Assistant Brand Manager Review

I think that I have had a lot of support and also lots of opportunities for me to challenge myself and develop/widen my skills set. This was done by taking on various different projects, working with/meeting new people from various teams and also by doing courses on the inside unilever platform

I think that as the placement year progressed and I managed to demonstrate my abilities and strenghts to my team by owning bigger projects and showing my identity/confidence more, I felt increasingly valued by my colleagues. Nevertheless, I was valued and considered as a key member of the team from the start, which was much appreciated.

I think the support and guidance given by my line manager was very good, as she would let me lead and own my own projects but be there if I needed her support / approval / guidance on something. She was also always very available if I needed her which was much appreciated.

This is dependent on stages however I would say that in the second half of my placement I became rather busy because I was given (and I choose to take on) bigger projects which I got to lead and own myself. However, I myself prefer being busier rather than not so much therefore enjoyed this.

I think that at the start of the placement the projects I would be given weren't as challenging and extensive therefore the responsibility level wasn't as high. However from the second half of the year the responsibility levels rose massively which I appreciated, as I had demonstrated my skills set and took on bigger projects as a leader rather than team member. (Half way through my placement I changed line manager.)

I think that I learned and developed lots of skills during this placement, whether they are more linked to my knowledge, such as being able to create a business case, create a project plan, work with agencies and paid media etc; or whether they are more linked to my personality/identity, better confidence, more opinionated, better leader etc. All of the above I believe are very useful for my degree studies and future career

I believe there was especially at the start some tension between global and local teams, and the social side wasn't as extensive as expected, however it was fine. (I work for Unilever's brand called TIGI which has a separate office from the Unilever building)

I think that despite changing line manager the work placement was well organised, with an induction phrase, where they had organised multiple introductory meetings with different team members, and clear projects that I would take on. Goals and KPIs were also set at the start of the placement, and reviewed half way through, which helped with my organisation and prioritation of the tasks

unilever has a platform inside unilever with lots of free training courses which I tried to take advantage of. Moreover, the line manager invested in me to a good extent, by trying to understand what I was interested, if there were any areas or projects I wanted to try taking on experiencing etc, and also by reviewing my strengths and areas for improvements for me to know where to invest more of my time or focus on

Unilever has a great graduate scheme in place which is a very appealing future employment scheme within the organisation. it is 3 years long and allows you to work within local and global marketing, as well as sales.

I think a very good social scene is present within the Unilever building, with work drinks, lunch and events (e.g. christmas). I however was working in a separate building, as the brand owned by Unilever I work with has a separate office, therefore the social scene within that wasn't as great.

London is usually more costly than other cities, regarding both cost of living (accommodation) and socialising (transport, food, drinks), therefore this has to be kept in mind. I found an apartment with other 3 people in Battersea which, since it is more on the outskirts, was of a more reasonable price even if the quality of it wasn't as high.

I worked and lived in Battersea. Near Battersea there is Clapham, a good nightlife area which I often went to, since it was closer (cheaper regarding transport) and there were some good pubs and clubs there. If not, I also would sometimes go more into London (public transport or sharing a taxi with a few friends).

As mentioned, I worked in a separate office for my brand to the Unilever building, which therefore shaped the social side of my experience. Outside of work, we sometimes had little events during lunch time or breakfast, however I would say that there wasn't an extensive range of activities within my office.