Belén objective was to explore

In her last year of studies, Belén started to worry about what type of jobs and possibilities she would have after graduation. She didn’t have a clear idea about what she wanted to do.

However, when she read about graduate programmes and the possibility of rotating in different departments and roles, she thought that this looked like a good solution to discover her ambitions and skills.

Graduate programmes have a very competitive selection process, as the companies are searching for the most talented candidates.

The process Belén went through in Novo Nordisk consisted of 4 steps:

Working in a team to solve a business case

‘The business case was a real case from the company. Together with 4 people, we had to find proposals on how to solve it with innovative ideas and present it to the facilitators. When it comes to working with other people, and it is true that the team members I had to solve the case with were also applying for the programme, I felt really honoured to work with such skilled candidates. All of us were very talented in our areas, and it was very interesting to meet and collaborate with them.’

'It was a good experience to learn how to work under high pressure, considering that we were constantly evaluated and monitored.'

Going through personality and logical assessments

Belén found it interesting to perform the tests:

‘I was not nervous because those tests don’t have “wrong/right” answers and they are just made to evaluate your personality and soft skills. Therefore, I wanted to fulfill them in the most honest way possible so the results would show reliable results.’

‘In the last interview of the process, the recruiters showed the results of my tests and we had a deep discussion about them. I remember that most of the results were what I expected, but I never got to analyse and evaluate myself so deeply, so it was very inspiring.’

'It was beneficial that the graduate programme did these tests to also match our profile to the best team in the company.'

 

Getting and starting the job as a graduate

When asked why she was chosen for the programme among all the candidates, Belén finds it hard to give a clear answer:

‘But I think that the fact that I was very interested in Novo Nordisk and their ambitious projects, while using my knowledge and skills from university, was a determinant factor. On the other hand, I encourage students who are interested to always apply even if they are not fully confident, because it is always worth giving a chance and learn from the process.’

Belén says that starting in her graduate programme has been very exciting:

‘During the first onboarding days, I got to meet my fellow graduates and we had a general introduction to the company and their values. After that, I started in my first rotation in the Product Supply department, where I got immersed from the beginning in the world of manufacturing and production.’

‘After 8 months I will have an international rotation related to Manufacturing Technology. I am very excited to find out where my rotation will be, as well as what department I will be part of while applying what I learnt in the first months.’

 

Graduate programmes: Network, development and learning fast

To Belén, there are many advantages of starting a career with a graduate programme.

‘The biggest is the network you both with fellow graduates and different colleagues during the rotations. Furthermore, the programme enables you to explore different areas, and it is focused on your personal development. On the contrary, when you start in a regular entry-level position, you will most likely have the tasks and responsibilities already set, and it is more fixed to that specific role.’

‘As the main advantages: you start with other graduates, and it is a much easier introduction to a company. You are given responsibilities while learning and having guidance.’

‘A great challenge, however, is that you will have to learn fast considering that you are a limited time on each of the rotations. Therefore, you will need to have the ability to quickly adapt to change and courage to experiment and make decisions.’