Ask most final year students or graduates where they want to work and the chances are they will say one of the big corporates like P&G, BT or until recently, one of the big banks. If they want to work in the food industry they will say one of the major brands like: Mars, Kellogg's, Cadbury Schweppes or Heinz. Yet this flies in the face of what most of them say they want from their first job in food. Sure, you will get to work with major global brands but how much influence will you have on product development? You have to ask yourself: how many new products do Heinz Baked Beans go through in the average year?

Increasingly, I believe graduates should also look at the own-label chilled product manufacturers who develop new lines for Tesco and M&S. While a global brand might carry out a dozen or so new product developments in a year, these companies could develop up to 800. You may say OK, that's fine for the guys in new product development but I have a degree in manufacturing science and I want to make a difference. Well you won't be Just in Time to teach Heinz much about the latest in Lean Manufacturing techniques. They have been at the cutting edge of real time manufacturing systems since the seventies. Own-label manufacturers may be more open to your ideas as they will be anxious to leapfrog a developmental stage or two in manufacturing know-how.

If it's a challenge you are looking for, how about managing a team of 100 people two years out of university? The non-branded chilled food market is as challenging as you like and backed by multi-million pound budgets and international networks, where you can learn the latest management thinking from around the world. And finally, if that's not enough there is always the thrill of seeing products that you developed or had a hand in the manufacture of sitting in the chillers of the major food retailers. After all, we all like to have our works of art on display for the whole world to see and, of course, to enjoy.