As thousands of college graduates actively seek employment every year with various local and foreign corporations in the Philippines, some things are universal truths in the corporate jungle.
Financial stability, job security, rich organizational culture and career growth are strong testaments that one has arrived. Opportunities for bright-eyed hopefuls seem abound, as companies like Mondelez Philippines Inc., maker and marketer of Cheez Whiz and Eden cheese and sandwich spreads, Tang powdered beverages, Oreo, Chips Ahoy, and Tiger biscuits, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk and Toblerone chocolates graciously heed to the call and help provide new graduates with exciting trails to blaze through the Mondelez Graduate Trainee (GT) program.
Internship to Understand Corporate Culture
Mondelez Philippines’ latest batch of graduate trainees and newest members of the sales force dream big, but know that all good things never come easy. Through the GT program, they were able to find their competitive edge, preparing them for their first job interview years before graduation. Ralph Carlo Ramos, a graduate of business administration from the University of the Philippines said. I know a multinational Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company with a graduate trainee program is key to my success. Then came Mondelez Philippines, which I found while researching for caliber programs. Frankly, the name was unknown to me then, but I knew of their brands! Right then, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
Fellow UP graduate and business economics major Eduardo “Eduard” de Guzman Jr. was also methodical. “My strategy was to get internships to as many industries as possible. Even as a student, I would research long and hard for the perfect multinational FMCG company as a dream employer.”
Ralph considered himself lucky to be chosen as an intern for the Tang brand in 2016 because it enabled him to understand its corporate culture. “I think Mondelez Philippines lives up to its reputation as a joyful place to work. At my first internship prior to this job, the setting was very corporate and the employees were professionally mature. In Mondelez Philippines, they expect you to be mature, yes, but they also expect you to grow. Mondelez Philippines makes sure there is room for growth in the organization. ”
For San Beda College marketing management major Katricia “Kat” Milla, the Eden brand was her shot at finding its place in the corporate world. “In Mondelez, even if I was an intern, they let me join big projects. I handled an internal launch and I realized that the corporate world has no hard and fast rules — no textbooks to make things happen. You have to create and follow your own processes to resolve issues. ”
Search for a Great Place to Work
Mondelez is highly selective and rigorous in the selection process of its trainees. Hundreds of high-potential candidates from the country’s top schools are shortlisted to a final 10 per batch of the GT program. They are hired as regular employees and given assignments in different functions, sometimes across the country. After 18 months, the GTs are assigned to permanent positions.
Shiela Pangilinan, Mondelez HR business lead, said, “Mondelez Philippines is an equal-opportunity employer and we, in particular, take pride in our diverse and highly talented workforce. Our main goal is to not only ensure the growth of our employees but also to make MDLZ a great place to work. Hiring highly competent and performance-driven employees is one way we believe we will meet these goals.
She adds: “We also look for the employee’s capacity of adaptation and dealing with ambiguity. Presenting a solution that deals with a real business need is key. Lastly, we select our future talents with a bent on interpersonal and customer-facing skills befitting a Mondelez brand ambassador.”
The Art of Profile Selling
Miguel Rafael “Miggy” Mangabat, who graduated magna cum laude from Meridian International College vouches that while there are places that are a breeze to get into, “it was hard to get in Mondelez Philippines. I believe it helps to have good internship experience in sales or marketing before you apply because it requires a certain way of thinking to understand the culture and the work processes.”
“To truly stand out among the rest, you have to build a good foundation in college,” notes Ralph. “Not just in academics, but also in taking leadership roles in various school organizations. In the companies I applied for, they don’t stop at looking at your academic honors. They want to know if you were an officer of a school organization, your accomplishments and how managed people.”
“Three of us applied from my school,” Kat shared. “I thought I was the least likely to be accepted because they had higher honors and had lots of experience in school. But I thought, ‘How much do I want this? How badly do I want to work for Mondelez Philippines?’ So I decided to market myself properly. When you come to a Mondelez interview, you have to be ready with your historical experience. I also made sure that they will not define me by my resume. I want them to see me as what I am capable of doing now, not who I was in college. I really pushed myself to come out with great ideas. That’s how much I wanted to be hired.”
Mentorship in Mondelez
For Eduard, Mondelez Philippines’ greatest initiative is its coaching program. It is a constant learning experience in sales. “All problems are the same in sales,” Eduard’s supervisor once told him. “They just evolve into a different problem, to be solved through another solution.”
“The people made the highest impression on me,” adds Ralph. “Mondelez is very people-oriented and very nurturing. We may no longer be in school but our managers still looked after us. I was barely six months in the program when I was deployed to Mindanao, my first business trip ever. Imagine my surprise when one of the HR managers called, ‘Hi, just checking in, how are you doing so far?’”
Shiela concludes, “Mondelez Philippines believes in investing in time to truly know and nurture our local talents. By building world-class capabilities and providing meaningful career experiences, we create a great place to work for our people — the guardians of an unmatched portfolio of iconic brands with a global footprint in the snacking industry. This investment has paid off, enabling us to have a sustainable pipeline of talent that will ensure the continued growth of our business and of our impact on the communities where we operate.” ADVT