What do we look for?
It might come as a surprise, but we don’t have a specific discipline requirement, so you don’t have to have a background in finance or economics. We’re looking for strong analytical ability, ambition, a talent for influencing people, and a real desire to comprehend how a business operates and succeeds. Dedication and commitment go a long way.
With a strong performance culture, challenging goals, and continuous feedback, we will help you in achieving your potential in an inclusive environment. You will thrive by gaining exposure to real business challenges where your energy and fresh thinking will have an impact. First-hand experience- it’s the fastest way to learn.
Students must have completed the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree by the time they start their placement and be returning to study after their placement.
Our Finance Industrial Placements are a chance to showcase your thinking and skills, with total encouragement from a line manager and a buddy.
What could your day-to-day role include (depending on your role)?
- Working in either a local or global role with a broad range of cross-functional stakeholders.
- Driving performance by ensuring our resources are driving sustainable and profitable growth.
- Analysing data to bring impactful insights to the business teams.
- Developing communication and storytelling skills to translate finance for non-finance partners to drive meaningful actions.
- Delivering short-term plans, whilst also working on the longer-term strategic horizon
- Identify fuel for growth opportunities and drive them through to delivery.
- Budgetary and controlling exposure.
- Learn about our Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet and how we use these to make decisions
- Learning how to use business tools such as Excel, Power BI, and PowerPoint to a professional standard.
Some of our positions you could be allocated to include:
- Global Finance Business Partner – Beauty & Wellbeing
- Finance Business Partner – Foods
- Personal Care Brand Finance
- Procurement Finance
Skills required include:
- Accounting and Reporting
- Prioritisation
- Stakeholder management
- Effective communication
- Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint)
Please note, that at Unilever, we have development programmes, the skills below are skills that would be good to have at the beginning however you will develop them over the course of the 12 months.
Industrial Placement (IP) Application Process
Please note: you will only progress to the next stage if you are successful in the previous stage.
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Stage 1 – Online Application & IP SimulationComplete an online application form before completing our interactive IP simulation, designed to give you insight into our organisation and the programme you’re applying for. This will prepare you for a series of situational judgement questions based on realistic business scenarios.
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Stage 2 – Online Assessments.
Complete a numerical reasoning assessment, an online test that measures your ability to interpret and draw conclusions from numerical data and verbal Reasoning assessment an online test that measures your ability to understand and evaluate written information.
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Stage 3 – Digital Interview
Complete a video interview.
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Please note, we do not use AI as a screening tool in our recruitment process therefore, your digital interview submission will be reviewed by a real person -
Stage 4 – Pre-Screening Interview
Attend a virtual pre-screening interview with a member of our recruitment team. 4
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Stage 5 – In-Person Discovery Centre
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Attend an in-person discovery centre alongside fellow candidates. This will give you the opportunity to visit a Unilever office, meet and interview with business leaders, and work on function-related business challenges.
