Rachel Tressitto – Penn State University

Approaching Graduation

As a Penn State senior approaching graduation in just a few months, I find myself constantly thinking about the memories I have made these last four years. What were my most unforgettable experiences? What will I miss? What will I take with me in the future? I would have to say that one of my greatest experiences was the semester I spent studying abroad in Ireland. It provided me such a great opportunity to explore different cultures, expand my knowledge about the world, make international friends, and open my mind to diversity.

You might be wondering why this matters and how it relates to Reckitt Benckiser? Well, being a business student, I recognize how important it is to become more globally aware; and I’m not alone. More and more students are realizing the significance of studying abroad because it is no secret that the world is getting smaller. Expanding into international markets is a highly successful business strategy and is becoming the norm in todays market. As students start embarking on their career search, they cannot overlook this is the direction the business world is heading. One of the reasons I admire Reckitt Benckiser is because this company has completely embraced this idea of international business. RB’s home, health, and personal care products stock the shelves in over 180 countries, continuously providing innovative products for millions of consumers across the world.

International Career Opportunities

Furthermore, if you are someone like me who has already been abroad and is anxious to continue your international exposure, Reckitt Benckiser provides great career opportunities in this respect. I find it intriguing that the Executive Committee has roots all over the world in countries like the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Italy, and India. Therefore, it is not surprising the company also provides international careers in operations located throughout sixty countries. I am interested to find out what global opportunities interest you, where do you hope your career will lead you? When you look back on your career path, is international exposure something important to you?

Whether you have been abroad and looking to have an international career or not, you can appreciate Reckitt Benckiser’s entrepreneurial spirit and success around the world.

When I joined RB in July of last year, I knew this was a company which recognised hard work, dedication and innovative thinking – and could offer an incredible variety of options for career growth. This is why I chose RB, why I wanted to make a career here.

And this week I read something which made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this extraordinary company. Every year a list of the 100 most influential people in the industry is produced by the online magazine, Marketing.

Marketing’s Power 100 is a definitive guide to who calls the shots in the industry; who leads creativity and innovation and who managed to lead their teams through a year of economic uncertainty. And this year, the number one slot is filled by RB’s very own Phil Thomas, the UK marketing director.

 

But the success doesn’t stop there!

RB is also featured again, with Stefan Gaa – the UK healthcare marketing director who oversees a portfolio of brands including Nurofen and Lemsip. And what makes Stefan’s accolade (he’s at number 23 in the top 100) all the more incredible is that he has only been in the role for a year. He joined the company in 2000 as a brand manager in Germany and made his way up the ranks to the position he is in today.

A truly shining example of how your career really can sky rocket if you want it to and how at RB performance really does equal progression.

If you feel inspired to join our marketing team at RB, why not discover what we do, how we do it and what you will need to be a part of it? And you can also discover a typical career path for our marketers.

It’s a word we hear thrown around all the time these days by companies.
But what does it mean in the business world? And HOW do you actually go about making it an intrinsic part of a company?

And what can it mean for YOU as an employee?

.

RB is driven by innovation.
It’s not just a part of who we are, it is our primary objective. Our company culture is steeped in it. It is what has made us the success story we are to date.

We are the world’s fastest growing company in household cleaning, health and personal care and it is our systematic approach to innovation which holds the key to this success. Nearly 40 % of our sales come from products launched in the past 3 years.
And everyone, from the CEO down, is motivated to drive innovation.

This is something which was recognised by The Economist when RB was given their Innovation Award.
.

The power behind RBs innovation is its people – both the consumers and the employees.
Consumers are put at the very centre of our decision-making – RB wants to discover the small ways we can make life better for them. And then give it to them.
And so we build consumers into our product development – we spend time with them to discover their insights at every step.

But it’s also about the people who work here.

.

Even during the recession RB showed strong sales and profit growth – quite an achievement. But this was all down to the strength of our innovative and  entrepreneurial company culture.
Talented people don’t want to work in an environment where they feel bogged down with bureaucracy. They want to get things done; to work somewhere where their ideas are accepted.
And for innovation speed is crucial. And this is why we are a ‘principle’ oriented company rather than a ‘process’ oriented one.

It’s all about letting people have ownership of their ideas and not putting too many decision layers in their way.

.

Of course, this kind of life isn’t for everyone. But those who love it really love it. It’s exciting, fast paced and challenging. You are learning very quickly and there is a buzz about your career.

You can also check out our IdeaLink website which enables us to work with innovators outside the company.

If Eddie Izzard ever fancied a new career direction, I’m sure he would fit in perfectly at RB!
And here is why…

In December 2009 British comedian Eddie Izzard was awarded a special prize in the UK Sports Personality of the Year Award for his outstanding commitment to raising money through running 43 - yes 43 – marathons in 51 days!

Eddie’s marathons took him all around the UK, clocking up more than 1,160 miles. This must have taken tremendous determination and focus, as he endured dramatic situations such as losing toenails and having to eat more than 6,000 calories a day in order to keep up his energy levels.

As I watched the awards show and heard about Eddie’s tremendous ambition and achievement, it made me think how perfectly he would fit into the culture here at RB.
We always strive to achieve the most far reaching goals possible.
If something is a standard goal for the masses, for example running one marathon, then, like Eddie, RB people aren’t interested.

Like him we want to push the boundaries further and achieve greater successes, and do things that people never thought possible.

I’m sure there were plenty of sceptics who did not believed a middle-aged man would be able to achieve what Eddie has accomplished, but he kept his determination and wasn’t afraid to stand up and give the challenge a go.
Even if he had failed to complete all the marathons he originally set out to do, at least he would know he had pushed himself to his absolute best, and this is an achievement to be proud of.

When I first began working for RB I remember some wise words told me by one of our directors. He told me that I should constantly strive to push myself to face new challenges every day at work and never to be afraid if occasionally you don’t reach the far-off goal which may have been set, as it is only through these minor failures that you are reminded that you are stretching the boundaries.
This way you achieve far greater than if you had kept within comfortable safe limitations all along.

It is only through constantly trying new and innovative solutions that RB manages to repeatedly achieve pioneering successes, such as our new innovative Finish launch – the Quantumatic!
This clever new gadget automatically releases a new dose of Finish product each time you use the dishwasher so you don’t have to worry about putting a tablet in each time you wash the dishes.
This is an example of how, like Eddie, here at RB we are prepared to be inventive and do something new and different from the rest.

To date Eddie has raised over £250,000 for his efforts and although he has made a tremendous achievement, he is still determined to do more to help raise money for worthy causes. It’s this quality which really makes Eddie stand out to me – he can be proud of his outstanding achievements yet still strives to achieve even more!

If this has got you thinking about the qualities you possess and you feel, like Eddie, you might be up to the RB challenge, then why not have a look at our graduate recruitment programme which has been designed to achieve the very best results from the very best people.

Â
The thinking at RB is, in short, innovative.

There are many other qualities that the people I work with daily attribute (all of which link to the Reckitt Benckiser core values), however an inventive attitude is essential.

 

Whether it relates to working around blocks or not over-complicating a solution, the ultimate aim is something I always keep in the forefront of my mind. This means that the balance between time/expense and reward is formed quite easily.

 

Top entrepreneurs embody this attitude, and a recent episode of the British TV show Dragons’ Denfeaturing a single mum from Scunthorpe, perfectly exemplifies how challenging the status quo can lead to huge reward.

 

The product is called Magnamole and basically helps feed cables through cavity walls.
It’s simple, services a real need, and during the presentation it’s clear that all the challenges were pre-empted.
The dragons love it (as summarised by the one of the investor’s himself in this Telegraph article) and end up fighting over her business.

 

This entrepreneur obviously made the right decisions, and now you too have the opportunity to do the same.
The Reckitt Benckiser decision making challenge is a competition in which you can win $5000, and all you have to do is invent a festival product which impresses us with your creativity.
More information can be found on this RB opportunity post submitted by Edd.
The competition is only open for another 3 days, so don’t delay, get your entry in now.

 

And, just as with Magnamole, simplicity may be the key.  Best of luck!