Technology Management Review

On a day-to-day basis I tend to have multiple meetings with different teams/project purposes and we tend to go through action items. This can vary based on the position the project is in. In between meetings I tend to work on other tasks like creating work decks, networking with other teams or training/courses to sharpen my skills. A lot of my projects have required work with power BI so I tend to be analysing data and coming up with efficient ways to visualise this for different teams.

I believe I was treated just like any other employee. I was given quite a bit of responsibility with time. It was quite reasonable because at the beginning no one will bombard you with work when you've just started out so everyone was very mindful and provided an abundance of resources. And then as time went on and my comfort zone was pushed I got a lot more responsibility which was great for my development professionally as well as personally.

Yes, I have learnt and developed many skills. When I started the placement we were enrolled onto a starter course with IGD. Which gave us a really good background into the FMCG company type which was useful to understand the needs of the organisation. Additionally, we have access to Degreed which is a learning platform with different pathways, a lot tailored to Unilever. Additionally, I did a lot of webinars and trainings days that Microsoft offer us. I learned a lot of contextual information based around Azure, Zero Trust model and Identity Management just to name a few.

I had quite a bit of support. Other than my line manager I also was assigned a contact manager/career sponsor who would also be best to go to for professional advice. I also had a mentor who was an IP before me and ended up of the UFLP scheme so they had a lot of knowledge on the process and was able to relate back to what I was going through. Additionally, the IP and UFLP cohort tend to have a nice support system going on, although it tends to be easier within functions so I had the Technology IPs to go to if needed (we also had a weekly catchup).

The company culture was really friendly, it was probably one of my biggest brags about Unilever; was the work culture being so great. Everyone is very welcoming and offers help where the can and are always up for offering advice. I also found that because I had quite a flexible environment with hybrid working, it made it all the more important the time spent in person. I do feel working from home is a fantastic option to have but for the long-term I think it's much nicer to come into the office and interact with people as online it can be more difficult to reach certain people.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement overall. I really do believe Unilever has set the standard high going into the rest of my career and I would happily continue working here if the opportunity presents itself. I was also a little more cautious as I had to relocate for the placement but I honestly do think it has been the best and I've learnt so much that I can take with me.

Yes