What do brands like Dove, Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, and Lipton have in common? In addition to selling amazing products, they’re all brands under Unilever, a historic company that truly cares about not only changing the lives of its consumers, but also giving back to the people who work at its worldwide locations.
We sat down with three Unilever interns, Vince, Taylor, and Raj, to discuss several of the amazing opportunities open to them. And if you want to get all of these incredible perks, we’ve got great news: Unilever is hiring interns right now on WayUp!
1. Interns Can Take a Shuttle to Work
Many interns and employees commute from other places to Unilever’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey headquarters. To make it easier for them, the company offers a shuttle from several New York locations to the offices.
“It’s a really cool resource because there’s wifi on the shuttle so you can get some work done, and it’s also a great place to meet full-time employees and other interns,” says Vince.
2. Interns Can Take Advantage of Unilever’s Flexible Work Policy
Unilever has an agile work policy that allows employees to from wherever they feel is best for them. Interns are able to take advantage of this initiative, which includes being able to use shared spaces like a meditation room and couch areas as well as the option to work from home on Fridays.
“It’s something I really enjoy because I can’t stay in a closed room for a long period of time,” explains Taylor, “I feel like it’s beneficial to move around, meet new people, [and] meet up with people to get advice and go over projects. It helps me out a lot.”
3. Interns Have the Opportunity to Take Part in the Unilever Future Leaders Program
Many students apply to become part of the Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP) after college graduation to gain valuable professional experience. Members of UFLP rotate through several roles over the course of three years, and they get to travel and work with global brands, all while getting insight on how to become a top-notch leader; this prepares them for a managerial role within Unilever once the program is complete.
“The company encourages us to go out and seek new experiences so that even on our own, we’re really developing ourselves,” Vince adds.
Furthermore, many current interns have managers and other colleagues who are or were part of the UFLP program, so they can gain inspiration and insight from people who’ve been there before them.
4. Interns Get a Full Schedule of Events (and Get to Interact With One Another)
Unilever knows how important it is that interns build a network with one another, even if they don’t necessarily work on the same team. To facilitate those bonds, the company lines up a series of events for interns to attend over the course of their time at Unilever. These range from professional networking get-togethers to more recreational activities.
For example, interns went to the Fancy Food Show in New York, and they absolutely loved the experience. “You get exposed to every country with different vendors showing off their brands,” Raj says when talking about the experience. “It’s a lot of fun!”
5. Interns Get Special Professional Development Opportunities
Unilever truly treats its interns as part of the team, allowing them to sit in on high-level strategy meetings for their brands, discuss their career paths with other professionals, and attend trainings at its partner companies, like Google.
“It’s interesting how Unilever will introduce us to these other companies because they want us to learn,” explains Taylor. “That’s really selfless; they want their interns to get the [most] out of the whole summer, so I benefitted a lot from it.”
6. All-you-can-eat ICE CREAM!
Yes, you heard us right: One of the best perks Unilever’s interns enjoy is free ice cream! From Ben & Jerry’s to Breyers, Unilever has you covered.
If all of these perks sound like the makings of the best internship experience ever, you’re in luck. Click here to learn more about Unilever and apply for open roles!
