Orientation

So it's been awhile since I've had access to a computer, so I apologize for the slack, I will attempt to enter a new post at least once a week. I will talk about three different events that have happened: orientation, apartment finding, and my first two days at work --all in their own post.

Orientation was a lot of fun! All the interns were required to attend the two day supply chain orientation in Trumbull, CT, this past Monday and Tuesday. After arriving on Sunday night, the interns staying in the hotel (those of us not working in Trumbull) all met for dinner and got to know each other. Everyone seemed really great, and what I found interesting is that most of us got along with ease, which I think is related to all of us having a personality that fits in the same company. Most of the interns were in a business related major, and there were maybe about 8 of us in engineering, mostly girls, and mostly chemical engineers.

On Monday we started with a fun ice-breaker and a presentation introducing us to Unilever. Later on, we did team building activities and presentations on supply chain. For fun, some of the coordinators took us out bowling that night, so we all bonded and got to know each other more. Tuesday was a similar layout, with a presentation on Walmart, Unilever's largest consumer, another on business etiquette (a lot of fun!), and more presentations on supply chain. I found the presentations on supply chain to be the most interesting because I really knew nothing about it before orientation. It turns out engineers are very much involved with supply chain in most businesses that produce something. It was really neat to learn how supply chain controls everything from ordering and predicting what materials will be needed and how much, how to deliver it from the raw material supplier to the production facility, how to then deliver the finished product from the manufacturer to the distribution center, then out to the smaller companies. Supply chain does even more, but that's a basic run through of what the division works on.

Leaving orientation, I felt very prepared to start work. I knew how to behave in situations I will more than likely face, what to do at work, and what I should be working toward (the big picture). I also enjoyed meeting the other interns and learning from talking to them about their past experiences and how they find Unilever.