Product Development Technologist Review

I worked in Research and Development for Global Brands Team at Unilever, which included mainly included Magnum, Cornetto and Twister. For the majority of my time I worked on Magnum projects. Most days I would spend in the Pilot Plant having trials, dipping products and experimenting with different ice cream combinations. Other times I could do more data collection in the labs, usually the afternoon at a trial. I would also have a few team project meetings throughout the week.

I felt like I was given a lot of responsibility and even quite early on, however they only gave me what they believed I was capable of and made it very clear to let them know at any point if I felt it was too much. I also have a lot of my colleagues at work which were also my friends, checking on me every so often as a little reminder that my well being was much more important than my work, which I very much appreciated.

I have definitely developed lots of skills including working determination, time management and teamwork, especially by working on multiple projects with different colleagues and having to manage lots of different tasks. I would say I found it harder at the beginning of my placement to say no to helping someone even if I knew it would mean I was working too much, however as my placement progressed I managed to have more realistic expectations or myself and learned to prioritise tasks.

I would have catch-ups with my line manager when we felt necessary. It was not a set time monthly, however he was always around if I wanted to put some time in. If he was away travelling or on annual leave, he always made it clear who else would be available for me, and I started to make these connections myself after being there a few months too. Everyone was always so welcoming and I always felt I could go to someone if I needed some help or just a chat.

The company culture was very inclusive. They did quite a few events on site such at International Happiness Day, where there would be activities, I got involved by helping mange the Magnum dipping station. They have different teams of people if you wanted to have a chat within your team or elsewhere, and I always felt like they had a general focus on my well being and mental health. There is also a whatsapp with lots of different groups for different interests, like Parkrun and Climbing.

I loved my placement and did not want to leave! I would really like the opportunity to go back, which is definitely possible. I felt like I really used the placement to my advantage by helping people where I could to learn and do different things. Even though I worked mainly on Magnum, there was weekly opportunities for me to help and learn more about Twister and Cornetto too.

Yes