Nestlé #notjustaboutfood! Multinational launches internship contest with Twitter

By Rachel Arthur

- Last updated on GMT

Nestlé hopes to hatch new talent with Twitter. Picture: Flickr / mkhmarketing
Nestlé hopes to hatch new talent with Twitter. Picture: Flickr / mkhmarketing

Related tags United kingdom Twitter

Nestlé UK & Ireland is launching a joint internship scheme with Twitter, a programme that will help it draw in talent from previously untapped areas. 

The position is a 10 week paid internship, with the time spent between Twitter and Nestlé UK headquarters.

Nestlé and Twitter plan to work together across Europe, and the UK internship is the first of its kind to be launched.

‘They think we’re a large food manufacturer’

Nestlé UK & Ireland has around 8,000 employees across 20 sites. It produces well-known brands including Kit Kat, Nescafé, Smarties, Buxton, Go Cat and Shreddies.

But its food fame can create a problem when it comes to recruitment. Tom Banham, head of academy talent, Nestlé UK & Ireland, told this publication that prospective candidates associate Nestlé with food and food alone.

“They probably wouldn’t realise we’ve got a growing focus on digital – they think we’re a large food manufacturer,” ​he said.

But in this partnership, applicants with digital and social media skills may have been attracted to Twitter – opening up a new talent pool for Nestlé. And it works vice versa as well.

“We’re trying to develop our talent for the future,” ​said Banham. “We need to develop our own digital savvy individuals.

“I think the benefit of this internship: there are those applying because of Twitter, which opens up a different talent market for us. “

Have you got what it takes?

The intern will be a university student, in their penultimate year. It is most likely that a business or management student would be the closest match to the skill set required, but Nestlé is open to others who have transferable skills.

Alongside the option of submitting a traditional application form, applicants can also submit a video entry using the Twitter video platform Vine.

Candidates then go through a formal assessment process. They are not expected to have lots of experience, but need to show potential.

The right applicant will have an analytical mind, be able to read data and obtain relevant insights, and show good communication skills, Banham said.

The candidate needs to be equally comfortable working with both peers and senior staff, he added.

The challenge is to find a candidate with the right balance of skills.

Banham hopes that, if the first internship is a success, the programme can be extended to more people or for a longer length of time.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths

Nestlé is using the internship as a way to attract prospective STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) candidates. It says four out of five young people would consider a STEM career – but more than half know little or nothing about the types of jobs on offer.  

Nestlé pledged to open up 10,000 apprenticeship and traineeship positions by 2016, across all its departments (including manufacturing, administration, sales, marketing, finance, engineering, research, and development), in its ‘Nestlé Needs YOUth’ initiative.

Building on this, Nestlé’s ‘European Alliance for YOUth’ scheme sees the company partner with more than 150 companies to help young people find work. The Nestlé/Twitter internship is part of this scheme. 

Picture credit: flickr / mkhmarketing / howtostartablogonline.net

Related topics Manufacturers

Related news