Be up for everything
"Every company I looked at had the ‘obvious’ areas – Sales, Supply Chain, Marketing and so on – but this was different. From what I read I knew I had the fundamental qualities to do well: I’m quite a self-starter, I get on with people, and I’ve been in my fair share of awkward situations.
The training when I got here seriously impressed me. 40 out of your first 90 days are all about getting you well up to speed, and cover off absolutely everything you need to know. Then there’s the responsibility. Almost the moment I arrived, I was put onto the Tesco account – which is our biggest account. Then, I helped launch the Flora pro.activ Olive range, which is one of our biggest brands.
One of the achievements I’m most proud of, however, is my stint in our Pot Noodle factory. My background was totally different to the line managers’ on the factory floor – some of whom had been working there for 10 or 20 years, and had a number of their family working there too. So I turned up really not knowing what to expect – and I faced a huge challenge. There were some big projects to get through, with only five months to do them. We needed to get the factory producing things cheaper and more efficiently. So I had to get all these people on my side and gain their respect. And that was hard work - but I did it. I ate at the canteen, joined in on shift work – sometimes very early in the morning or late at night – and gradually got them onside. In the end, it was a great success – as well as a real eye-opener. I’ve got really close friends there now. In fact, one of them has just sent me her wedding photos.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give new graduates, it’s this: be up for everything. It can and probably will be a bit daunting, but you’ll enjoy yourself more if you give it your best shot – and you’ll also get a lot more respect."
