IS Business Analyst Review

My day starts with attending a 15 minute meeting to catch up with my team. I then work alongside dedicated professionals to working on projects which includes solving problems and communicating with other employees to ensure work gets carried out and is done effectively. On my lunch I get the chance to play pool or arcade games whilst chatting to my friends I have made! My team is responsible for safeguarding the on premise hosting environment which means we are responsible for ensuring all systems are up and running! This allows my job to be very empowering.

I have learnt may new skills whilst being at Unilever and I still have a year left to add lots more to that list! For me the main skill that I have developed is my confidence. My team and everyone within Unilever are so supportive and encouraging, they make day to day work enjoyable. This allows me to have a more positive outlook which massively effects my confidence as everyone one is always happy and smiling! I have also definitely improved my communication skills as by observing more experienced employees it allows me to learn how to be better at communicating and I also get the chance to practise when carrying out my own presentations. My college work has also taught me lost of new skills in regards to how to be a successful business analyst.

I extremely enjoy my programme as it has defiantly allowed me to improve and gain new skills which will be able to help me in all aspects of life. Furthermore it has given me the opportunity to get an insight into real world scenarios within an organisation. The Unilever apprenticeship programme has helped me achieve so many things including be able to help with charity events, in particular last year we raised over £600 for Oxfam, when doing a stall outside of the Liverpool store. I also enjoy being part of Unilever as their values match mine the USLP (Unilever Sustainable Living Plan) is an amazing way to ensure we make a positive environmental and social impact.

My programme is very well structured as I attend sessions in Manchester roughly once a month where we have training this is organised through Arch and usually consist of a 3-day training course and then an exam at the end. We are well supported throughout this. When in Port Sunlight (where we are based) I work within my team (although there is an option to move to a different team if needs to be) and I get guided by Line manager but also I have the responsibility of having to manage my own time efficiently.

I receive a standard amount of support from my employer as I know they are always on hand to ask questions to if needs to be and they are also responsible for my expenses and holidays which are always processed quickly. They're also very friendly and ensure we feel safe and comfortable in the work place.

I receive lots of support from my training provider as I have monthly meeting with my learning development coach (LDC) who reviews my coursework and gives me feedback. I also complete my weekly tracker which is reviewed in this monthly meeting where my LDC ensures I am taking my required 20% to focus on my studies. She is also very genuine and makes sure I am doing okay at work and gives me advice on where I could improve. When we attending the training courses and complete our exams she always asks how it went and if there's anything I feel I need to feedback to her. Overall I think I am very well supported.

My training helps me improve myself in my role at work as I learn new strategies which I feedback to my team and we incorporate these to make ourselves and our time keeping more efficient. The training also allows for me to add to my business vocabulary as we learn lots of new terms this enables me to understand more in the workplace. In addition we gain an insight into the history behind the processes which allows us to have that extra background knowledge which is always interesting (and useful!)

As I mentioned earlier I participated in the Oxfam charity event but there's always loads to get involved with! There's always lots of events on within the office and all events are celebrated with fun activities for example we had a Easter egg hunt for Easter and we also did a quiz for International Women's Day with the chance to win a spa day! There's always lots to get involved with.

Yes

I'd definitely recommend Unilever as you can see above it has allowed me to gain and improve lots of skills, meet new friends, develop my IT knowledge and participate in other activities. So far I've had an amazing experience at Unilever and it has allowed me to achieve and gain so much!

When applying make sure you review each role and ensure it sounds like you would enjoy it. When writing your application make sure you include any experience you feel may be relevant to the role and research Unilever's brands and their background so you have extra knowledge. If you get an interview make sure you are always being confident and enthusiastic. Good luck!