Calling all candy lovers: here's what it takes to earn the 'world's sweetest internship'
CHICAGO -- Mars Wrigley Confectionary is looking for a hard-working, eager intern with great communication skills--oh, and you'll need a major sweet tooth! That's because the company's first-ever "confectionery connoisseur" candidates should be able to identify "all five fruity flavors from the Skittles rainbow in a blind taste-test and "blow bubbles with chewing gum that are greater than 5" in diameter," according to the job posting.
This love of sweets will come in handy for the intern as he or she gets a behind the scenes look at production in factories and at flavor development in Mars Wrigley labs--even testing his or her own new gum flavor.
"The underpinning of all of this is someone who is a talented communicator and looking at expressing that in all different forms from writing to social media to graphic design to tell that complete story of our brands," said Michelle Green, who is the senior manager for external affairs at Mars Wrigley Confectionery and the future confectionery connoisseur's boss.
Job responsibilities include being expected to "taste and develop a deep appreciation for chocolate, gum, mint and confectionery products from around the world," "produce a personalized batch of chewing gum in our pilot plant and experience mouth-wateringly delicious flavor combinations from our product labs," and "infuse flavorful fun into social media strategy content development and deployment; capturing this sweet job and all its learnings on social media," the job posting reads.
Green took me through the intern audition, Thursday. I was able to identify all five Skittles flavors blind-folded--though I almost second-guessed myself because the smell didn't line up with the taste. So here's my tip for would-be confectionery connoisseurs: don't rely on the sniff-test when trying to "taste the rainbow!"
When it came to bubble-blowing, I just squeezed past the 5" mark, though Green's bubbles were colossal by comparison. The only tip I can come up with on that front: practice.
I also was able to taste international Mars Wrigley treats (which the intern will be exposed to), like a chili-infused Snickers bar.
If all of this isn't enough to entice you, the confectionery connoisseur will receive a "signing bonus" of a year's supply of candy!
Green said there's no age-limit on how old the intern can be. But make sure you can "demonstrate the will power to write about and photograph candy without eating it before the work is complete," the posting said.
You can apply until June 1.
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