The other day my team and I were celebrating February’s success at a non descript open air hotel just outside town when dusk set in.
This typically means the onset of the malaria-carrying troops, and soon we were performing the ‘mosquito dance’ shifting from one leg to another.
After five minutes, a request was shot off to the owner to do something about it. He ordered one of his workers:“Mortein jala re, Machar bahut hain” (burn Mortein <coil>, too many mosquitoes).
Googling has become a generic term for search engines, Xeroxing a term for photocopying … I am glad that Mortein is now becoming a word for pest control!
It is a part of my job description to build the equity of each of my brands in a price-sensitive market. My sales officer took up this challenge and we have put up iron framed gates all over the Wholesale Market at Raipur my headquarter town, and also my largest market.
Needless to say, sales have shot through the roof.
After finishing university every graduate asks himself: how do I get the job I really want?
Well through this blog entry I will try to give you some insights into what my way to RB looked like. Maybe it could become your way, too.
1st step: The application.
Find your own style but be aware of the local formalities.
Formalities: The first look is always at the form. Take a look at letters you got from serious companies. You will realize that the format is serious as well. Take this as an example. Colleagues from the HR department get hundreds of applications. So be aware that there are no bigger mistakes within your formalities. A good website for any German readers is this one which gives very good insights into the formalities of applications in Germany.
Your own style: Be unique. Take care of the formalities but within those find your own way. When I was younger sport was a big part of my life. In every application you will find something about this part of me. In addition I love other countries, other cultures.
So find a way to express yourself. E.g. I always mentioned that I am a son of the sailor and that this might the reason for my passion for different cultures. Take a look at your life – what makes your heart beat faster?
2nd step: The telephone interview.
Be prepared but be yourself – do not prepare whole sentences or words for the talk.
The preparation: Take a look at the company website. I found a lot of information about RB by looking on theirs and thought about how I could fit in to this culture.
Search for press releases. Visit YouTube and watch some of the company adverts:
After that I made a list of things which might be important. Strengths, weaknesses, goals in 5 years, goals in 10 years, why do I want to join RB, why should RB pick me, questions?
The call: Wiebke, the Senior Human Resources Advisor of our business in Germany called me that day. From the beginning I had a very good feeling.
I was in the city that day where Wiebke grew up. A good start. Something like this is good to stay in mind. Maybe Wiebke had 10 calls that day, but I am sure she remembered that I was the one who was in her home town when we talked.
Ask the interviewer personal things. If the topic is sports or hobbies, why shouldn’t you ask the interviewer about their passions? Maybe there is a connection. The Boston Consulting Group offers some good interview tips as well.
3rd and 4th Step: Personal interviews.
At RB I had two personal talks. The first one was with Wiebke and Benno, our Head of Field Sales and Head of Trade Marketing. The second was with two marketing managers. That first day we had two topics: a case study with an analysis and the personal talk. The second day included “only” a personal interview.
The case study: Again preparation comes first. It was my first case study ever. So I searched the web and found this very good site by McKinsey where you are able to practice cases.
Take your time and go through the steps. It helped me a lot to understand what a case study is all about. In my case the study had a lot of numbers about market shares, turnover, net revenue and so on. My first thought after my first look? – Ok, I will leave NOW!
In this situation, stay cool. I read it again, made notes. The topic can be about everything. E.g. the company want to join a new market or want to launch a new product. How are the action steps?
So, I made my analysis. I focused on the things I understood and I put my action plan up on the flip chart: but I was too late. Five minutes before I finished Wiebke and Benno entered the room. My thought was it is over now.
But again: stay cool. No one will cut your head off!
I finished my paintings and presented my ideas. I am sure not everything was correct but I had my plan and answers to the questions. If I did not understand everything – no problem. Benno explained it to me. Everything was very fair.
The personal talk: The tips and tricks are almost the same here as I wrote above within the part about the telephone interview. Most important thing again: be yourself! Benno told me afterwards that after the talk he had the feeling that he really knew who I was.
When I look back at the whole application process I recommend one most important thing: be yourself and always start the talk with a big…
In my first blog I said the Information Services (IS) department at Reckitt Benckiser is similar to what many companies call IT but it is not the same. I also told it is very EXCITING to work for IS at Reckitt Benckiser.
Today I’m going to tell WHY it is so exciting!
If when you hear “Information Services” the first image that comes to your mind is of a bunch of geeks fixing printers and computers or writing programs that nobody on Earth would understand then you’ve got it all wrong!
This is not what the IS function does at Reckitt Benckiser.
The best thing about Information Services is the fact that we are one of the few functions that have an overall view across all the other functions within RB. IS touches our products from end-to-end. Our systems touch the products from the point of design through to manufacture, distribution through to the consumer.
This is one of the things that makes Information Services so exciting.
You can see in the video below what one of RB’s Global IS directors has to say about it.
He agrees that this is what keeps him coming back every day!
And also that it is the ideal place for someone who is interested in performing and excelling.
Since starting here I have had the chance to work in projects related to Finance, Sales, Marketing and Supply and that happened in less than 3 years!
But the most important thing about this was the fact that I had to really understand what were the drivers and goals of each one of these functions and how they related to the overall Reckitt Benckiser business objectives.
This makes all of us in Information Services understand what RB does and what the overall strategy is. Therefore everything we do is to deliver business value. We do not do a project just for the sake of doing it.
The other two things that are also very exciting about IS are the opportunities that we have to be international and the fact that we do not have a routine – every day there is something different, there is a new challenge and this is what makes me develop myself more and more.
When you are an international employee you have a chance to see different cultures and different ways of working. Plus, it allows you to see the organisation at different levels, locally and globally.
During the 3 years I have been here I worked on initiatives for Brazil, for Latin America and right now I am working in our Global Headquarters in the UK.
This experience is aggregating a lot of value.
If you have an open mind to understand different cultures and to learn different things everyday and if you all those thing I have mentioned here that make you excited as well, then Reckitt Benckiser is the place to be for you.
Check out our careers website for details about Information Services at Reckitt Benckiser.
How would you like to use your business skills for something amazing?
To really show off your entrepreneurial talents while helping others?
Save the Children has launched an amazing initiative encouraging young people to use their talents to make a real difference.
Called Business Heroes, it is literally looking for that: young people who can use their skills to raise money for the victims of Haiti’s earthquake.
And as one of Save the Children’s largest corporate supporters worldwide, Reckitt Benckiser is furthering its commitment to help the charity by supporting this fabulous opportunity.
What’s it all about? The initiative is designed to raise funds for Haiti after the initial media interest has dwindled.
You will pitch your entrepreneurial skills against others from across the country to see who can raise the most money.
And the business idea that raises the most money will bag an internship at Save the Children for summer 2010.
There is also a prize for the most innovative overall fundraising idea.
But not only that, you will have the chance to gain skills and experience to build your CV and ensure you stand out from the crowd at job interview.
The competition is open to anyone and you can enter as a team or as an individual.
But you are encouraged to think big and your project should be planned and have a budget attached.
Your funds can be raised by selling a product or a service.
And to qualify, a business plan must be submitted, funds must be received by April 10th and a one-page description of your initiative must also be produced.
Where to start? If you need a little inspiration the Business Heroes site has an idea’s area to get you started.
Problems are opportunities so think of a problem people have – laptop surgery? Fixing push bikes? – and find ways you can solve those problems.
Do you have a skill to sell? Can you organise a charity auction? Can you organise an event?
If you are looking for ways to ensure you stand out from the crowd when it comes to searching for a job, this is an ideal opportunity.
Your ideas and achievements will be visible to companies across the UK who are searching for great talent.
And you could have the unique opportunity to work with an experienced mentor to develop your plan if your business plan is chosen.
So if you have a groundbreaking idea that can mobilise people and resources and affect change, why don’t you sign up?
If you’re looking for inspiration or more details, visit the Business Heroes website. You will also find them on Facebook and on Twitter.
This really is an amazing opportunity to boost your career prospects – and tangibly help Haitian children affected by the earthquake.
I would also like to highlight the quick response of RB in collecting funds for Haití. Several countries across the business started to fund raise money immediately after the disaster.
In Spain, for example, we gave the employees the chance to make direct donations from payroll and we raised more than 8.000€.
You can see the work of Save the children in Haití in the following video:
NOTE: If you are looking for seedfunding for your business idea (to get it off the ground) you will need to have your business idea submitted by Wednesday, February 10th at 11.59pm.
Being a Management Trainee at RB has been as exciting as a roller coaster ride!
I have worked on live projects in marketing, sales and trade marketing. And I have now completed my management trainee tenure and have been posted as Area Sales Manager of Karachi; one of the biggest cities in RB Pakistan.
For me it’s time for real action in a live role of Area Sales Manager. The stakes are high and so is my motivation level.
The management trainee program has equipped me to deal with all kinds of challenges that sales and marketing throw up. This is the beauty of the RB management trainee program – we get training in every function of the organisation which helps us to polish our marketing and sales skills.
It’s safe to say I am thoroughly enjoying my job.
It’s a managerial/ leadership position. And people management is one of the major components of my job. Apart from that I have to manage all operations at the distribution end.
Talk about empowerment and real action at RB. I am ready to rumble!
