Durham undergraduate Kimberley recently completed an internship at Nestlé. We caught up with Kimberley to hear about why she chose Nestlé, what the application process involved and her top three tips for other Bright Network members.
Why did you choose Nestlé for your internship?
Nestlé is a highly regarded name and, whilst I received a number of offers, Nestlé was the one that stood out the most and therefore had the biggest impact on my C.V. I also looked at the ratings, along with what previous interns had said about the role and knew that the culture and exposure would be the right fit for me. You are able to wear jeans and it is an open plan office, which meant I sat next to a senior leader within the sales team almost on a daily basis. Having that exposure to someone so successful was invaluable for my personal progression. My project involved recommending improvements for Nestlé to augment growth on Amazon. It took me a while to get my head around, but once I did I was able to suggest some key improvements which were subsequently implemented!
Could you talk us through the application process - what was your favourite and least favourite part?
Once you have answered various motivational questions, along with a numerical and verbal psychometric test, you get to the video interview. This is then followed by an assessment centre. In the assessment centre there is a group exercise, case study and interview. In the group exercise, we got asked the question '”who performed the best?”, which was initially unnerving. My favourite part was the interview, as the interviewer was very impressed by my experience to date.
Were you surprised by anything in the process?
The process was very collaborative. They are just trying to assess whether you and your personality would fit in the firm, as opposed to directly testing you. I spent a lot of time revising Nestlé as a company, but at the assessment centre they weren't really interested in this and mainly focused on who I was and what experience I had instead of what I knew.
What three top tips would you give your fellow Bright Network members?
1. Never fail the psychometric tests! Always practise them beforehand so you know you can pass them.
2. Ask people who have worked at the firm their experiences - it shows how motivated you are and you can bring up what you have learnt when asked.
3. Be confident and show your personality, especially in the group exercise. Two girls barely spoke at my assessment centre, even though we tried to bring them in - you need to be confident in expressing your opinion.
