FAQ – GROW Program

GROW is an acronym for “Graduate Opportunities Worldwide”.

GROW is a development program for graduates and young professionals with which you can get to know various business sectors based on projects. Through the many events of the program, such as the joint kick-off, you can quickly build up a cross-divisional and cross-functional network. A set of training and individual career counseling helps you with your development. In contrast with a direct entry – that means, applying for one of the positions shown in our job listings – you commit yourself to a specific area of the company from the very beginning.

The number of positions available each year is based on the divisions’ specific personnel requirements. In 2013, approx. 31 graduates will be hired and trained to become specialists and managers in the Group.

When applying for the program, you can choose between two different tracks: national or international. The national GROW program is conducted solely in Germany. The international GROW program includes a stay of 5 months in one of our worldwide locations. Apart from that both programs’ concepts and schedules are the same.

On your application, you will choose a functional area, e.g., Marketing & Sales, Operations, Leadership Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Project management IT, Business Development / Strategy, Innovations and Corporate Functions. During the program’s exchange phase, you will get to know some other functions and/or divisions to enrich your personal profile.

The salary is comparable to the graduate salaries of other international companies.

The goal of the GROW program is to develop future functional specialists and executives. As a graduate, you will be offered individual career-development opportunities, including tailor-made projects, training courses and coaching. In the end, your job performance will be the determining factor of your future career opportunities.

The GROW program is open to students of all fields of studies. Especially for graduates who graduated in Logistics, Business Administration and Business Informatics will find heaps of opportunities.

The program is designed for students who have earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as those who have the German Diploma.

You are very welcome to do so. The graduate program is designed for graduates and people who have just started their careers.

For the national track, you can apply even if you do not have any international experience for the national program in Germany. International experience such as internships, attendance of foreign universities or student exchanges is required for the international program, though.

We expect your English-language skills to be good or very good. Of course, every additional foreign language you have will open up other international opportunities in the company. If you are applying for the national program track, you should also have a very good knowledge of German.

To take part in the GROW program, you should have at least 10 weeks of professional experience.

The GROW program is designed for university graduates and people just starting their professional careers. There is no specific age limit.

You can only apply online for the GROW program. The application process starts in January each year. During the application period from January till mid of March, you will find the online application form on the
GROW information pages here in our career portal.

We select our GROW participants in a multistage process. First, you fill out the online application form. During the application period – that is January till mid of March each year – you will find the form on the GROW information pages here in our career portal. After successful testing your application data, you are invited to our online assessment starting at the middle of January. Based on the results of the online CV and online assessment a further selection will be conducted. We will invite successful candidates to a telephone interview with you. The best applicants will then be invited to an assessment center in May in Bonn (Germany). You will find a detailed explanation of the selection process on the GROW information pages.

The graduate program begins on October 1 each year. The application period takes place from January to mid of march each year. On the GROW information pages you can register your personal data, and we will notify you by e-mail as soon as the application period begins.

On the online application form, you must select one functional area. You are welcome to indicate other areas in which you are interested, too.

The graduate program lasts for 18 months. You will work on three different projects during this period. On the GROW information pages in our career portal, you will find a detailed description of the program schedule.

Good support is very important to us: Your individual graduate program will be accompanied by an experienced manager being your personal mentor who will support you during the entire program. He or she will provide you with regular feedback about your work performance and your future growth potential. Furthermore your mentor will help you with your personal career planning, e.g. finding a suitable position within the company after the program.

Overall you will attend three training courses where you will learn the fundamentals of your future job: process improvement (First Choice), project management and soft skills (leadership & communications).

While working as a GROW participant, you are specifically prepared for your future professional or managerial position in your chosen field. Your mentor can help you finding a matching entry in the company. In addition you also have many opportunities to develop a broad network of personal contacts, which you can make use of if necessary, to find an entry-level position.

As a general rule, we would like to offer all GROW graduates a job contract after the program – after all, we optimally prepare our graduates for a position within the company. Of course, your enthusiasm and performance during the program will determine whether you are offered a position and in which area. In the past, every GROW participant has received a job offer.