Inside the Strategy Track in Nuuday’s Graduate Programme

We recently had the pleasure to talk to Isabella Lensborn who just started her journey as a Strategy Graduate at Nuuday, which is a part of TDC Group. She graduated this summer from Copenhagen Business School, the best business school in all the Nordic countries according to the worldwide university rankings guide QS.

Before starting in a graduate programme at Nuuday, she used to work for various consulting companies where she gained a lot of experience. As she was finishing her studies it was time to decide whether to stay in the field that she was familiar with or aim for something new and exciting such as a graduate program.

Why Nuuday?

After doing the research and based on her friend’s recommendation, she decided to apply for a graduate program within strategy at Nuuday. The program takes one year in which you have two rotations. Although Nuuday is a relatively new brand, she had to compete with many other applicants. Isabella mentioned that there were almost 500 applicants for the strategy track.

Another factor that strengthened her belief that Nuuday was a great choice, was the way the recruiters conducted the interview and the hiring process in general. Due to the circumstances and the governmental restrictions as a result of COVID-19, she had most of her interviews online. Compared to other positions that she was applying for, Nuuday stood out the most. They even sent a little package with snacks for an interview day and she said that despite the fact it was a small thing, it made a difference.

All in all, she says that working within an industry and not in consultancy is different from what she has previously been trying, but now in the Nuuday Strategy team she has an amazing opportunity to “get the best from both worlds” – the consultancy toolbox and the deeper knowledge from working in an industry.

First 30 days in the TDC Nuuday Graduate Programme

Isabella started her journey in Nuuday in the middle of August. During the first week, all graduates were invited for three full days of “onboarding” activities. These first days she spent on getting to know the other graduates through various teamwork activities. Besides this she met the CEO of Nuuday, Michael Moyell-Juul, who delivered a speech on what it’s like to be a part of Nuuday’s interesting journey. Other than that she was introduced to her „buddy”; a person who is in her team with whom she can discuss any issues regarding her job.

 On top of that, she also got assigned a mentor who is a senior manager from a different area within the company. She mentioned that having a mentor from a different department is a great solution because the mentor can bring new perspectives to the table.

The social part is key

When considering the social part of being employed in Nuuday, Isabella is really happy. The management as well as the teams by themselves put a huge emphasis on this part. There are many social initiatives that the employees can take part in. “They make sure that we get to know each other in informal ways too”, Isabella adds.

Besides the work that all the graduates are involved in on a day-to-day basis, Nuuday also invests in the graduate group as a whole. During the one-year programme all graduates are invited for several case camps, which focuses on different kinds of impactful learnings that can support both their career and personal development.

Steep learning curves within a graduate program

Working in a company in the telecom industry was something very different from what Isabella was used to. She mentioned that one of the biggest differences is responsibility. In her previous jobs in the consultancy companies, there was always a senior person who was the project manager. Therefore, she could not take responsibility of any big tasks because they were assigned to the senior people. In Nuuday it is the opposite, where she is given the responsibilities as a project manager. This is something new for Isabella, and she adds that she really enjoys getting this kind of work experience.

The flexibility

It is usually a common understanding that being a graduate might take up a lot of free time. Even though Isabella’s team is working a lot, it’s absolutely allowed to have a period, when you decide to leave work earlier. On the other hand, in periods where you want to develop fast and „kick-ass”, there are enough tasks to do. The working hours are flexible if you are open and honest about it, but also come with a responsibility.  

What do you need at Nuuday?

Proactivity is a very important skill that can help you to succeed in Nuuday. “You should activate a “go-do attitude” and not just wait for someone to tell you what to do”, Isabella says.

Since the organization has and still is under a huge transformation into an agile enterprise, the other very important skill that you should have is open-mindedness. Being open towards changes gives you a lot of confidence that can be used to handle potential changes and challenges along the way.

Something to know beforehand

In the end, we asked Isabella what she would wish to know before. She said that being confident in your own skills and knowledge is something that is very important.

A lot of people tend to think that when employees have been working in the company for a longer period of time they know everything best. In reality, however, that might not be the case. As you are usually starting a graduate programme “fresh out of the school” you have the ability to bring in new insights that the senior people are not aware of. New methods and fresh perspectives can be a valuable addition to the team.

The future

Isabella was asked whether she is planning to stay at Nuuday after her programme ends or apply for another job. With full confidence, she said that she is going to stay!

Lastly, we would like to thank Isabella once again for finding time for this interview with us, and we wish her good luck in the future at Nuuday.