My journey with RB began when I was selected for the Summer Internship Programme from our campus (Xavier Institute of Management). I had a pretty interesting project which required a lot of travelling to small towns all over West Bengal (which happens to be familiar territory for me). I had to create a model to attract consumers in these rural towns by setting up stalls, making announcements and creating buzz about RB products. My work during the internship paid rich dividends as I was called for an interview for the position of Management Trainee. By this time I had already started feeling a sense of pride to be associated with the RB brands. Every little village/town that I had visited showed great respect for brands like Dettol, Harpic and Mortein even if they did not use all these products. I had dreamt of joining this company right after my summer internship ended (getting a pre-placement offer also meant not having to sit for placement talks/interviews etc. – which indirectly means a whole lot more time to enjoy myself under less pressure while others slog for their final placements). These thoughts provided the impetus required to put in hard work for the presentation and interview. Well… Here I am!

My journey as Management Trainee started in June 2011 with my Distributor Sales Representative stint in Karnataka. Life suddenly changed from sports, studies, night long parties (read: hostel life during MBA) to visiting retailers and selling our products. From the very first day, I had a target and I had to over achieve that target. The first problem I faced was – local language. Within a week I tried to pick up a few key words so that basic communication required at a shop would not be hindered.  The stint was interesting. I got to learn a lot of things and had to learn them pretty fast. Things that seemed baffling and tough gradually started becoming easy. Before I had time to sit and reflect, I was done with the stint. By this time, I was already breathing numbers, targets, productivity, ECO and tons of other terms which seemed like meaningless jargons a few weeks back but now started to make sense.

Time to move on – currently I am in Gulbarga (unknown land, unknown people, unknown food, unknown language). The only thing I know are my targets, products, schemes etc! This stint has been very challenging so far – lots of complications which I had not been exposed to during the first month. Slowly, I am beginning to enjoy these challenges and learning the nuances of dealing with problems. It has been a fortnight since I came here – and now the place seems quite familiar – the bus routes, the forts, the hills, the restaurants (though I still cannot read what’s written anywhere, I can at least push myself to understand what people are talking about)!

It has been an exciting and eventful journey with RB so far and I am looking forward to what lies in store next. It has been a lot of learning and I am sure there is a lot more to come, which will put me in good stead by the time I complete my training period!

It’s been a long wait this year to get new roles following on from the management trainee programme! We (the management trainees) have been through all the stints and some of us have even started to get new roles. Word is out in the grapevine that the other trainees will be given their postings soon and I might be one of them

We will be posted as Area Sales Managers (ASMs) in different parts of India. You are given your targets, shortly before starting and your are tasked with developing business in that territory for the next two years. After which begins the most fascinating part of your career at RB. You learn to handle the business and the nuances of sales. The entire “process of sales” – a fantastic opportunity!

It’s a huge responsibility something that most of us have never experienced before and hence becomes (in my view) a very grooming phase of our personal and professional lives!

Something that I am really looking forward too !!

There are no simulations in RB, your learn on the job and you are expected to deliver amazing results. You need to be perfect – but then if you are in RB you probably are!

Hello everyone and welcome to my first Blog post!

As is tradition, I thought I would use this white space to properly introduce myself and give you a tasty snippet of what’s to come. I started at RB after taking a gap year to travel, something I fully recommend to anyone considering it, you’ll make memories you’ll never forget, plus a very weighty photo album – and then there is the ‘life experience’ for your CV .

Aircare

My first placement on the graduate scheme has been for Airwick – one of RB’s powerbrands which is sold in over 60 countries. Working in category development I manage projects in an R&D capacity from development to launch. I am really enjoying the exposure to the business as this is something which was missing from my previous jobs. My days are always really varied and I can be doing anything from visiting technical design agencies to holding TCs with our suppliers in China. I have real responsibility and freedom to make decisions which will effect the company’s progression.

One of my most exciting moments so far was seeing our new Airwick campaign on TV – I even made my friend rewind it on sky so we could watch it again!

FMCG

Working in FMCG I feel a real sense of pride unlike that when I worked in other industries. Every time I walk though a supermarket I see our products everywhere and it’s a great feeling to be able to say ‘I work for the company who makes that’. As the company is so fast paced, (we bring products to market in 2-3 years) its not long before you’ll be walking through the supermarket and you can say, ‘ I managed that product – that was me’.

Hull

Location, Location, Location – Hull really isn’t as bad as people say! I really enjoy living here – apart from the ice cold sea breeze in winter – eek! There is always something going on in the city centre and you are not far from Leeds, York and Beverly for a more scenic day out – or a crazy night! You can definitely get the work/life balance right at RB.

Are you thinking about applying for the RB graduate scheme? Leave me a question – I’d love to help!

This post could be a continuation of Indy’s post “What do people really look for in a job?”. The survey he mentions reveals that 43% of the graduates think the most important factor to choose a job is career progression possibilities. This is definitively crucial for me. As I have just entered RB’s graduate program, I have lots of expectations and dreams to become a successful and young leader. Therefore, I am asking myself:

Is it possible for me to become a middle manager before 30?

Even if I am ready to work for it, it surely is quite ambitious. But the truth is, I can already tell you that at RB, it is possible and even expected from the graduates to be ambitious and to grow very fast. Within the Supply department here in Brazil, there are one director and 6 managers. The age of these managers was something that hit me right from the start: They are between 26 and 35 years old and really respected because they are doing an incredible job. Motivating, isn’t it?

A month ago, I was invited to a conference about leadership and personal development. I found it particularly inspiring so I want to tell you about it.

First of all the speaker – working at RB for 12 years, he has lived in Brazil, Holland, South Africa, Germany and England and he is now one of the top 40 managers of the company. And he is just 45. That is the kind of career I would love to have.

I would like to share with you some of the key points that were highlighted during the conference. Some of them will maybe seem obvious to you, other not, but I definitively hope that it will give you some ideas for your personal development and crafting your leadership style:

Personal development – How can you improve yourself?

- Identify your picture of success. What is success for you? How do you measure it? What do you get from it? How are you responsible for it?
- Connect with you at your best. What is your high performance operating zone? Where are you the best?
- What culture/environment do you belong to?
- Identify your blind spots. What do you avoid doing and limit your potential/performance? Why do you avoid it and how can you correct that?
- Identify the knowledge you need. What should you learn to grow in the company? What experience should you get?

Enablers – Who and what can help you?

- You! Your career is what you make of it. You have to work on each one of its aspects
- Coach. It is a person who stimulates you to think about what you don’t usually think about, who gives you other perspectives. A coach is really interested in developing you beyond the transactional point of view (tasks to be delivered).
- Feedback tools. Ask for feedbacks! After every important project or presentation, you have to ask for feedbacks from the main people involved.
- Role models. Who do you think is successful? Why? What could you learn from him?
- Reflection. Dedicate regularly some time to stop and think about you career development.
- Assignments. Seek national or international assignments (short term projects). You have to find projects to develop yourself in the area where you are under-developed.
- Formal training. Organized by the company, they can help you to develop a solid base on knowledge you are new at.
- Continuous learning. It is all about the attitude. You never completely own knowledge. Try to always improve.

Dimension you career – What do you need to learn to become a leader?

- Expand your functional excellence. You need to have more than only one strength or one function. It is crucial to get differentiated experience to build your resume.
- Global profile. In a company as global as RB, it is important to get global experience (global projects, international experience)
- Work on business cases. It is really essential to regularly work on projects that have real impact on the business of the company. They have to become your success cases.
- Enterprise leadership. Ability to lead in complex situations. You have to develop a high degree of effective leadership.

Winning leader qualities

- People, relationship centered
- Thinks systematically. Acts long-term
- Develops his teammates through support and challenge, encourages personal growth
- Delegates space for autonomy
- Consistent and careful on behaviors (to become a model)

Winning leader attitude

- Highly confident, not arrogant
- Clear sense of purpose/picture of success
- Asks questions that others do not have the courage to ask
- Focuses on the next big challenge
- Removes obstacle for his team
- Sets high standards and big goals
- Seeks to understand people and motives
- Stays himself, authentic

This is food for thought. I hope it will inspire you as it has inspired me. The good point is that Reckitt Benckiser is widely open to train its graduates. So I am really determined to make the most of it and to be able to join the team of the young leaders very soon.

What about you ?

Are you ready to become a leader? Do you think it is possible to get high responsibilities without years of experience? Have you already developed the tools and the knowledge for that?

I’ve been here at RB for just over 4 months now as part of my year’s placement; my experience so far has helped shape me in to a young professional with the hunger and drive to succeed. I decided an internship would be beneficial not only for the invaluable experience it provides, but to ensure I am as employable as possible once graduated. Reckitt Benckiser stood out from the rest because of its exciting, innovative approach to business not to mention its impressive portfolio of globally recognised brands.

So what does RB offer interns?

Right from the start I was immersed into the fast paced and vibrant working atmosphere, liaising with a diverse range of people across the globe on exciting and rewarding projects. I have gained an extremely valuable insight into the world of business and industry, helping me develop into a more organized, experienced and ambitious character.

Working on a broad range of tasks has allowed me to not only master my design techniques, but has provided me with the opportunity to learn many new topics such as intellectual property, finance and technology. Bold and entrepreneurial thinking is encouraged, which ensures all inputs are valued regardless of whom they are from. At RB they expect you to take ownership in your work and give you responsibility on all levels allowing you to use your initiative and creativity to achieve your goals and take pride in your work.

So if you’re looking for the best way to start a successful career with development, experience and responsibility, check out what opportunities there are for you.