Industry: Fast Moving Consumer Goods Graduate Jobs

How do you get a graduate job in FMCG?

There are a variety of graduate job opportunities in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry but getting into it is tough. An undergraduate degree is essential and in some cases such as in finance, other qualifications are needed but may be specific to the role you apply for. For an example, supply chain roles sometimes require you to have an engineering degree but with a business element. You will need to make sure you have well rounded experience within the particular role you are looking to do in order to stand out in the competition. If for instance you are looking for a sales role within this industry, an internship in sales would be useful to show your capabilities in this field. The industry itself is also quite tough and as the name suggests, it is fast moving and so providing examples of experience in constantly adapting in a busy environment will again be useful.

What can I expect to be doing?

Due to the vast number of options available, it is difficult to say exactly what you could be doing. In sales for instance, you are likely to be consumer focused, managing different accounts with big brands. In marketing, you also need to be consumer focused dealing with many campaigns for particular brands in a creative method whilst measuring the success of these campaigns which may be global or local. Within supply chain roles, you may be managing large scale operations and overseeing the products from start to finish.

Career progression

Typically, you will start within an entry level role or graduate scheme for many of the roles available and then progress to other opportunities further up in management. In marketing for an example, this could be going from completing a marketing graduate scheme to becoming a Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Manager/Brand Manager and then progressing into more senior roles after a number of years experience. As there are many different roles available, you may have several routes and opportunities that you can take.

The challenges

This will depend on the route that you take, however it is a tough industry but with great rewards. If you like frequently adapting the way you do things and enjoy working in an ever changing environment, then the challenges may be less of an issue. You are likely to be given a lot of responsibility within larger companies with hands on approach, so demonstrating your drive to succeed is a must in this industry and being a demanding environment, requires you to learn quickly.

Expected salary

Graduate jobs in the FMCG industry have a varied salary range. For entry roles and graduate schemes, this can be between £18,000 to £27,000 but after training it can increase to between £30,000 and £42,000.