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Life doesn’t always go to plan and sometimes certain events can change the direction of your career path as quick as a flash. We meet graduate, Reena Mehta, who discovered that career goals and life passions can be combined through a graduate course

Having completed her A-level Chemistry course in just one year, Reena believed she was destined for a career as a chemist, but by the time she graduated she had changed her mind! “I was good at chemistry,” she says, “but I realised I couldn’t see myself spending the rest of my life in a lab.”

Two experiences that at first might seem unrelated led Reena to see where her future lay. “I’d worked in retail to earn some extra money and realised I enjoyed the work very much, then I got involved in voluntary work and discovered my passion – working with people. I got a lot out of my time working for Oxfam and the Young People’s Council. I love making a difference to people’s lives.” This gem of an idea became her goal to find a career that would allow her to do both – work in the world of retail and make a difference to the people she met.

It was when a friend told her about Boots’ Retail Unlimited graduate programme that her path became clear. “Boots seemed to be the kind of company that would give me exactly what I was looking for; the chance to work with people, gain great training for a career in retail management – and all in an organisation with a trustworthy reputation. I knew they’d look after me.”

A new start
Reena’s only a couple of months into the programme, but she’s enjoying it immensely – not least because of Boots’ approach to the learning experience. Where she had imagined she’d be spending the first weeks watching training videos, the truth was much more interesting and revealing. We spent the first two weeks at head office, where we met the directors of the business, retail leaders and other key people,” she says, “and it wasn’t just a series of presentations and workshops.

They talked to us and listened to our opinions. They’re genuinely passionate about what they do – to make customers look and feel better than they thought possible.” And the surprises didn’t stop there: “We were made to feel special too. On the first evening of the programme we had dinner with the Director of Stores, Simon Roberts, and during the time in head office so many people went out of their way to share their insights and welcome us. We learnt that healthcare is the heart of this business and saw how privileged people at Boots feel to be a part of the world’s best pharmacy-led, health and beauty retailer.”

Retail Unlimited is a structured 12-month programme and Reena very quickly found herself at the heart of the business working in a Boots store on the shop fl oor, under the guidance of her Store Manager Lyndsey Cutting. With the help of the team, she is getting to grips with the real business of retail. “Everyone’s been very supportive and I have really seen my skills improve. I have begun managing people and working with colleagues to improve our customer care skills. We work together to achieve our targets and support each other to move into more challenging roles within the store. Customer satisfaction is rising and my colleagues are mentioned in glowing terms on our customer feedback forms.”

Reena thinks the programme has taught her a lot about herself. “It’s about learning by doing and experiencing great retailing fi rst-hand. I’m a lot more confident than I thought,” she explains. Reena’s learned to be more understanding and patient through her dealings with customers and colleagues, “I’m always looking for ways to improve and my organisational skills are developing all the time. To succeed, you have to be hard-working and focused but I am looking forward to the challenges to come and there is so much yet to learn.”

Helping the community
But what about her voluntary activities – have they been lost in the rush of retail? “Not at all,” she says. “As part of the Retail Unlimited programme we (the graduates) were given a project to revamp
a community centre belonging to Home Start, a charity for families with young children supported by
Boots. It gave us the opportunity to do something special for the community and be directly involved in helping to change the lives, in a small way, of the people to whom the centre means so much.

“The challenge was fantastic – we had sole responsibility to plan, organise and fund-raise the money by ourselves! We got to meet the people running the centre and had the chance of listening to what was truly important to them. It was a huge opportunity to develop leadership skills and learn about how working together as a team can achieve so much.” And did they do it? “Of course we did,” says Reena.

“We raised £1000 from fund-raising activities and Boots matched the money we’d collected. We hope we’ve succeeded in making the centre more comfortable and welcoming for everyone who works there and for the families who visit.” So how does Reena feel, now she’s well into the programme? Does she miss chemistry? “I love it here,” she says. “Give me the people in a place like Boots any day. It’s great seeing how I can change the lives of so many people, and I love thinking up ways to boost sales by listening to what customers want. I work for a company where I can continue to combine my passions for people with a successful career in retail and that means so much.”

So why the name Retail Unlimited? Because it enables you to realize your potential and gives you unlimited opportunities.

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