At Graduateships we set out to make it easier for everyone looking for a graduate job. Besides our general Graduateships report, we wanted to give all graduates specific insight on how to score a graduate job with some of the biggest companies in Denmark.
We sat down with Mette Brun Hesselvig who’s the graduate program manager at GN Store Nord, to talk a bit about how their graduate program is structured and how to optimize your chances of securing a position there.
GN Store Nord Graduate Program facts:
What are you looking for in a graduate at GN Store Nord?
“Well first of all its important to state that this all depends on the person, but some of the general qualities that we really appreciate are:
It is also preferable if our graduates have international experience so that they have an understanding of different cultures. This is because we are an international business with English as the primary language and we have several different locations with a diverse span of nationalities within the company.
That is also why it’s important that with the international mindset a desire for traveling is evident. At GN Store Nord you will be working abroad as part of our graduate program and to do so it’s important to be curious of different cultural differences as you will meet many colleagues with different backgrounds.
If we can do wishful thinking as well we’d love a graduate that can add new knowledge to our company. Maybe by adding a new digital aspect or through an excellent understanding of the customer journey. This is, of course, evident in all the different tracks that you have to have the required skills and knowledge from your master’s degree and in general we value work experience and internships as well!”
That sounds awesome! Can you also tell us a bit more about the process you go through as an applicant?
“First, we screen all the applications. Here you need to submit your CV, a grade transcript and a motivated application. Here it’s generally a great idea to really research what kind of company GN Store Nord is.
After we’ve screened the applications, we have an assessment day at our headquarters in Ballerup.
In the morning we conduct interviews with the candidates and giving different presentations about GN. This allows the graduates to get a deeper insight into how we work as a company, which is something that we value a lot. We are very aware that some of the graduates are applying for multiple programs and therefore it’s important for us that just as well as we choose them, they also choose us.
After the interviews and presentations, the applicants are given a case which they will solve in groups and present to management. Once the day is over we figure out who we want to see for a second and maybe even third interview, and hopefully, we hire them quickly afterward. So for Finance and Marketing, they should already get an offer in March and for IT and Engineering it is in May. We also use the Assessment Days to hire candidates in permanent positions. Last year we hired 9 Graduates and 7 candidates in permanent positions. The Graduate Program starts in September.”
So if you like all of the information so far and would like to apply for the graduate program, how do you impress with your application?
“It could be very interesting knowing what you do when you’re not studying, but also why you’ve chosen to study what you do. If you’ve had a part-time job or like done a summer internship or similar, that is always great to hear about. We know that it’s common for Danes to have a part-time job next to your studies, but not as common for international students. Even if it’s not relevant for the program, we still do like that you have been in a job, so we are sure that you know how to be a part of a business.”
Do you have any advice to anyone considering applying?
“It’s important that you make up your mind whether GN Store Nord is a company you can see yourself in. Not that this has been a problem so far, as all of our graduates have received permanent positions afterward and they are even all still with us. This is most likely also due to our focus on the social aspect within the GN Store Nord graduate program. We pride ourselves on having a really good graduate alumni network, where they are able to benefit from each other across tracks and areas in the company. Our graduate program is not so big that you can end up disappearing in the masses and with our two divisions in our company (we produce hearing aids and audio solutions (headsets etc.), we actually have two businesses in one, all working with sound.
So you should definitely take all of the above into consideration before – and when applying.”
You seem very passionate about the graduate program – what do you think a graduate program gives you, compared to a regular position?
“Well, the graduate program gives you the opportunity to check out different aspects of the business if you’re not completely sure what you would like to do. You get a broader understanding of GN Store Nord as well as your own skills. The international rotations that we have at GN Store Nord also allow for a thorough understanding of the different processes within the business. One day you might be sitting at the headquarters making a strategy and in the next rotation, you might be somewhere implementing the strategy! Our graduates are usually candidates that like getting a broad understanding in the beginning and then diving down into a specific area.”
You’ve talked a lot about the international rotation, can reveal a bit about the possible destinations?
“Actually I can’t say which countries might be relevant for this year’s graduates. It all depends on the profile and the timing. There has to be a need for GN Store Nord and a learning opportunity for it to make sense. With that said, some of the countries this year’s graduates will go to on their second rotation are: China, USA, France, Germany, and Holland. On top of that, we’ve also previously had graduates in Japan, Spain Brazil, Singapore and England.”
I find it really impressive that you still have all of your graduates. How do you make sure that they motivated at GN Store Nord?
“If you like to change things every once in a while, the graduate program is a really good solution as you’re rotating into something different every 8th months. At GN Store Nord, we also have a very flat hierarchy and we are in general a very entrepreneurial business, despite our size. It is my impression, that the Graduates like the opportunities with our company. They have possibilities for joining two different businesses, and if they would like to work abroad after the Graduate Program this is definitely possible. But I also think that the Graduate network is very value adding and one of the reasons why our graduates keeps being motivated.”
Anything else you would like to share about the GN Store Nord graduate program?
“I would like to encourage all the graduates out there to reach out to us with any questions!
We also have a few events coming up. We will be present at Graduate Night at ITU Feb 5 and we are present at the DSE career fair on the 1-2 of of April. Catch us there to hear more about GN Store Nord, our program or just anything you would like to ask us!”
A huge thanks to Mette and GN Store Nord! Graduateships and GN Store Nord wish you all the best with your applications. Check https://www.gn.com/Working-with-us/Graduate-Program for the deadline for the different tracks!
