To foster young talents, BSH offers opportunities like the Global Graduate Accelerator (short: GGA) – a 12-month program for recent graduates, designed to discover BSH and yourself with a focus on experience-based learning. To give them security, the participants also get an unlimited contract at BSH. By working in diverse teams and departments in Germany and abroad, BSH provides extraordinary learning and networking opportunities for young employees to discover their passions and talents. Today, we want to introduce Jennifer Deuber, who finished the program in the area of Business Administration one year ago. We asked her about the experiences she made in Germany and Stockholm during the program and how it helped ignite her passion for organizing and analyzing data.

1.    Can you please explain how your year as a Global Graduate (GG) was structured? In which areas and at which locations did you work?

The GGA program started with an Onboarding Week in Munich, where I first met my fellow GGs. During the Onboarding Week, we got to know each other, learned more about BSH, and met our future colleagues. After the week, we all stayed in Munich for another three months and joined various departments to work with and learn from. I chose to join the Transformation team that works on topics around organizational and cultural development. In December, we, the GGs, left our first assignment and learned about Design Thinking and Scrum and started working on our Business Challenge one day per week for the rest of the program. During the Business Challenge, we developed ways on how to solve a real-world business question.

Starting the new year, we moved on to our second assignment which took me to Traunreut, at Lake Chiemsee in Germany, to learn from the local HR department for three months. For the third assignment, we all went to BSH locations outside of Germany. I joined the regional strategy team in Stockholm, Sweden, where my topics were, for example, remote work policy and change management. After working abroad for three months, we all came back to Munich for the end phase of the GGA program. This covered the finalization and presentation of our Business Challenge to our stakeholders and board members, as well as the Social Days, where we would work for two days for a social institution. At the Discovery Days, we had the chance to job-shadow in areas we were interested in but didn’t get the chance to join during our previous assignments. Overall, for me it was a year of getting to know various facets of BSH, increasing my skillset and discovering for myself what I am interested in – all this, accompanied by living in different places.

2.    What was your motivation to apply for the Global Graduate Accelerator at BSH Home Appliances?

Well, there were many reasons why I wanted to join the GGA program rather than apply for a direct entry position. First, after finishing my studies in Psychology, I wasn’t completely sure in which area I wanted to work. For me, the GGA program was a way to figure out for myself, which department I would like to join for my first position. The second reason is that I wanted to gain business knowledge and broaden my international understanding. So having the chance to work in different areas, combined with the opportunity to have international fellow GGs, with whom I would explore that, plus the ability to work at different locations, had a great impact on my decision. Thirdly, the reason why I specifically applied for the GGA, was that I was intrigued by the culture of BSH. The way they designed the application process and the topics they shared online on platforms like LinkedIn very much resonated with my own values. I felt welcome at BSH, even before I had the job offer and I really wanted to join a company that cares about me as an employee. Fast forward to my time after the GGA – this was the right call. I am happy at BSH and with my decision to join the GGA.

3.    How was the learning progress in your focus area? Which kinds of training did you undergo?

The learning progress was huge! Not only learning from colleagues by joining different departments at different locations but also by exchanging with your fellow GGAs. This combined with the training during the program, like on Design Thinking, Scrum, Sustainable Business Models, Leadership, Communication and access to different online learning platforms to learn about whatever you are interested in, just accelerated the learning progress.

4.    Which influence did the program have on you personally and professionally?

Maybe to start off professionally: I had the chance to learn things I didn't learn at University and I now know what area I want to work in. By trying out different fields and undergoing the trainings, I discovered that my passion lies at the intersection of organizational development and data analytics. That is something I would have never considered before the GGA, or even knew that it exists. Additionally, I met so many great people at BSH, which is very helpful because now I know whom to contact in case of questions.

Looking at the personal aspects, I would say the gain was even bigger. I learned a lot about myself, like what I need to be happy at work, and I met my fellow GGs. Even one year after the GGA, I am still in touch with them. We regularly support each other in projects and also go out after work. By going through this exciting year together, we all grew individually but also as a group. 

5.    How was the collaboration with the other participants of the GGA?

The answer to that question is easy: It was great! Within this year we became close friends, not only during the program but also one year after we finished, this is still the same. Of course, we had to get to know each other first. There were moments when we challenged each other and sometimes disagreed, but the group dynamic we had was a great atmosphere to learn and grow in. The great thing is you have someone who is going through very similar challenges as you, so there is always someone to exchange with and relate to.

6.    What are the Social Days? What was your experience with this initiative?

During the "Social Days", you get to join a social initiative of your choice. In my GGA year, we decided to join "Tafel Deutschland e.V." and "Joblinge" for two days. I personally supported "Joblinge", an organization who is providing support against youth unemployment. For me, those days were really eye-opening and I enjoyed them very much. It was a good feeling to have the chance to give something back.

7.    How was the exchange with your mentor? What did you learn?

My mentor really helped me to find my way. She has been with BSH for a long time and she knew many people. She connected me with many colleagues within BSH, which eventually helped me to narrow down the area I want to join as my first position and simply allowed me to meet many great people. Also, I loved chatting and exchanging with her! In our case, we met once a month but there were also situations where I just called her in between if I had a question or needed her advice on something and she was always there to support me.

8.    Looking back at your time as Global Graduate, what was your personal highlight or favorite memory?

That is a tough one! There are so many good memories and I wish I just could go back and re-experience them because I really enjoyed my time as Global Graduate. But if I had to pick one, I would choose the team-building event at Lake Chiemsee at the end of the program when we tried to build a raft with only limited materials. The whole day was full of good memories but towards the end of the day, when we were sitting at the lake, enjoying dinner and reminiscing about the program, I felt very grateful for the experiences and the people I met and at the same time very excited about what would come next. 

9.    After your year as a Global Graduate, you got a permanent job at BSH. What is your new job?

Funnily enough, when the program was about to end, the team of my first assignment had a job vacancy, so I decided to apply and join them. I am now working on global organizational development projects where I analyze organizational data.