Why Henkel?
After leaving school in 2001 I had to take a decision on whether I wanted to go to university or do a practical traineeship. Because I was keen to get stuck into something practical but wanted to learn the theory at the same time, I opted for practical traineeship with an accompanying course of study. So I applied to various big companies. I liked the look of Henkel best, already when I was taking the recruitment tests. I was therefore over the moon when the promise of a traineeship with Henkel came through.

What positions have you held?
In 2003 I qualified as business administrator and then started straight away in personnel management. There I first looked after employees on short-term contracts and production trainees. In this role I managed to make a very large number of contacts within the company. When, after I successfully graduated as economics lawyer in the final year of my studies, I switched within Personnel and I now work in co-ordination for Germany.

Have you already completed any further training course?
Yes. As a result of a 2-week course last year I succeeded in qualifying myself further as HR assistant. I found that very interesting and informative, not least because the course was very compact and intensive. Its contents actually covered the whole field of HR work, and I got a lot out of it.

What is your sphere of responsibility?
My work is very diverse. Our team is firstly responsible for co-ordinating the German locations, and secondly we deal with basic principles in human resources. I sometimes travel to other German locations and talk to personnel managers, senior staff and employees on current issues. I find this varied contact with other locations and organisations within the corporation makes my work very interesting.

What’s special about Henkel?
Henkel is a phenomenon that cannot be explained. Its employees identify with the corporation very keenly. There are many opportunities for further training and changing to other posts within the company, so you don’t have to move off to another employer. I think the variety here makes everything so simple. Henkel is an informally managed but nonetheless very international company.