Essity : Working at Essity means access to support, ownership and creativity in the workplace

As a company, we are committed to delivering superior results while caring for our customers and the environment. We have the courage to take the lead and pay special attention to collaboration across teams, functions and businesses.

We also run a Graduate On-boarding (GO!) Program which gives you the opportunity to accelerate in a real job with real responsibilities from day one. At the same time, you will explore the company through rotation, project assignments, learning modules and networking with colleagues located at different sites around the world.

To find out more about the graduates experience with our program, we chatted to Allison Puglisi, a New Yorker living in Boston who works for Essity's Philadelphia Go! Graduate Program as a Digital Marketing Assistant.

What's your experience with the Go! Graduate Program been like?

- I've had a pretty unique experience with the Graduate Program. I'm actually still a current senior at Boston College studying Marketing and Management for Social Impact, but I also started working for the program part-time before I graduate in May. It started with a really comprehensive interview process so I really got to know everyone on the team and in the company well, so I could make the best decision for me.

I ended up deciding to join the company and while I've only been in the role for about six weeks, everything's been great. It's been super interesting to see how everyone has adapted to remote working and it's been such a unique process for me to adapt to remote onboarding as well. Even in my first thirty days I was meeting with so many people who wanted to sit down and say hi, tell me about their jobs, what they do and how they could help me. I don't live in Philadelphia and many of them do, so they even offered me the best recommendations for food and great places to go when I eventually make the move.

I've had tasks start from day one. I was able to sit in on the annual sales meeting and hear how they've progressed for the year. I was in meetings and training programs to initiate the transition of taking over all the Amazon web services and social processes.

In previous internships and jobs, I've never been able to jump in that quickly. It's usually a lot of onboarding, but with Essity from day one I was involved and I'm currently working on strategy for next month and making that my own.

Everyone's also been so supportive; they really want me to grow and find something I'm interested in so I can run with it.

What's included in the Graduate Program and what are you doing now?

- It's a two year rotational program so I'll move through three different positions on the digital side in the marketing team. I'll do eight months with my current manager focusing on the social aspect, taking over Amazon web services and that kind of thing. I'll then do eight months with one of our shopper marketing managers working on getting into the stores and then I'll finish up the final eight months with our Canadian brand manager looking specifically at what we do in Canada.

I have meetings with each manager every couple of weeks to touch base and get a chance to know each other a bit more and so they can answer any questions I might have. So that's the basis of how the program works.

Currently I'm working on social strategy that hasn't really existed in the past. I'll be doing a lot of looking back at how things were done before me, assessing what worked and looking over competitior's digital pages, and then coming up with a great plan to boost our engagement. I've also been working on the Amazon web process and Amazon search ads for our Canadian business, so those are the two main projects that will last for the duration of these first eight months.

At the end of the two years I'll see what I've enjoyed the most and then hopefully graduate into a position in that department so I can continue to grow and learn with Essity.

Tell us about your journey and career at Essity and how you ended up in the position that you have today?

- As I said, I'm a current senior at Boston College and I major in Management with concentrations in Marketing and Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good, which is a very niche major!

I never thought I'd go into marketing, I was always interested in animal science. It wasn't until the end of my senior year that I changed my mind. When I took a class on marketing it really clicked for me. I love being able to convey a story, interact with consumers and have a meaningful impact and influence on a brand.

In terms of working with Essity, I wasn't actively searching for post graduate employment when I found out about the Go! Program. I stumbled upon the page and I was really drawn to it for a few reasons: It's a global company which I was hoping to find, and its mission is to make the world a healthier and better place. Finding a company that cares about sustainability and its consumers was really important to me. CPG and non-profits in the past didn't quite give me the same fulfillment as Essity does.

The Go! Program also seems really well run and supportive of its graduates. Everyone I met with was very supportive and focused on helping you on your path. Being able to rotate roles within the company to learn and develop was also hugely attractive to me.

How did you end up in the Program when you aren't yet a graduate?

- They were looking for some extra help starting in January 2021 and I'm used to working a lot during the school day so I felt confident that I could take it on in a part-time capacity. I work twenty hours a week right now and they've been very accommodating of any last minute schedule changes and my time constraints as a college student.

I feel like I'm able to still make a positive change within the company, even with my part-time schedule.

How would you describe the culture at Essity?

- It's incredibly collaborative. My first day at Essity I was given a spreadsheet with fifty names of people who I might interact with, and they were all interested in getting to know me and making my life easier at work, whether that be working with their team or just ideas about what to do in Philadelphia when I visit or move. They're constantly reminding me to reach out and they're always responding right away with any questions I have.

My last interview for the position was with Mike Feenen who's the Vice President of the North America sales and marketing team. He met me for breakfast and spoke to me about my goals and gave me guidance about the program to make sure I'm okay which is really unheard of in most companies.

I've definitely taken advantage of the help and it's been a really unique experience. I was nervous about remote onboarding but they've made it so easy and I don't regret the decision at all.

What is the best thing about working at Essity?

- It's two fold: first is the people. It's been a game changing experience that has impacted the way I've worked and been able to onboard. It's so important to feel welcomed by the community.

The other part is the ability to take ownership of your projects from day one. I have pride looking at my work and it's a great feeling to have the room to expand while also having a safety net to fall back on.

What would you say to someone who's thinking of applying for the GO! Graduate Program?

- It's a great opportunity to learn and grow after college. Working for a global company with such huge reach is something you really don't get anywhere else. It's one of the best teams I've worked with and I'm super excited to continue my career with them!

Title: GO! Graduate, TENA Retail NA Brand Marketing
Education: Bachelor in Business Administration with Marketing focus, Boston College, 2021.