Shakila

NextGen - Marketing
Bachelor of Commerce - BCom, Marketing & Design

Somewhere in Shakila’s calendar, between meetings and project deadlines, there are sessions where she sits down and tastes chocolate samples fresh from the factory. It’s a real task. Someone has to approve them.

Shakila is a Marketing Graduate at Nestlé Australia, working in the confectionery team on brands you’ve grown up with, like KitKat and Allen’s Lollies. And while the taste-testing is a nice perk, it’s a small part of a much bigger job: taking a product from a pitch in a meeting room all the way to a supermarket shelf.

How Shakila ended up at Nestlé

Shakila’s path in started with an internship. While studying at the University of Sydney, she interned at Nestlé through the uni’s IPP program, and what she saw there stuck with her.

“I really enjoyed how they gave interns, and I could see other graduates, really owning their own projects,” she says. “It was a really nurturing environment, but one where I felt like I could really grow as a graduate.”

Interns running their own projects isn’t standard everywhere. That level of trust was enough to bring her back as a grad.

What the job looks like day to day

In Nestlé’s marketing team, grads follow what’s called the idea-to-launch process, or I2L. That means Shakila leads her own innovation projects from start to finish.

“I’ve had so much fun working on launching my own innovation projects, where we’ve had to taste the product samples from the factory, approve them with the team, then work with external agencies for packaging artwork, all the while making sure your project is still profitable and meets business needs.”

So on any given week she might be sampling products, briefing a design agency, checking the numbers, or organising samples for the sales teams to take out to customers. “No two days are ever the same,” she says, and given that job description, you can see why.

Marketing wasn’t the original plan

Shakila started uni doing a double major in marketing and finance. Finance didn’t last.

“I did always know I wanted a role where I could be creative and one that challenged me,” she says. So she swapped finance for a design major. Not graphic design, though. This one was built around design thinking: being handed a problem, working out the real issue underneath it, then coming up with solutions.

At the time it might have looked like a left-field move. Then she started at Nestlé and realised that exact process is how every marketer there works. Her “random” design major turned out to be the whole playbook.

The skills that landed the grad role

The uni theory helped, but Shakila doesn’t put it down to her degree.

“When you start your graduate role, no one expects you to know everything. If anything, they’re expecting you to know nothing. A lot of the hard skills are taught to you on the job.”

What she credits instead is everything she did outside the classroom. Uni societies, sport, volunteering, part-time work, internships, hobbies. All of it builds the soft skills that grad employers care about, like teamwork, communication, leadership and problem solving.

Her interview tip is worth writing down too: think of specific examples where you showed these qualities, and be ready to explain the result of what you did. That’s exactly what behavioural interview questions are fishing for.

Why Shakila rates Nestlé

For Shakila, it comes down to two things. The first is the people.

“I had so many questions. I still have so many questions, yet I’ve never once felt like a burden to the team just because of how supportive and patient everyone is.”

The second is the ownership. Grads at Nestlé are the project leads, not the assistants. “I do believe being thrown in the deep end is one of the best ways to learn, but also just knowing you’ve got your team that has your back is really comforting as well.”

And then there’s the moment that makes it all feel real: walking into a store and spotting a product you worked on sitting on the shelf. When those products are KitKats and Allen’s Lollies, that’s a pretty good flex.

The advice Shakila would give her high school self

If Shakila could give her high school self one piece of career advice, it would be this: get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

“I was always so fixated on making sure I had all the answers, evaluating my progress and performance on what I thought success looked like. But there isn’t just one version of success, and 99% of the time, success is not linear and neither are career paths.”

She’s upfront that setbacks happen. “You will fail, you will be rejected, and those times are tough. Trust me, I have been there, but they are not permanent.”

Shakila’s formula for getting through it: back yourself, ask for feedback every chance you get, and say yes to opportunities even when you can’t see where they lead yet. You never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll learn on the other side of your comfort zone.

Want to follow in Shakila’s footsteps?

If leading your own projects (and the occasional chocolate tasting) sounds like your kind of career, Nestlé’s graduate program could be where you start. Head here to learn more and find out how to apply.

Charlotte

NextGen - Territory Sales Manager
Bachelor of Commerce - BCom, Accounting and Finance

Picture this. You’re one year out of uni, standing in the fan zone at the Melbourne Grand Prix, giving out free Kit Kats while F1 cars scream past in the background. And you’re getting paid for it.

That’s a real day in the life of Charlotte Tse, a NextGen Sales and Marketing Graduate at Nestlé. Her official title is Territory Sales Manager, which sounds very grown-up, and it is. But as she’ll tell you, the job is a lot more interesting than the title suggests.

Okay, so what does a Territory Sales Manager do?

Ever noticed those big chocolate displays at Woolies or Coles? The towers of Kit Kats near the checkout, the shelves that always seem perfectly stocked? Someone makes all of that happen. In Charlotte’s territory, that someone is her.

“My key responsibilities include managing sales performance, customer relationships and in-store execution across my territory, making sure our Nestlé brands continue to grow,” she says.

Translation: she looks after how Nestlé products show up in stores across her patch, works with the people who run those stores, and keeps an eye on the numbers to make sure it’s all working. If sales are up in her territory, that’s her win.

The part that surprised her

Most people expect a grad role to involve a fair bit of watching from the sidelines. Making coffee runs, sitting in on meetings, maybe getting handed a spreadsheet or two. Charlotte’s experience was the opposite.

“What surprised me the most about my first year was how quickly we were trusted with real responsibility. From day one, I was leading a team of 7 and making meaningful decisions that impacted the sales outcomes of my territory.”

Leading a team of seven in your first year out of uni is not the typical grad story, and it’s a big part of why she rates the program.

Her favourite project so far (yes, it involves F1)

When Kit Kat teamed up with Formula One, Charlotte’s territory became her playground.

“It was so much fun activating all of our towers and displays throughout Woolies and Coles, and I was also part of the fan zone at the Melbourne Grand Prix, where I got to share the love and give out free Kit Kats.”

So the next time you spot a massive Kit Kat display at your local supermarket, know that somewhere, a grad like Charlotte planned exactly where it would sit and how it would look. And occasionally, that same grad gets to hang out trackside at one of the biggest sporting events in the country.

What got her here

Charlotte’s not going to tell you she was born with a sales gene. Her skills came from doing the work, mostly in customer-facing roles before Nestlé.

“Working closely with customers helped me build confidence in my communication style, and taught me how to listen to customers and their needs,” she says. “You also have to be adaptable. It’s a very fast-paced environment and the landscape is always changing.”

That’s worth sitting with if you’re currently working retail or hospo and wondering if it counts for anything. Every shift where you deal with a tricky customer, read the room, or think on your feet is building skills Charlotte uses every day in her role now.

Her advice if you’re eyeing off a career at Nestlé

She keeps it simple.

“My biggest advice is to stay curious. Nestlé offers so many opportunities for young professionals and you’re encouraged to ask questions and learn about the business. You get to take ownership early in your career, so just go for it.”

Ask the questions. Put your hand up. The ownership part comes faster than you’d think.

Want to follow in Charlotte’s footsteps?

If a first year that involves real responsibility (and the occasional trip to the Grand Prix) sounds like your kind of thing, Nestlé’s NextGen Graduate Program could be your way in. Head here to learn more and find out how to apply.

Jago

Technical & Production Graduate
Bachelor of Science - BS, Agricultural Science

Jago never had the “what do I want to do with my life” problem. He studied food science and agriculture at university, worked in food part-time through his degree, and came out the other end looking for a graduate role inside a real food manufacturing operation. Nestlé’s NextGen program made perfect sense.

He’s five months in now, on his first rotation through Manufacturing Excellence at the company’s Wahgunyah site in regional Victoria. It’s a small town near the NSW border, and the Nestlé plant there runs 24 hours a day, five days a week. The volume of product moving through it was the first thing that caught him off guard.

What the days look like

Each morning starts on the factory floor with operational reviews. From there it’s project work, data analysis, and production support before stakeholder meetings and whatever escalations have come up by the afternoon. The hours are 8 to 5, though the site around him keeps going well past that.

Manufacturing Excellence is about keeping a large operation running as efficiently as possible: finding what can be improved, working with production, quality, and whoever else is needed, and seeing it through. For Jago, that means moving between factory floor and meeting room on the same day. Takes some adjustment, but it suits him.

The scale

Jago knew Nestlé operated at scale before he got there. What that means on the ground is harder to picture until you’re standing in it.

The Wahgunyah site is a 24-hour, five-day operation, and the product moving through it daily is, by his own description, daunting. It’s also part of what makes the work feel meaningful. When the volumes are that large, even a small process improvement has wide reach.

The people and culture

He describes himself as a people person who was quietly nervous about the culture when he started. Five months in, he didn’t need to be.

He didn’t expect that mix. Operators, engineers, quality specialists, production managers: different functions, different backgrounds, all working toward the same output. It’s become one of the things he values most about the role.

Engineering is a degree in problem-solving

Jago came in with a food-science background, not an engineering one. A few months on a factory floor has shifted how he thinks about the distinction.

Some are quick fixes, some take longer to work through. For someone who studied science because he liked figuring out how things work, that part fits.

Why the NextGen program

The rotation structure was a big part of the appeal. Two years, two factory sites, real exposure to how different parts of a large food operation work across different locations and teams. The brands moving through those sites (NESCAFÉ, KIT KAT, MILO, UNCLE TOBYS, MAGGI) give the work a tangibility that’s hard to find in a lot of graduate roles.

The training and support behind the program also caught him off guard. There’s more available than he expected, and while he admits he doesn’t always make full use of it, knowing it’s there has made a difference.

Where it goes from here

Jago knew what he wanted and went after it. Five months into a program that takes him across two factory sites over two years, he’s inside one of the world’s biggest food companies, still getting his head around the volume of it all, and building a career in food manufacturing that looks like what he had in mind, just bigger.

Find out more about Nestlé’s NextGen program here.

Sarah

Marketing Graduate
Marketing

When you think of Nestlé, your mind probably jumps straight to KitKats, Milo, or another supplier of your favourite sweet treats. However, behind those iconic products are young, passionate grads like Sarah, who conceptualise and market the next wave of Nestlé’s delicious offerings!

Currently in her second year of Nestlé’s Marketing Graduate Program, Sarah is living proof that a career in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) is anything but boring. The program itself is a total game-changer. Over two years, grads get to rotate through three very different areas: field sales, category, and marketing. That means no two days ever look the same; one week you’re brainstorming a new flavour idea that might hit shelves, and the next you’re in-store chatting with managers about displays and stock. It’s a crash course in understanding not only how to market products, but how people interact with them in real life.

At the end of the day, Sarah believes FMCG is all about people; understanding their needs, wants, and changing lifestyles. From health-conscious shoppers to the demand for convenience and sustainable products, Nestlé is constantly evolving, and grads like Sarah are right in the middle of the action.

Brooke & Adele

Technical & Production Graduate
Mechanical Engineer

As part of the Technical and Production stream, Nestlé welcomes Engineering graduates from multiple backgrounds to come and discover how they can help them kickstart a rewarding career in the industry.

The opportunities available for engineering graduates are varied, with plenty of opportunities to apply your studies to real-world challenges and innovations!

Adele and Brooke, two current NextGen Nestlé Graduate Engineers, join us for a quick chat about their roles, the projects they’re a part of, and why choosing Nestlé was the perfect choice for them.

Matthew

Supply Chain Graduate
Business (Management) @ Western Sydney University

When Matthew first saw the opportunity to work at Nestlé, there was no hesitation: in his own words, ‘it was a no-brainer. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a Kit-Kat?’ But it wasn’t just the sweet treats that drew him in. For Matthew, Nestlé represented something much bigger: a global company with an innovative supply chain that offered tremendous room to grow.

In our latest graduate spotlight, we caught up with Matthew, a Supply Chain Graduate currently based at Nestlé’s Arndell Park distribution centre in Western Sydney, Australia. From day one, he’s been hands-on, making sure the products we all love make it from the factory floor to store shelves across the country.

For anyone thinking about a future in supply chain (or if you’re simply a little curious about how the world’s biggest food and beverage company keeps things moving), Matthew’s story offers real insights, useful advice for young job seekers, and a healthy dose of teamwork and grit. Tune in today and discover:

What it’s really like working in supply chain at a global company
How grads are empowered to lead social initiatives from day one
The unexpected skills that make you stand out in fast-moving industries
The role of teamwork and collaboration in tackling daily challenges
Why Nestlé’s graduate program could be the sweet start to your career

Andrew

Technical & Production Graduate
Food Science @ UNSW

Learning the Ropes (and Roasts) at Nestlé

As part of the Nestlé Graduate Program, Andrew has been diving into all sides of food manufacturing, from production to engineering. His first rotation has him based in Gympie, where the team manufactures and packages Nescafé instant coffee for the entire country and beyond.

“It’s an incredible experience,” Andrew says. “Working at Nestlé gives you the chance to see how everything fits together, from the ingredients and machinery to the people and systems that keep production running smoothly.”

Why Nestlé?

For Andrew, joining Nestlé was an easy choice.

“I’ve always been fascinated by food manufacturing, how food products are developed, the purpose of each ingredient, and how everything comes together on a larger scale,” he explains. “Nestlé is a global leader in that space, so getting to learn here straight out of uni is pretty special.”

The Next Gen Graduate Program gives participants hands-on experience in different factories and departments, building both technical knowledge and leadership skills. “The chance to move around and see how things operate across the country is incredibly valuable,” Andrew says.

A Day in the Life

Right now, Andrew is working on a project to replace non-compliant air conditioning units around the factory, a task that has been a crash course in project management.

“It’s a lot more complex than you’d think,” he laughs. “I’m responsible for coordinating contractors, scheduling site visits, reviewing quotes, and making sure everything aligns with Nestlé’s strict safety procedures.”

Along the way, he’s learning how to navigate Nestlé’s systems, from ordering products and managing bids to keeping on top of safety permits and training requirements.

“I’ve also been learning how to spot potential hazards and chat with people about how they can make their work safer,” Andrew adds. “It’s one of those skills that’s really valuable no matter where you go.”

What’s Next?

With each rotation, Andrew is broadening his skills and seeing new sides of the business. He regularly attends quality and production meetings to stay across what’s happening around the factory and contribute to improvements where he can.

“There’s always something new going on,” he says. “You learn so much just by being around different teams and seeing how they solve problems.”

For anyone thinking about a career in food science or manufacturing, Andrew has one piece of advice: get curious. “If you’re passionate about food and love figuring out how things work, Nestlé is one of the best places to start.”

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