Growing with Shell Gourami

As summer comes in signaling the end of graduation, the thoughts of the best and the brightest from universities and colleges all over the Philippines turn to beginning their careers. This is the time students all over the country look back over their past four years of college and begin to weigh the pros and cons of the choices that could shape their entire future and, ultimately, our future as well for as cliché as it sounds, the youth really are the future and it will inevitably be up to them to shape and change society.

That having been said, it becomes extremely important that the next generation decide wisely when choosing their future career. Not only should they take into consideration the salaries they’ll be making but also whether or not the company they chose will take care of them and nurture their talent allowing them eventually to not only expand monetarily but to broaden their horizons and build their characters as well. In essence, all new graduates and even those who are just beginning to seek their future career should find a company that will not only pay them but care for them too. In turn, companies should also realize new recruits are not only new employees but new opportunities and should be cared for and nurtured accordingly.

One such company that realizes the importance of investing in their future is Shell. Shell maintains strong and aggressive recruitment policies that ultimately not only benefit the company but the company’s future employees as well. "Attraction and recruitment is given its due importance in Shell," says Vimi Venugopal, Regional Marketing Manager for Attraction and Recruitment in Shell Asia-Pacific. "We are a company of talent and through that we become a company of output. We are constantly expanding ourselves and attracting students of all different backgrounds," she adds.

Indeed, graduate recruitment is one of the most important aspects of Shell’s hiring procedures. This type of recruitment refers to new graduates with zero to three years working experience and is one of Shell’s best investments.

In line with this, Shell’s recruitment process is on-going throughout the entire year. Their attraction allows for many roads into the company not just direct application. There is additionally Shell Recruitment Day, Internships, Campus Ambassadors, Employee Referral, and the most comprehensive route – the Shell Gourami Business Challenge. Here in the Philippines, in particular, Shell’s recruitment needs are usually restricted to 10-12 graduates yearly so the attraction methods applied are mainly limited to Recruitment Day, Internships, and Gourami. And what is Gourami many ask? For the students who have already participated in it, they would say it is the experience of a lifetime and for those, like myself, who were invited to observe we would say it is a wonderful opportunity for both future employees (new graduates) and possible future employer (Shell) to get to know one another and work in a real life-like situation that will expand both of their horizons.

For those who aren’t familiar with it the Shell Gourami Business Challenge is one of the most extensive methods of entering the Shell Company. It is a week-long business and technical challenge organized by Shell as a means to attract and recruit the best talent across the globe. Designed as a key attraction tool, especially in Asia-Pacific, the Gourami Business Challenge brings together participants from all over the region to work as part of a project team to develop a five-year strategic business plan for Shell’s operations in the fictitious island of Gou-rami and eventually presenting their plan to a panel of shareholders representative of Shell’s senior management. Much like a condensed version of the famous "The Apprentice" on television, Shell Gourami allows students to work in a real life simulation mimicking situations that arise in the energy business and providing participants with the opportunities to make strategic decisions and recommendations in all aspects of Shell’s operations all under the watchful and helpful eyes of the Gourami Director and coaches (all employees of Shell in different countries).

Indeed, Gourami has been met with success worldwide. In Asia-Pacific alone the 2005 Gourami Challenge (the first of its kind at that time) was a resounding success. Over 70 percent of the participants met the requirements and eventually went on to work for Shell. The Philippines, in particular, received a perfect acceptance rate into the company at the 2005 Gourami Challenge and is looking forward to the same this year. "Filipinos do exceptionally well in the Gourami environment," assesses Sidney Cordero, HR Account Manager for Shell Philippines and one of the Gourami coaches. "They are not only very bright and creative students but they are easy to get along with, well-spoken, and driven individuals. The 2006 batch in particular impressed me very much and I’m sure they had a similar impact on Shell’s senior management."

Indeed, of the four-person delegation the Philippines sent to the Shell Gourami Business Challenge there was not one among them who did not shine. "We were all very excited coming into this challenge," relates Camela Cancio, 21-year-old Ateneo de Manila University Business Management student. "We knew we would be placed in the arena with equally talented and intelligent students from all over Asia and we wanted to be prepared and to make the Philippines proud." And this they achieved with finesse and ease. It wasn’t just the Filipino coach they impressed but several of the other coaches and assessors too, as well as the other student participants in the challenge.

"Gourami was such a positive experience," agrees Jonathon Pua, a 21-year-old Management student from Ateneo de Manila. "We not only learned a lot about working in the real world and working for Shell but we learned a lot about teamwork and integrating with people from other countries. Most importantly, though, we learned a lot about ourselves."

Care Uy, a 20-year-old Management Engineering student also from the Ateneo adds, "We obviously all came into this wanting to do our best and show not only Shell but the other students our talents and abilities, but we learned right away that it was not only making decisions and doing things ourselves but allowing others to make choices as well. We learned about communication and about how to receive the ideas and thoughts of others. Through Gourami we all had our own moments to lead and to follow. Working together is what made our team successful."

"Gourami has given me a better idea of how to finish up school," Iara Arcilla, a 20-year-old Business Administration student from U.P. Diliman relates of her experience. "It has given me a grasp of my strengths and weaknesses and I have a pretty good idea now of what will help me later on in the corporate world and in life after school. I have a clearer picture now of where I want to end up."

It was, indisputably, a win/win encounter for both Shell and for the 49 participants who worked through the 2006 Gourami Business Challenge. Both sides gained and learned from each other and at the end of the day, 49 of the brightest and best students in the Asia-Pacific region, including four impressive candidates from our own Philippine shores emerged stronger, smarter, and more aware of both themselves and of life after school. And with graduation behind them they have a strong advantage over several of their colleagues knowing what they do about the real working world. Now if a blossoming career opportunity with one of the world’s best company’s – Shell – is also part of the mix as well, that’s just the icing on the cake!