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Focus on trade: interviews

Peek & Cloppenburg KG
Leyla Samadi
Head of Employer Branding HR People & Talent Management

UNIGLOBALE: Can people join you with courses other than business administration, economics or economics? Do career changers and humanities scholars have a chance?

P&C is primarily looking for graduates from business and fashion-related courses. But candidates from other courses such as humanities, communication sciences, law, etc. are also in demand.

UNIGLOBALE: What requirements does a student have to meet to work in your company?

In addition to university qualifications and practical experience, the overall impression is ultimately always decisive. We are looking for people who drive the company forward with new ideas and enjoy making decisions. Candidates should therefore enjoy fashion and lifestyle, be cosmopolitan, committed and motivated, flexible, team-oriented and communicative.

UNIGLOBALE: How important are international aspects (knowledge of foreign languages, stays abroad, etc.)?

Experiences abroad show a certain openness to broadening one's own horizons and further developing one's personality. Practical experience also plays an important role, such as internships or student work.

During the Fashion Management program, it is possible to work in one of the P&C sales stores abroad, for example, if the relevant national language is spoken. After completing the program, P&C supports participants with language courses if they would like to plan a longer-term assignment abroad in their career.

UNIGLOBALE: Is there something like a “typical entry point” for you?

Many roads lead to P&C! Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf is one of the most attractive employers in Germany and offers outstanding career opportunities in various areas.

In addition to direct entry, the fashion company offers university graduates the Fashion Management Trainee Program (FMP) and the General Management Trainee Program (GMP).

At the beginning of the two programs, the trainees get to know P&C's core business, sales, in detail. With the Fashion Management program, a development towards management, central purchasing or international brands is conceivable - quick promotion opportunities with sales and personnel responsibility are possible.

The General Management Program is training for young managers for goal-oriented, hard-working and committed graduates who work with a lot of ambition, creativity and personal responsibility. You can gain a foothold in central areas such as controlling, human resources or marketing.

Starting as a department head in sales according to the FMP is a typical and very important first independent position at Peek & Cloppenburg and also in the retail industry in general. It forms the basis for the further career steps mentioned above.

There is also a mentoring program to make it easier for trainees to find their way around our company. As part of the mentoring program, every trainee at P&C is assigned a personal mentor who has completed the program themselves and is now in a responsible position.

UNIGLOBALE: What is most important in the application/interview?

The application is the candidate's first contact with the company, so the documents should always be very well prepared. In addition to professional qualifications, what counts most is the personality behind the application documents. The applicant should also show that they have looked into the desired position and the company. We also look forward to candidates in the interview who have prepared the content well, ask questions about the target position and present themselves authentically.

UNIGLOBALE: What stages does a student/graduate go through in your company (during a traineeship, for example)?

With the Fashion Management Program (FMP) and the General Management Program (GMP), P&C is aimed at university graduates who are interested in a career in a lifestyle-oriented company.

At the beginning of the two programs, the trainees learn about sales, the core business of P&C, in detail.

The second phase is individually tailored to the qualifications, talent and future career goals of each candidate. Here, the trainees gain a wide range of insights into everyday work in areas that have interfaces with their future target positions. With FMP the focus is on purchasing and sales, with GMP on central areas such as controlling, HR, marketing etc.

At the end of the program, the trainees will be introduced to their first responsible position in an area previously agreed upon with them.

The Junior Trainee Program (JTP) is intended for candidates with a remaining period of study of at least one and a half years. The trainees work as student assistants for around 15-20 hours per week as part of a part-time job at P&C in sales. After being accepted into the JTP, the junior trainees also complete various seminars and training courses in the P&C Academy and have the opportunity to complete various practical phases in other areas of the company, e.g. B. purchasing. After graduating, the position of department head is your first chance. Afterwards, a career as a store manager, store manager or central buyer is possible.
All programs also include further training measures such as seminars, workshops and lectures on different topics and focuses as well as an internal company mentor program.

REWE Group

Alexander Pape

Human Resources Marketing Consultant Group

UNIGLOBALE: Can people join you with courses other than business administration, economics or economics? Do career changers and humanities scholars have a chance?

We have a wide range of entry options. Whether as an IT graduate developing systems, as a psychologist designing employee development programs or as a garden landscaper running a garden center. The REWE Group offers interesting entry opportunities at the corporate headquarters or in the sales divisions such as REWE, PENNY, toom Baumarkt and DER Touristik.

UNIGLOBALE: What requirements does a student have to meet to work in your company?

Students should definitely be motivated, committed and creative. They should also have an interest in trade and/or tourism.

UNIGLOBALE: How important are international aspects (knowledge of foreign languages, stays abroad, etc.)?

It depends on the area. For us, the focus is on motivation, commitment and creativity as well as interest in our divisions. Anyone who wants to work for REWE Group in Eastern Europe should have international experience and relevant knowledge.

UNIGLOBALE: Is there something like a “typical entry point” for you?

Due to the diversity of entry options, we have several “typical entry points”. We have a large number of interns who were taken on in permanent positions after their internship or trainees who found a future job directly during their program. Even as a direct starter, all doors are open.

UNIGLOBALE: What is most important in the application/interview?

When applying/at the interview, the most important thing to us is that the applicant has already dealt with the REWE Group and why it should be our group.

UNIGLOBALE: What stages does a student/graduate go through in your company (during a traineeship, for example)?

This can be illustrated well using the example of our REWE Group trainees, as our group trainees change areas approximately every three months. The first station is organized together with the HR manager; the subsequent stations are usually initiated by the trainees. You will always be supported by the human resources department. In addition to a six-week market phase, the program also includes an international phase.

s Oliver

Reinhold Werthmann

Director Human Resources Capital Management

UNIGLOBALE: Can people join you with courses other than business administration, economics or economics? Do career changers and humanities scholars have a chance?

At s.Oliver, very diverse employee profiles and skills are required that you might not expect at first glance. These include, for example, architects who deal with the interior construction of our stores. Various skills are also required in the areas of quality assurance, sustainability and business development, which opens up attractive development opportunities for career changers.

UNIGLOBALE: What requirements does a student have to meet to work in your company?

Of course, what counts for everyone who wants to join s.Oliver is their interest in our attractive products and their enthusiasm for the career path they want to pursue. Our HR slogan “Real People for Real Fashion” sums up pretty well the mentality we want from our employees in order to help shape our corporate culture in this sense. Values ​​such as authenticity, courage to make decisions and attention to detail are fundamental to our work.

UNIGLOBALE: How important are international aspects (knowledge of foreign languages, stays abroad, etc.)?

For example, someone who gains international experience through semesters abroad or internships during their studies not only has learned foreign languages, but also demonstrates openness in dealing with different cultures and mentalities. In our increasingly diverse working world, these are highly valued skills that will certainly have a positive impact on your own career.

UNIGLOBALE: Is there something like a “typical entry point” for you?

s.Oliver offers structured career entries, for example through trainee programs in areas such as retail management, design / graphic design, national / international sales and supply chain management. In addition, it is possible to start your career in almost all of the company's departments by taking on an entry-level position. For us, it is important to know that entering a specific area does not mean you are committing to a career. Due to the size of the company and the diverse job profiles, there are always exciting opportunities for further development for employees.

UNIGLOBALE: What is most important in the application/interview?

The personality and motivation of an applicant must convince us. In an interview, we want to understand why the candidate wants to start their professional career at s.Oliver. We would also like to get an idea of ​​what the applicant's expectations are and to what extent we can imagine him or her as a representative of our corporate culture. This way we can realistically assess whether we are a good match.

UNIGLOBALE: What stages does a student/graduate go through in your company (during a traineeship, for example)?

These differ from program to program. It is important that, in addition to a flow plan for various departments, there are further development measures tailored to the program that help our trainees to develop or expand the professional and personal skills required for their target positions. Our International Sales trainee program, for example, gives trainees insights into various showrooms and stores as well as partner agencies abroad. The joy of traveling and international exchange is essential here. To find out more about joining and working at s.Oliver, we recommend visiting www.soliver.com/career .

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Peek & Cloppenburg KG Leyla Samadi Head of Employer Branding HR People & Talent Management UNIGLOBALE: Can people also join you with courses other than business administration, economics or economics? Do career changers and humanities scholars have a chance? P&C is primarily looking for graduates from business and fashion-related courses. But also candidates from other courses such as humanities, communication sciences and law

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