Students/Trainees

Kerstin, what attracted you to a trainee position?

When I looked around for job offers, I quickly realized: Most corporations are looking for employees with several years of professional experience; there were only a few positions for career starters. And I realized that I didn't know my options at all: With many job offers, I had no idea whether it would even suit me. Being an IT trainee at Evonik gives me the chance to get to know a large company and to find out in which direction I want to develop professionally.

What are you currently doing?

Among other things, I am supporting the Product Line Smart Administration in developing a dashboard for their product portfolio. The dashboard is intended to help strategically evaluate Smart Administration's 100-plus products and keep the portfolio up-to-date. To do this, I collect data on how often the products or applications are used, how satisfied the users are with them, what costs are associated with them, whether there are overlaps in terms of functionality, and the like, and prepare them in PowerBI. I find that very interesting, and I could well imagine working as a product manager in a product line.

What has been your highlight so far?

That I was allowed to be part of the IT retreat. Three times a year, the IT management team – the CIO, the division heads, and the department heads – meets for a two-day retreat to discuss current issues and challenges facing Evonik IT. That gives you a completely different insight, and I've gotten to know many IT colleagues better. And I'll be working at our IT hub in Kuala Lumpur for three months starting in September. That will certainly be exciting, too.

Leon, tell us something about yourself

Before joining Evonik, I studied in Göttingen and earned a master's degree in business informatics. At the same time, I worked as a student trainee at a pharmaceutical and laboratory supplier.

Why did you want to work as a trainee?

When I saw the job posting back then, it immediately appealed to me because the program is so diverse. I saw the opportunity to better understand how such a large IT department works and what I could contribute myself. That's proving to be true right now. I also wanted to work for a large company because that simply offers more career opportunities - you can also go abroad for a few months as a trainee.

What are your experiences so far?

At the moment, I'm working in two areas - firstly, in the demand organization in one of the chemical divisions, which bundles the division's IT needs and passes them on to IT, and secondly, in the Market Engagement product line, which is one of IT's six product lines and implements the demand. I'm at the interface between IT and business, so to speak, and I support two smaller projects. I find it very exciting to see both sides and - as things stand today - I could well imagine working in a product line or as a project manager. Before that, I was at SAP Basis, which runs the SAP systems at Evonik, among other things. That was pretty abstract for me at first, since I had never worked with SAP. But then I found a lot to like about it, because the SAP Basis team is so enthusiastic and has so much fun at work. That´s just contagious.

You started in November. What impact did Corona have?

At that time, the Corona wave was flat in Germany, and there were a lot of face-to-face events in the first two weeks so that we trainees could get to know the company. Our mentors Uli and Gilles, who supervise Kerstin and me, had taken two days of time for us. That was a great start. But then the Corona numbers went up, and I was in the office maybe once a week. That didn't feel like a new phase in my life, since I had also worked mostly at home during my studies. The fact that I nevertheless found my way into the company is due to the fact that the interaction with each other is very collegial and relaxed and that as a trainee you are always welcomed with open arms: In the meantime, I've been able to meet more colleagues and also the other trainees in person. And I'm looking forward to going to the USA for three months in September.

Simon, tell us something about yourself

I did an industrial management apprenticeship at RWE and, in parallel, a bachelor's degree in business administration; I'm also currently doing my master's dissertation in IT management. After my apprenticeship, I worked at RWE, Volkswagen Infotainment and HRS - always in an IT environment, but I was mainly concerned with the business management side.

Why did you want to become an IT trainee?

Evonik may not seem like a typical employer for an IT employee, but that makes all the difference. The focus may be on chemicals, but there is a huge requirement for IT-related processes and products, which is growing continuously. For me, the attraction of Evonik lies in the diverse range of IT tasks and responsibilities, their linkage with the Group's products, and ongoing digitalization.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you look back on your time as an IT trainee?

The sincerity of the welcome that I received everywhere - I always felt immediately integrated right from the start. That made it easy for me to build up a good network in IT. And since I completed a total of nine very different placements - including three months in the U.S. - my time was incredibly varied.

Do you have a favorite among the placements you completed?

No, I found them all equally interesting and important. I started from scratch each time and then always learned a lot of new things. That's exciting per se. I wouldn't have wanted to forgo a single placement.

When it came to you finding a permanent position: do you derive any benefits from having been a trainee?

One advantage is certainly the network that you have built up. You simply know a lot of people and may be approached more often, when a position is available. Of course, the permanent employment guarantee means that you can be sure of a permanent position. The contacts you've made beforehand are probably an advantage in making sure that you really do get the job you want. In any case, I have found my dream job as a Solution Architect in the Market Engagement area.

You had a personal mentor the whole time. How important was he for you?

It was extremely important for me to have a dedicated contact person throughout the entire time. Claus, my mentor, gave me lots of valuable tips and helped me pin down a number of issues - that was a great help, especially in the early days. Ultimately, he was also the one who got my stay in the USA off the ground and took care of the organization side of things.