309: What it's like going through the Mondelez graduate scheme
"Your first job is not necessarily what you're going to do for the rest of your life. Just think about what you would enjoy, rather than stressing that you've committed to a career for 50 years." Ella Jones is Junior Brand Manager at Mondelez International, the multinational company which boasts the likes of Cadbury, Oreo, Ritz, and Green and Black's in its portfolio. She's only been in the role a few years, but her story could prove inspirational for anyone receiving exam results this summer, and starting to consider where their career might be heading. Ella studied English Literature at the University of Exeter and wasn't entirely sure what she would do after. In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, she reveals the unconventional approach she took to hunting for a job and ended up at Mondelez. She says she looked at the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list and thumbed through, highlighting companies that she though looked interesting. When she came across Mondelez, she says she thought to herself "I know that I'm passionate about chocolate", so she took a look online to see what jobs were available. She ended up on the company's graduate scheme, which lasts three years and covered finance, sales, and marketing. "It gave me exposure to a real breadth of roles," she says. "I would definitely recommend doing a graduate scheme." Ella says the scheme was a great way to set her up for the world of work, including basic things like booking a meeting room or having an end of year review - small experiences that can give you confidence in the workplace. Listen to the full episode to find out what it's like to work at Mondelez, how Ella has managed to overcome bouts of imposter syndrome in the past, and she tells just about the nicest Curly Wurly story you're ever likely to hear. Ella Jonas, Junior Brand Manager, Mondelez International Ella is from Winchester in Hampshire, but now lives in London. She studied English Literature at Exeter University. She applied to Mondelez, an international FMCG company which owns Cadbury, Oreo, Green & Black’s, Toblerone, Philadelphia and lots more. She did three years on the Sales and Marketing graduate scheme. That scheme saw her cover revenue planning, a type of internal finance, working on Christmas biscuits, Freddo marketing, sales, managing Christmas and Easter in Co-Op. She is now back in marketing, but the scheme was a great opportunity to experience multiple functions and enhance her skillset.