The biggest factor when choosing a university was the placement opportunity. As a young adult, it’s hard to be sure of the career you want. The chance to do a year in industry helped to guide this decision and shape my future.
The placement opportunities offered at Bath are above and beyond other universities. The experienced and dedicated Placements Team support students, helping them to gain great placements with top companies.
Fast-moving goods in a fast-moving environment
I worked at Unilever in Marketing as a Global Assistant Brand Manager. I was in the Cif team, which is part of the Homecare category. I was living and breathing household cleaning daily.
Working in the global headquarters gave me real responsibility, with much of my job role focusing on strategy and innovation. I worked with a diverse team of talented individuals from all around the world and collaborated with other departments, like Finance and Research & Development.
I gained vital knowledge about the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, the marketing function and what it’s like to work for a huge multinational company. But most importantly, I learnt about myself and the career I want.
One of the best things about my placement was the opportunity Unilever offers. Students can be fast-tracked onto their Graduate Scheme. If successful you can go into your final year with a guaranteed graduate job waiting.
Support at every step
At first, the placement process seemed daunting. But we received weekly Personal Development Plan lectures from the Placements Team to prepare us for applications and interviews.
These were useful for CV development, cover letter writing, preparing for online tests and interviews; some of these were skills I had not learnt before.
We also had mock interviews with an employer, helping us understand the process and how we would perform in a real interview environment.