very grateful for. However, I had to take time off work, unpaid, to take part in this insight, and if I had been in a position I was unable to take time off for financial reasons I would have missed out. I think Unilever should consider those from lower-socio economic backgrounds, who they should be committed to for widening participation. We are most in need of gaining opportunities and experiences, but attending this virtual insight has left me out of pocket, and I will feel the financial impact of this significantly.

Definitely. We had various in depth sessions on Unilever, how it is structured, how it functions and what their culture and values are like. Being able to speak to someone from every function as a UFLP, as well as various IPs, Managers and even a Vice President! We really spoke to a wide range of functions and a wide range of jobs. However, as it is just a virtual offering, I was not able to completely imagine what it would be like to have a full-time role within the company.

Definitely! The answers and responses of many of the people we spoke to that currently work at Unilever were very harmonious. It is clearly Unilever has amazing, positive, likeminded people in their business, who choose to stay working for them for a long time. We were given in depth talks and examples of Unilever's values and culture. I definitely feel like it is a place that aligns with my own values and somewhere I want to work in the future.

Obviously it has not managed to help me decide whether my division is right for me completely and I will not know fully until I take part in the full summer placement offering next summer. However, in terms of a two day offering, it definitely has made me feel motivated and excited at the prospect of my placement and I feel very driven to prepare well for it so I get the most out of it as possible.

As above, I had to take time off work, unpaid, to take part in this insight, and if I had been in a position I was unable to take time off for financial reasons I would have missed out. I think Unilever should consider those from lower-socio economic backgrounds, who they should be committed to for widening participation. We are most in need of gaining opportunities and experiences, but attending this virtual insight has left me out of pocket, and I will feel the financial impact of this significantly. It would have been incredible of Unilever to support their young people in offering financial compensation for our time particularly as working is the only way I am able to support myself and now have lost out on working hours.

Yes, as stated before, we had many opportunities to speak to such a wide range of employees from Unilever. We spoke to those who started as apprentices, those who stated on a placement, those who are on the UFLP, managers and even a Vice President. This was absolutely invaluable. In addition, it was a great way to connect with our fellow Summer Placement Interns before next year, I am sure we will connect on LinkedIn and it will be great to have those connections before we start.

It was a nice addition to offer a virtual games and quiz night at the end of the first day to get to know people a bit better in a more informal session. Not many people attended the evening session as it was not mandatory which is a shame but it was very fun none-the-less for those who did take part! I am looking forward to meeting all my fellow summer placement cohort next summer in person.

Yes - the Purpose Workshop really showed that your purpose runs both internally (yourself) and externally (at work) - a model which Unilever believes in completely. I was so pleased to know that I could do activities that fulfil me and my purpose alongside work, such as taking time off to volunteer, which is supported by Unilever. We also had virtual site tours of two sites which explained things like the onsite gyms, roof top BBQ's and more!

Yes, I would recommend this insight to a friend, because a lot of the activities and experiences were really invaluable and I know we are very lucky to have had this event made for us. However, I do feel like the summer placement is obviously a much more fulfilling and will help more long term in terms of my career and personal development. However, I thank the team so much for organising this and I know the decision to cancel the internship was difficult!