Human Resources

"When I began looking for a job, my search focussed on two main aspects: joining a Company and industry in which I was truly interested, and being able to specialise in HR.

Upon looking at the various graduate programmes available, I found that the only one that really fitted the bill for me was Mitchells & Butlers’ – a company whose name I had never really heard of, but whose businesses I regularly frequented! I applied to the Company in 2003 and was delighted when I discovered I had successfully gained a place on the Corporate Graduate Programme to start in 2004.

Since joining MAB my experience has without a doubt exceeded my expectations. After the initial induction week with the other graduates in my year, during which I had the opportunity to meet a number of our Senior Managers, I then spent a highly enjoyable 3 months completing a pub placement in one of our businesses. This provided an essential grounding for my subsequent roles, given how closely aligned these have been with Operations. As part of my pub placement, I also had the opportunity to train up for nationally recognised qualifications – the Certificate in Retail Management Competence (CRMC) and the National Certificate for Personal License Holders (NCPLH) -  both of which are essential qualifications for any Managers of our businesses.

After my pub placement, I then began my functional placements with MAB. During my three years with the Company, I have fulfilled a number of roles:

Pre-Opening Trainer - where you are responsible for training up entire pub or restaurant teams prior to the businesses re-opening.

Training Manager – which gives you the opportunity to take on wider responsibility within a brand, working closely with Retail Business Managers (RBMs) and Pub Managers to fulfil the needs of the businesses and brand as a whole.

Resourcing & Development Manager (RDM) – which is your target role when you join the HR Graduate Programme. As an RDM, you are aligned to a single brand and are responsible for all of its recruitment and training needs. As such, you have the opportunity to travel throughout the UK, meeting with Pub/Restaurant Managers, RBMs, the Retail Operations Director (ROD), other RDMs, your Training Managers and many more.

In addition to the above, I have also spent time at our office in Fleet Street, Birmingham, to learn more about the roles of the Rewards & Benefits Team, the Corporate HR Team, the Payroll Team and the Employee Relations Team. This has proved to be of huge benefit as it provided me with an overall understanding of the HR function and how the various teams work together within this.

Having gained my CIPD qualification prior to joining Mitchells & Butlers, I have not needed to be supported through this, but I know that the Company does offer its full support to gain this chartered qualification, and would actively encourage you to do so.

In all honesty, my experience on the HR Graduate Programme has probably not been what I was expecting. I was hoping for variety, real responsibility from the outset, the opportunity to travel around the UK and gain broad experience in HR, but I never realised the extent to which I would actually gain this with Mitchells & Butlers. If you’re looking for an office-based, 9-5, Monday-Friday job, then this probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a role that would keep you interested, motivated and challenge you from day 1, you need look no further.

The ironic thing now is that, having been a graduate myself just 3 years ago, my most recent role is to cover the maternity leave of our Corporate HR Advisor, and as such one of my main responsibilities is our graduate recruitment!"

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