Customer development IP Review

My role involved looking after two smaller customers as their account manager. This involved day to day requests as well as looking after and widening their product range, setting up promotions as well as tracking and reporting performance internally.

I have both developed and learnt new skills. I have become more proficient on excel, as well as developing both my communication and negotiation skills.

I was given a lot of responsibility, as i had to manage accounts with very limited support and held primary responsibility for these customer relationships. I also had to report our performance to the team on a weekly basis.

I feel i was given quite limited support and guidance. There was a lot of change during my time at Unilever which meant i spent time with no direct point of contact, and had to build new relationships with managers. During my year i had three different managers which made this side of things quite difficult.

The company culture is very warm friendly and enthusiastic. You are surrounded by very ambitious high performing individuals which helps with your development, however i would say the atmosphere is tailored more towards confident extroverts vs a more reserved introvert.

I enjoyed my placement for the amount of development which took place, and also the amount i learnt about myself. I would say i didnt enjoy the placement that much, however i discovered early on that this role was not for me, so it does not mean that other people will not enjoy the experience.

No

Ensure you are clear on what the role which you are applying for involves and whether you are suited to it. Make sure you consider the company ethos and culture and whether it suits you and your personality.