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.
DONT:
Forget to answer both questions its 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 companys
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
Were 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.

Setting out our aspirations

Our corporate purpose sets out our aspirations in running our business. Its underpinned by our code of business
Principles which describes the operational standards that everyone at Unilever follows, wherever they are in the
world. The code also supports our approach to governance and corporate responsibility.

Working with others

We want to work with suppliers who have values similar to ours and work to the same standards as we do.

Unilever Future Leaders Program is the best choice to develop you as a dynamic BUSINESS
LEADER of the future with huge DIFFERENCES, 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. You want real responsibility, good salary, recognition for success,
supportive team, room for ideas, work life balance, international exposure, etc. We understand your
expectations and would like to offer you more than these.
When you join UFLP, 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, working on real project and real goals
with interaction world-class experts. And the focus is not just on building your professional
development, but on helping you become a more well-rounded person; a whole-person focus. Along
with sharpening your professional skills to master the expertise in your chosen business area, you
will learn to channel your strengths and build the influence to inspire and lead other people. You will
be given all the tools you need for success, and you will be expected to achieve it.

1.

Career Progression

Career progression was an extremely important feature when I was applying for graduate
jobs. I wanted to feel that I had the opportunities to move forward with my career quickly if I
worked hard enough. From this perspective, Unilever does not disappoint. The aim of
Unilevers 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. Real responsibility is therefore a core element of the programme as a whole
and its not uncommon to hear about graduates who are handed large scale responsibility
within their first week (see Hannahs blog for confirmation).
2. Agile Working

Agile working is a key feature of working at Unilever that all graduates can benefit from. 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. Its about producing results
with maximum flexibility and minimal constraints.
3. Overseas Opportunities
I think its useful to note straight away that this benefit isnt a guarantee and not everyone
on the scheme has the chance to work abroad during their two years on the scheme. It is
however a possibility and for many a reality. 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. Alternatively,
check out Alexs blog from his time in Poland.

Question two: Describe a time when you came up with an idea that required you to get the
support of others.
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, persuasion skills, leadership potential.
DONT:
Skimp on the details you need to be specific about what you said and did.
Mistake this for a straightforward communication question you need to demonstrate
innovative thinking too.
Question three: Describe an occasion when you have had a big issue to solve and you
needed help.
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, judgement, confidence to ask for
help when needed.
DONT:
Use an example in which you caused the problem yourself; this may reflect badly on you.

Make excuses about why you asked for help, or blame other people. Everyone needs help
sometimes, so pretending that youre infallible could make you seem overly proud.
Describe a time when you spotted an opportunity and made it happen.
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, tenacity, drive to achieve goals, ability to identify good
opportunities.
DONT:
Limit yourself to work-based scenarios. This is a very open question, so try to think
laterally.
Repeat your answer to the idea-based question. Recruiters will be looking for different
examples in each.