Customer Account Manager Review

The placement itself was hard work, going from university to working a 9-5 is always going to be tough, but I felt really supported and there was plenty of training to ease you into the role. I felt challenged but was also put onto some super fun and rewarding projects which meant the role was always engaging and every day was different. There was many different social opportunities within the business to relax away from work which meant there was a really positive work life balance.

There were a lot of team changes in the period I was on placement which made it harder to form good relationships. However, everyone was really friendly and we went out often as interns. There were also a good amount of work events and socials and those who I worked with regularly became good friends. People really made the effort to check-in with me to see what I was working on and how I was developing. I felt very valued by my colleagues.

I had two managers in the time I was at Unilever and both of them were super supportive and interested in my progress. I felt that they all got to know me personally and genuinely tried to give me interesting projects vs. over loading me with admin tasks which I think can be common in other internships. If there was a business situation which I was not confident on there would always be a member of the team available to offer a helping hand.

I found my workload to be quite up and down at times but I think this was in line with the nature of marketing for ice cream (very seasonal). Working from home during the covid lockdown meant I was busier than ever but it was a good challenge and I rarely felt busy to the point I struggled to balance life and work. There was always multiple projects going on at once during the placement. This meant a great deal of multi-tasking and working on improving my prioritisation skills.

I was given lots of responsibility within my placement year. In the first few months the main focus was too learn as much as possible about the role/ company and then my list of responsibilities grew as I took on more work and had a stronger understanding of the business. I really enjoyed the level of responsibility given to me as I felt like I was having an actual impact and I got to see my projects come to life in the market.

The skills I have learnt and developed on my placement year will undoubtedly help me in my future career. I now have understanding of many new systems and processes as well as a better understanding of working under different management styles. I am more confident presenting, pulling together business cases, researching, analysing data and much more. There is many transferable skills which I can take away from the placement. One of the key experiences is having the chance to be a project manager, I got the chance to lead on multiple projects and it was up to me to deliver the end result.

The general atmosphere is super friendly and relaxed with no strict dress code and lots of activities and events coming up in the office reguarly. Everyone is very dedicated and hardworking and in more stressful periods the atmosphere definitely changes but only to the extent where it motivates, not makes things uncomfortable. There is lots of meeting rooms and there is a strong culture that meeting up with someone for 15-20 minutes can be so beneficial to both of your understanding. It also means people around the office are often sociable and friendly.

The placement was fairly well organised and there was lots of different trainings available to go on as soon as you joined which gave a good grounding in the business and the role. There were clear tasks/ objectives which were the main goal for the placement but i was also able to shape these if things i became interested in became apparent. We were given regular placement updates and had a good number of reviews and discussions with managers and team members about how to make the most of our time in the role.

I was given a lot of opportunity and trusted with important projects. I also found that a lot of time was taken to support me and check in on my progress ad how I was feeling in terms of my workload but also personally. People were always willing to recap and help you when working on unfamiliar tasks and systems too. There was regular training sessions for relevant and interesting parts of marketing/digital marketing which i attended. Along with Excel courses and courses which upskilled you in data analytical tools.

They depend upon how you've performed within your placement but even if you are not referred for a job you can still apply after uni. i would work for Unilever again in the future, i've had a great placement year and learnt so much in an organisation that really invests time in their employees. The grauduate programme offers some great opportunities for development and a fast track into a management role. There is also the opportunity to try multiple different roles within this scheme to give you a taste of various disciplines and roles within the business.

Yes there was a good social scene, as lots of the fellow placement students had relocated to London and weren't familiar with the area at the start we did lots of fun activities in London which helped us get to know each other and the area. I was the only placement year student on my team but had lunch with other placement students/my team. All the interns were super friendly and we all got really close. I lived with 3 other interns which made it a lot easier to start the role.

I lived in Clapham with a friend of mine which was very expensive but we were probably paying the most rent out of any interns I knew were living in a really nice house. Some living nearer Leatherhead found rent a lot cheaper as did those living in Wimbledon. London is expensive in general but with the pay it is definitely do-able. Worth the price for the experience. If budgeted and not living in central London, the salary can get you through the year. i'd also recommend applying for Student Finance too

I worked in Leatherhead where there isn't any nightlife but could take the train into London/Clapham easily and quickly which meant that it was accessible to socialise. Most people did that or would work at the London office on Thursday or Friday so they were already in central and could go out after work. London clubs are really fun and there's loads to choose from but they are a lot more expensive than I was used to. Pubs however weren't too pricey and we lived round the corner from a Spoons which is always a good thing.

There was lots of opportunity to try out different things outside of work. There was various sporting events across the year, in the form of leagues including football, dodgeball, netball. There was also social events and parties with were organised by the teams themselves & a fantastic Christmas party which was one of the highlights of the year. I was part of the LGBT+ network and was involved with pride planning and organising fundraising events which was a good way to meet people in different roles and functions.