Our international Global Graduate Accelerator program (short: GGA) is a unique opportunity to get to know BSH from different perspectives: During these 12-months, the Global Graduates work in various departments and at different company locations in Germany and other countries, shaping their journey according to their own interests. As Mar Lahoz Navarro explains, it is a time to grow – professionally and personally. In today’s interview, we take a closer look at the application process. Former Global Graduate Mar shares her reasons for applying for the GGA, the requirements and describes different parts of the process like the Virtual Selection Days. Find out more about her experiences and which valuable tips she has to offer to future candidates.

 1.     Please give us a brief wrap up of your time as a Global Graduate. In which area(s) did you work? Where was your placement abroad? 
 
As a Global Graduate, I was assigned to the focus area of Marketing and Sales due to my follow-up position that was already fixed at the beginning of the program. However, despite belonging to this focus area, I got the chance to experience working in different areas within BSH during the GG year, just as I wanted. 
My first department was in Munich in Global Digital Transition and Business Enabling Performance Analytics, which basically focuses on Digital Touchpoint Analytics, implementing a Consumer Journey Dashboard in MS Power BI by sourcing and analysing data from Thunderhead with Python scripts for the generation of insights into the development of consumer segmentation areas. Then, I joined the predevelopment department for Laundry Care Appliances in Berlin, where I developed deep learning algorithms, like convolutional Neural Networks, with the aim to predict foam height during washing cycles. During the development process, we compared resulting outcomes with existing solutions in close cooperation with the Technical University of Berlin.
Finally, my placement abroad was in the Smart Oven team in Montañana, near Zaragoza in Spain, where I trained and evaluated a deep learning classification model for dish recognition by identifying popular oven dishes in Home Connect and systematically preparing datasets for training as well as continuously analysing resulting outcomes to determine actions for the improvement and accuracy of the classification model.

2.     What was your motivation to apply for the Global Graduate Accelerator at BSH Home Appliances?
 
I was interested in applying for the Global Graduate Accelerator mainly for two reasons. The first one was the opportunity that this program offered to shape my own future within BSH by freely choosing the assignments during this year based on my personal interests that I wanted to develop further – not only in Germany but also worldwide. The second reason that drove me to apply to this program was the history of BSH and its consolidated brands: BSH is one of the leading home appliance producers that offers high quality and reliable day-to-day products, but, at the same time, a traditional company that embraces the innovation in products that have existed in our homes for many years. 

 
3.     What were the requirements for the application that spoke to you? 
 
One of the requirements that spoke to me in a positive way was the required intercultural experience: Every applicant had either worked or studied abroad before. This requirement highlighted for me the importance of having multicultural and diverse teams with open-minded people.

 
4.     What did the application process look like?
 
The first step was to upload the CV in the BSH job portal and complete an online assessment. After getting the results, I had to upload a 2 minutes video in which I shared what I was passionate about and how I imagined my job at BSH and the impact I seek to have in this job. One month later, I was virtually interviewed by employees from BSH Spain. Lastly, I was invited to join the virtual Selection Days.

 
5.     Can you give us any insights into the Virtual Selection Days? What’s the Design Thinking-Hackathon?
 
The virtual Selection Days lasted two days and consisted of a Design Thinking-Hackathon, a short role-play and an individual interview. 
On the first day, when the Design Thinking-Hackathon took place, we were split into different groups and the interviewers presented the issue we had to solve in the group. Everything was explained clearly and the interviewers ensured a relaxed environment that made us feel comfortable during the process. It was a very enriching experience since we had to find the balance between all ideas and collaborate in creating the best prototype for the given problem. Moreover, it was exciting to get to know the other graduates who might become my colleagues, and work with them. Finally, on the last day, I was invited to an individual call, in which I had to play a certain role and discuss with one of the interviewers. Afterwards, they asked me some more questions to get a better understanding of my personality and how I react in certain situations. 

 
6.     What was your reaction when you received the acceptance letter?
 
When I received the acceptance letter, I could not believe it! I was really excited and could not wait to move to Munich and meet the other graduates with whom I would share this experience.

 
7.     What would you have wished to know prior to the application process that you learned during the program?
 
I wish I had known how much flexibility and freedom there was in choosing the assignments in the three stations and all the different departments that offered us the possibility to work with them for those 3 months. This gave me the assurance that I would find assignments related to AI and data related topics I was interested in.

 
8.     Which tips do you have for people who also want to apply for the GGA?
 
What I would suggest to the people who are interested in applying for the GGA is to think of the GG year as a time to grow: You will have to adapt quickly to changes to make the most of this experience during which you will build a strong network with many interesting people. 

 
9.     Looking back at your time as Global Graduate, what was your personal highlight or favorite memory?
 
It is tough to pick just one, but I am going to choose our trip to Slovenia. Throughout the GG year, we were working on a business challenge in which we had to create an innovative idea around kitchen machines and each team had two coaches that supported and encouraged us during the process. At this trip to Slovenia, we had the opportunity to spend more time together and we met the Slovenian colleagues, who warmly welcomed us. It was the end of a very intense year, in which I had to say goodbye to my peers. 

 
10.  After your year as a Global Graduate, you got a permanent job at BSH. What is your new job?
 
In September 2022, I joined the D2C team in Zaragoza, Spain, as a Data Analyst. In this position, I can apply what I learned during my first assignment in Munich and that made the transition very smooth and easy. 

To get more insights into the Global Graduate Accelerator, please visit our Website or read the following interviews:

-       Jennifer on finding your passion and talents
-       Andrea on experiencing work culture abroad
-       Oliver on tackling the Business Challenge