Customer Account Executive Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Unilever. It was challenging and I was given real responsibility, but I have learnt a huge amount about business and specifically the food industry. I enjoyed working with a large range of people on different projects, and I was given options to work on projects that interested and excited me.

I feel very valued by my colleagues, and I have a clear part to play in my team. My line manager set a clear work plan and I have regularly received feedback throughout the year. I have made great friends who I hope to stay in contact with! The atmosphere at Unilever is incredibly friendly, with a emphasis on welfare as well as work productivity.

My line manager has been by my side the whole way. I received great training and knew who to ask for help at anytime. I work directly with my line manager so have had regular contact. The placement scheme provides regular check-ins, where self evaluation helped me to pin-point further areas for development.

My working day varied quite a bit. Some days I was very busy and it was really challenging, but others were less full on. If I needed more work my line manager was always available to provide some. Unilever is challenging and fast paced, leaving very little time for boredom!

I was given a proper role that I was responsible for, however my work fed into my manager so she also kept a close eye. My responsibility increased throughout the year as I became more capable and trusted. Within my role I also felt like I had the opportunity to execute my own ideas.

The skills I have learnt will greatly help me in my future career, as I hope to work in the food industry. I have gained exposure to retailers and suppliers, and I have worked with many functions within Unilever. The year will also help me at job interviews, as I now understand how the FMCG industry works.

The atmosphere was really fun, with team socials and regular fun activities. The department was active in creating fun competitions and events, which created a great team spirit. We did bake off challenges, sports leagues, quizzes and parties. The office is relaxed and friendly, with bright colours and plenty of ice-cream!

The placement was very well set up as it has been running for a while. There was a great induction program where I met the other placement students, and throughout the year we had regular catch ups with HR. As the program changes a little each year, there were occasionally areas of confusion but these were quickly resolved.

We were given good training sessions at the beginning of the year, from internal experts who had years of experience. These were fun and interactive with other placement students, and I could apply what I had learnt to my role. There is a good source of on-line learning too for personal goals.

The future employment prospects are very appealing, but challenging to secure as they are competitive. There are a variety of ways that you can work for Unilever again, but the chances aren't that much higher than for external applicants. This can feel a little de-motivating as despite working for a year, you still have to do an assessment centre.

The social scene was very good, but we had to organize most of it ourselves. At the beginning there were a few induction events, where you can meet people to live with, but after that we organised our own socials. There were a couple of big socials for the whole office, which were really fun.

I lived in London, which was very expensive to live in. The rent was expensive, as was the social life. It was really fun though and completely worth it. There are options to live further out though which saves money both on rent and on the commute to the office in Leatherhead.

In Leatherhead there was little to no night life. When we went out we went to central London, Clapham or had house parties. Not many people lived in Leatherhead itself as there is very little to do there. Most people lived on the train line between Leatherhead and Clapham Junction.

There were many sport activities and volunteering opportunities to get involved with. I spent a few days volunteering at a food bank which was incredibly rewarding and insightful. There were also business competitions where successful teams could present to senior leaders, which were a great opportunity to broaden our skills.