Working from Home and Courageous Challenges Trainee Program Offers a Fast Track to Getting your Dream Job

It’s never too early to chart your own career path. That was the case when Meg Mercado got a taste of what it’s like to work with one of the largest snack companies in the world — Mondelez Philippines.

Fresh from completing her studies, Mercado was selected for the company’s prestigious Graduate Trainee Program. Popularly known as the GT program, this course takes graduating students and young professionals on an 18-month leadership development program.

“When I first stepped into the Mondelez Philippines office, my first thought was, wow, this is a really colorful office,” she recalls.

With its calming white and purple walls and benches that resembled giant cookies and chocolate bars, you’d be forgiven if you thought the office was a kindergarten school. “It definitely communicated that this office can mix work and play, which is very important to me,” she quips.

Graduate Trainees (GT) like Mercado are welcomed into the company not as interns or OJTs, but full-fledged employees with all the accompanying benefits such as its Work-from-Home policy and its extensive health benefits. And as part of the program’s leadership development path, she gained some valuable learning experience working with the different functions of Mondelez Philippines. It’s a fast track to being a leader in the organization.

Her first assignment landed her in Cebu, where the trainee admits to initially being overwhelmed with anxiety. “I grew up in Batangas and went to college in Manila. You can imagine the state of my nerves when I realized I would have to face a whole new world—new people to work with, a different culture, language barrier, and new roads to memorize.”

Nonetheless, she took on the challenge and left Cebu feeling accomplished and transformed. “I moved to four more assignments after my stint in Cebu with the Sales function. I felt myself growing and changing each time; three months at a time.”

However, Mercado notes that her most memorable assignment was during her stint with the Marketing team. “It’s where I felt the most challenged, in a good way. You’ll have to think about activations, talk to internal and external stakeholders, and meet very tight deadlines.”

Despite her lengthy to-do list, she is invigorated in seeing all of her projects come to life by the end of her stint. “The beauty of marketing is you’ll see your results materialize and it will feel good; even better when you know you gave it your all.”

As her graduation from Mondelez Philippines’ GT program nears, Meg is just a few sleeps away from being in her dream marketing job in the Company. She reflects on her experiences from the 18-month leadership development program saying, “It’s important to have a growth mindset in everything you do and that’s what I learned at Mondelez Philippines.”

“Each time I entered a new stint, I was confronted with the reality that I didn’t know everything. But it is with the growth mindset that I attempt to do, continue to learn, and transcend my limitations,” she intimated.

“That’s the great thing about the Graduate Trainee Program. We are exposed to different functions within the Company and are thus able to broaden our knowledge and skills as we move forward and take on different roles.”

For more information working with Mondelez Philippines, visit https://careers.mondelezinternational.com/