Samuel Dover: BSc Biology with Industrial Experience.

Placement: Unilever, UK

Why did you choose to do a placement?

I chose to do my placement because I knew pretty early on after 1st year that a Biological research/ lab-based career wasn’t for me. I had always been interested in business and economics and wanted to experience working for a multinational company. As I saw ‘business’ as the most viable option for myself after University in terms of career prospects, I wanted to experience first-hand what life in the commercial sector was like which would also give me an advantage in terms of graduate employment.

How did you choose your placement?

This was the first role which caught my attention as it was purely business based and it was paid (which was important to me). After this initial suggestion I consulted the Unilever careers website which provided further information and links to apply. It was really straightforward and I applied within a day (most big corporate companies will have a good careers section on their website). I did a series of interviews which culminated in an assessment day in an office is Surrey. The Unilever process was completed in around 5 weeks after I initially applied and I was successful. Although this was my first offer, I thought the opportunity was interesting and I wanted to start to focus on exams so I accepted the place.

For students who don’t get their first placement what advice can you give them?

I think my first bit of advice is to accept that you haven’t been successful. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your application is flawed but may be an indication that it could use improvement. I would definitely recommend utilising the careers service at the university. For most people (including me) this was the first time I was writing real cover letters and criticising my own CV. I think a session with a career’s advisor is always the best option. The second bit of advice, if you’re sure your application is strong enough, is to move on and not let the rejection dent your confidence! Finding a role (even as a placement student) and especially when looking for business type placements is hard. But don’t give up, send your application out to more places even if it’s not your first choice. The whole point of the year is to gain experience, you’re only there for a year, even if you don’t end up liking the placement, it’s the experience which is invaluable.

How much responsibility did you have on your placement?

One of the best aspects of my placement was the amount of responsibility I was given. Unilever uses its placement scheme to essentially scout out potential future leaders of the company and as such, a large emphasis is based on leadership and responsibility. Of course, the level of responsibility will vary depending on the specific role allocated and the ability of the student to handle the work (managers will intervene if you’re struggling). In my specific role, after training and with the support of my line manager and peers, I was given responsibility of a 5-person software development team based in India which I set work for daily. This work contributed to a multi-million Information Technology project which was being put in place to increase Unilever’s ice cream sales across Europe. As such, I held a real role within the company which I found extremely rewarding. All of the other placement students during my year, also found a similar level role within their respective teams. The responsibility was great and I wouldn’t say I was in a pressurised environment either. At the end of the day, people will realise you are a placement student (and this is probably your first real job).

How has the placement year developed you as a person and your skills?

The placement year definitely transformed me as a person and helped me to develop some crucial employability skills. The biggest difference to me was that it gave me a drive and a purpose. I’d probably had too much fun in first and second year and my studies had suffered as a result. This was mainly because I didn’t enjoy aspects of my course and didn’t know what I wanted to do after graduation. The year was definitely challenging and the routine 9-5 working time gave me the structure I needed to focus. It helped that the role was one that I found interesting and fulfilling and has certainly provided me with a clear career path (into information technology).