How indeed? Or even choose a career until he has some practical experience of what it involves. How can a man say with certainty, "This is for me", until he knows what it is all about?

When a man decides on Lever Brothers (N.Z.) Ltd. he does not choose a career: he chooses a wide area in which to find it. This Company's training scheme allows a man to change direction as experience sharpens or develops his ambition.

But the aim is specific. It is to develop men to the status of professionals in the art of management, men who can move easily from one particular sphere of activity to another with complete confidence in their ability to succeed. In short, they will be professional managers.

Broadly speaking, the career opportunities fall into three categorices—technical, marketing and commercial management.

Marketing

The profitable creation of a market must be, and always will be, the raison d'être of a business. Fundamentally, the entire marketing operation is based on research. It is a process of gathering facts and making decisions. Marketing is concerned with facts about potential markets, competitors, distribution, packaging, advertising appeals and media, sales quotas and sales promotions.

Lever's recruit graduates from the Arts, Law and Commerce faculties for careers in Advertising, Sales Management, Market Research and Product Development. A graduate is not employed for his specialised knowledge but because he should bring to the problems he will meet a training which will help him to break down a problem into its basic parts and to set them out in an intelligible pattern; the capacity to make a decision on what ought to be done; the power of language and the humility which will cause him to respect another man's ability and to learn from another's knowledge and experience. Marketing brings a man into contact with every side of the business, and this naturally trains him for advancement to top level positions.

Glycerol Distillation

Technical

The direction and control of the manufacture of soap products and glycerol is now in the hands of scientists, and at Lever's Petone factory 10 per cent of the manufacturing staff are graduates. These scientists — mostly chemists — are engaged in production management, quality control, development of new processes, methods engineering, formulation of new products and plant engineering. In addition to being technically competent, the graduate must be able to get the co-operation of a group of people. He must produce high quality products as well as the right quantity. Costs form an important part of his work. Lever Brothers have installed up-to-date plant and equipment, their laboratories are well equipped and the scientists have technicians to do the routine work. This provides a most satisfying career for a technical man.

Commercial

Commercial Management is a very wide category and embraces all the functions not included in technical and marketing.

Buying: It is the buyer's job to get good value for money. He must acquire expert knowledge of the raw and packing materials which suppliers have to offer, and must build up good relations with them.

Management Accounting: The accountant's most important role is his participation in forward thinking, notably judging the financial effects of the annual operating plan. He also prepares estimates of capital expenditure and the yields on capital employed. The accountant helps to make a profit in the present and future.

Transport: All phases of the Company's operations, from the import of raw materials to the distribution of finished products, involve transport. Goods have to arrive at the right place, at the right time, in the correct quantity and at an economic price. Decisions have to be made about the appropriate form of transport and storage.

Head Office, Petone

Inventory control, production planning, insurance, patents, trade marks and office services, are controlled by commercial management.

The Commercial Department is the Company's political, economic and financial watchdog, reporting on all relevant data and providing signals covering the entire operation in measuring efficiencies against pre-planned targets.

All the senior positions in commercial departments are held by commerce or accounting graduates.

Training

A training programme is prepared for each graduate. Training is by doing and not looking, and men are encouraged to take early responsibility.

The development of a man's career is, of course, a continuing process which goes on long after the actual training is finished—it includes job rotation, attendance at special training courses, etc. Often training involves visits overseas.

Salary & Prospects

Lever Brothers is looking for men capable of going to the top jobs. The speed at which a man moves depends, of course, on many factors, but it is not at all unusual for a man to be appointed to a senior post while he is still in his thirties. Starting salary for graduates of £950-£1000.

Study Awards

Lever Brothers offer study awards worth £175 p.a., to students in Science, Arts, Commerce and Law faculties who are keen to enter their industry. Bond—six months.

Information

If you wish to obtain further information about careers with the Company, please apply to:

Mr. B. D. Mercer,

Staff Development Manager,

Lever Brothers (N.Z.) Ltd. Petone.

Phone 65-199

Careers For • Arts • Law • Science • And Commerce Graduates