Question one: ‘What attracted you to apply for the Unilever Future Leaders Programme?What attracted you to your chosen function within Unilever?' What attracted you to your chosen business area/function within Unilever? What actions have you taken to find out about Unilever and your chosen business area/function? What appeals to you most about working for Unilever? (core values/principles, employment sector, suited to long term career ambitions etc) Please indicate why you think Unilever should employ you Point of question: tests motivation, understanding of the role, career goals, level and quality of research done. DON’T: Forget to answer both questions – it’s easy, but not advisable, to skip the first in favour of the second. Focus solely on your long-term career goals. You need to show that the programme itself is of interest, not just where it might take you. • Growth mind set – you must put across that you have a positive attitude to the company’s future. • Consumer and Customer focus – making sure that they are always happy. • Bias for action – being results focused and keeping the goal in sight the entire time. • Accountability and Responsibility – creating goals and being accountable for the complete delivery of them. • Building talent and Teams – being able to inspire other people by your own example) Always working with integrity Conducting our operations with integrity and with respect for the many people, organisations and environments our business touches has always been at the heart of our corporate responsibility. Positive impact We aim to make a positive impact in many ways: through our brands, our commercial operations and relationships, through voluntary contributions, and through the various other ways in which we engage with society. Continuous commitment We’re also committed to continuously improving the way we manage our environmental impacts and are working towards our longer-term goal of developing a sustainable business. a ‘whole-person’ focus. 1. Agile Working . wherever they are in the world. enabling you to grow and make a POSITIVE impact not only on your PROFESSIONAL and PERSONAL life but also on PEOPLE around you Graduates expect a lot these days. Unilever Future Leaders Program is the best choice to develop you as a dynamic BUSINESS LEADER of the future with huge DIFFERENCES. but on helping you become a more well-rounded person. good salary. You will be given all the tools you need for success. We understand your expectations and would like to offer you more than these. 2. Real responsibility is therefore a core element of the programme as a whole and it’s not uncommon to hear about graduates who are handed large scale responsibility within their first week (see Hannah’s blog for confirmation). working on real project and real goals with interaction world-class experts. Along with sharpening your professional skills to master the expertise in your chosen business area. I wanted to feel that I had the opportunities to move forward with my career quickly if I worked hard enough. you will be taking part in a program that is unique in its challenge and scope for development. It's meant to give you a real taste of challenge.Setting out our aspirations Our corporate purpose sets out our aspirations in running our business. room for ideas. and you will be expected to achieve it. international exposure. And the focus is not just on building your professional development. Working with others We want to work with suppliers who have values similar to ours and work to the same standards as we do. The code also supports our approach to governance and corporate responsibility. From this perspective. You want real responsibility. It’s underpinned by our code of business Principles which describes the operational standards that everyone at Unilever follows. Unilever does not disappoint. work life balance. supportive team. you will learn to channel your strengths and build the influence to inspire and lead other people. recognition for success. The aim of Unilever’s Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) is to prepare you for a management position within two years of joining the company and each placement seeks to support this as much as possible. When you join UFLP. Career Progression Career progression was an extremely important feature when I was applying for graduate jobs. etc. The core idea behind an agile approach is that all employees may work flexibly – anytime and anywhere – as long as the needs of the business are being met.’ What was the situation? What idea did you come up with? How did you come up with this idea? Who did you need to convince and why? How did you approach this? Point of question: tests ability to think creatively. confidence to ask for help when needed. Over the next couple of months a number of graduates are taking up placements abroad (including Switzerland and Dublin) so expect some blogs coming this way giving a bit more detail about what to expect.Agile working is a key feature of working at Unilever that all graduates can benefit from. this may reflect badly on you. judgement. It is however a possibility and for many a reality. Mistake this for a straightforward communication question – you need to demonstrate innovative thinking too. 3. DON’T: Skimp on the details – you need to be specific about what you said and did.’ What was the problem? What impact was it having? Why did you need help? How did you identify who to ask for help? How did you reach out to this person? Point of question: tests ability to handle difficult situations. DON’T: Use an example in which you caused the problem yourself. Overseas Opportunities I think it’s useful to note straight away that this benefit isn’t a guarantee and not everyone on the scheme has the chance to work abroad during their two years on the scheme. check out Alex’s blog from his time in Poland. leadership potential. Question three: ‘Describe an occasion when you have had a big issue to solve and you needed help. . Question two: ‘Describe a time when you came up with an idea that required you to get the support of others. Alternatively. It’s about producing results with maximum flexibility and minimal constraints. persuasion skills. drive to achieve goals. . ability to identify good opportunities. or blame other people. so try to think laterally. Repeat your answer to the idea-based question. Everyone needs help sometimes. ‘Describe a time when you spotted an opportunity and made it happen. This is a very open question. tenacity. DON’T: Limit yourself to work-based scenarios. Make excuses about why you asked for help.’ What was the situation? How did you spot the opportunity? What prompted you to get involved? How did your experience/skills/offering fit in with what was required overall? What feedback did they give you? How valuable was your help do you think? Point of question: tests initiative. Recruiters will be looking for different examples in each. so pretending that you’re infallible could make you seem overly proud.