Human Resources

 

Where did you first hear about a graduate career with AkzoNobel? 

I first heard about the Graduate Scheme through a friend.  She already worked at AkzoNobel and recommended them as a good employer.  One of the things that really influenced my decision was that I would be going into a real role with real responsibility but would also be supported by training courses on a graduate scheme which would give me the opportunity to build a good network of friends within the business too.

The 2 main things that initially drew me to a career in HR were my interest in communication and in training.  However, when I applied to AkzoNobel I was honestly weighing up whether to go into industry or consultancy.  As it has worked out, I’ve worked with a number of consultancies during my career to date – as their customer – and I’ve had a good variety of areas to work in, so for me, I believe I made the right choice!

What were your first impressions of AkzoNobel?

My first impressions were very positive.  For a start, on our first day all the graduates were given a whole day induction together, which allowed me to meet fellow graduates in my year and those already in the company from the year above.  The induction included presentations from the board of management – which really made me realise how much the company invests in you, as a graduate. 

From my experience, the business as a whole is very diverse, both in its people but also in the sheer number of different kinds of products that are manufactured.  One of the great things about the business is that you can find yourself working with lots of people from different cultures and nationalities, which means you also get to use your language skills, or even learn a new language. 

What have your training experiences entailed?

As a graduate, you really do get well supported in terms of training.  When I first joined, the Graduate Scheme provided me with 4 residential courses spread over the first 2 years – each designed to cover a different area of skill.  I attended the courses with other graduates from my year, so I got to meet colleagues across Europe from a range of different business units and functions.  For me, one of the real benefits was that the courses were practical, using tools that we could easily apply to our own business situations. 

The first course was introduced by the Chief Financial Officer who took us through how he presents information to the stock market, which again shows the commitment that the company gives to the Graduate Scheme.  The next course took me through the basic mechanics of the business and how it all fits together, while also showing us how to read the annual report. 

The third course covered some self analysis and looking at how communication and teamwork can be best applied to the business.  Lastly, the final course covered innovation and strategy development.  Since these core Graduate Scheme modules, I have also attended various HR and employment law training courses as well as a course on management – which, as part of my job, I now help to run! 

Tell me about your career to date with AkzoNobel?

One of things that I can certainly recommend about the graduate scheme is that you are constantly challenged from day one!  I’ve found that, even now, I am constantly learning new things every day so there is never a moment to get bored.  I’m a great believer in the philosophy that you get out of a situation whatever you put into it and so I tend to work quite hard.  However, there are plenty of things and people around to allow you to play hard too!

My first placement was as an HR Project Manager, I was tasked with implementing a new HR system into Europe – a system I knew nothing about!  This was a really rewarding project as it gave me some invaluable experience in project management and helped me make the transition from what HR looked like in the real world in comparison to the text books I’d studied at university!

My second placement was to manage the HR Services Team in the Slough site, this was a small team of 3 people.  This role allowed me to really understand how the HR processes all fit together and gave me the opportunity to learn how to manage people.  Having this experience early on in my career was particularly useful and an experience I draw from even today in advising managers on people issues. 

During this time, I was also lucky enough to work on 2 large scale projects, the first was to roll-out a new employee survey in the business and the second was as the business lead for a corporate-wide project in the UK to design and implement a flexible benefits programme.  After a year in this role, my team expanded to also including a separate business HR team based in Manchester, which gave me experience managing a multi-site team.  Half way through the year I was then seconded to work in a European team as part of a global efficiency project.  This was also a fantastic learning experience and taught me how to manage the demands of a large scale project against the ongoing challenges of your normal day-to-day line management role.

So, now I am in my current role as the HR Manager for AkzoNobel’s Dulux Decorator Centre retail stores. These sell decorating materials to both the trade and the public.  In total we have 200 stores across the UK.  I look after the employees in the South of the UK.  I am responsible for supporting the Operational Management Team in all HR areas, whether it be designing the longer term HR strategy or helping to solve one of the day-to-day issues that arise in one of the stores.  It’s quite demanding as it is fast paced, but it is fun and every day is different! 

What does the future hold for you?

For me, I will be in my current role for a while, and then, if possible, it would be good to do a short cross-functional move outside of the HR function.  It is always encouraged to do a stint in another function to build up a greater level of business understanding.  In order to be effective at a senior level within the business, you need to be able to understand how the different departments work so if you’ve worked in at least one of them it helps!  As a business we’re quite proactive so, although my next role is a fair way off, my manager takes the time to start talking about these things now so that it can be well-timed to meet both my needs and the needs of the business. 

Do you have a work/life balance and what does “life” involve?

In terms of work-life balance, I think that this is different for everybody.  For me, I feel the balance is about right.  I work hard which can sometimes mean putting in a long day to achieve a result at the end of it.  However, it’s not everyday! The business has always been supportive of the fact that I used to be a musician, and so I can still organise my timetable to be able to conduct 2 operatic societies and do the occasional concert in London. 

There is a great group of graduates where I work so we often meet for drinks in the evenings. Once a year there is also a challenge weekend for the graduates, which involves team and outward bound type activities.