How I got from being an intern to being a trainee
A former intern shares useful insights on how to get on the adidas trainee program.
Questions over questions: Should I do my Masters? Should I try to get a job? Should I go abroad? I think lots of young people can relate to my situation and were asking themselves what they should do after an internship at adidas. For me, however, it was clear: I’d love to stay here!
First step: Tell someone
Since I made up my mind early enough I approached my manager and my colleagues after a while and told them what my plans were. I constantly scrolled through the job offers and searched for opportunities to find something I would love to do. When my internship slowly came to an end I started to get worried.
Everyone told me to be patient and to have confidence that an opportunity will come up since there is always something changing. And they were right: one day a colleague approached me and asked whether I’d like to stay. Since it was in my old team but with new tasks and responsibilities it was the perfect start into real working life. And even though it was only temporary I was excited to get some hands-on experience!
Second step: Know your goals and work for them
During this position I fell in love even more with communication and wanted to extend my knowledge in this field. When I heard about the adidas traineeship in Corporate Communication I knew this would be the perfect position after the temp contract.
I wanted the job! Not only because of the great career opportunity, but also because I love spending time with my colleagues. Of course, I had to go through the same procedure as every candidate: application, video interview, telephone interview, assessment center. In every step I gave my best and tried to convince them why I would be the right choice for this position. I passed the application phase. I passed the video interview. I passed the telephone interview. I knew, only one more step to make and I would achieve my goal.
Third step: Be authentic and don’t give up
The assessment center: Last step and last chance to show why they should choose me. Of course, I prepared myself as much as I could, but I was still very nervous. The good thing was that we as a group, all candidates, got along very well, which created a creative and harmonious atmosphere. We had to overcome our fears by presenting in front of large groups, to come up with new ideas and all the time we were watched and evaluated. This might sound like a lot of pressure. It definitely is, but it was also fun to work with all of those amazing people. During the day I learned so much that I already (without even knowing whether I would get the job) was happy I had the opportunity to participate.
“It was a great experience and taught me how to deal with such stressful situations: stay authentic, don’t give up and always give your best!”
In the end everything paid off: I got the job and will start as an adidas trainee in Corporate Communication this October! I hope these tips will help you to get an idea how your path could look after finishing your internship. Stay focused, find out what you really want and go for it! I liked sharing my story with you. What is yours?
Here are my tips for passing an assessment for an adidas traineeship successfully
DO’s
- Be authentic – you can’t pretend something for a whole day. They want to see who you really are.
- Be kind & have fun – team work is really important so help other candidates and work as a team. You will be amazed but it’s actually fun!
- Be active – there are great talents, so be part of the group and integrate yourself in discussions and talks.
- Listen closely – not only to what your task is, but also what others might say to create an enjoyable team atmosphere and also to get feedback from the other candidates.
- Relax – everyone is nervous. Take a deep breath, remind yourself why you’re the right fit and calm down.
DONT’s
- Don’t be too pushy – show what you’ve got, but don’t go over the top. If you’re too ambitious it might come across as if you’re stealing someone else’s thunder.
- Don’t doubt yourself – you must have confidence in yourself and your skills! How should they think you’re the perfect fit if you yourself don’t believe it?
- Don’t back away – just because the others are smart & talented you don’t need to back away or be intimidated. Believe in yourself!
- Never give up -there might be tasks you think went wrong, but there will come others in which you can show your skills.
- Don’t be negative – neither with regard to your colleagues nor when it comes to yourself. Be passionate and you’ll learn a lot during the day!
What was the procedure after you completed th assesment.
I have applied for an internship at both spain as well as HQ germany?
I am very excited to work at adidas and enthusiast about working there..
& can i connect to you with any other means like email or facebook etc..for further guidance.
thank you! I am very happy to start the traineeship in October.
The procedure after the assessment center is pretty simple: only a few days after it I got a call from an HR manager who informed me that I got the position and who gave feedback.
There are communities to connect eg. via facebook. As soon as you got the position you will receive an information package which also contains groups like these.
Good luck to you!
your article is really informatory and interesting!
How do you like your traineeship so far?
Do you know how many month in advance of the start date the recruiting usually starts?
I'm interested in applying for the Traineeship starting in Oktober 2017.
So when are the Traineeship Openings are uploaded to the career website?
Tanks a lot for your help in advance!
Janina
thanks, I´m glad you find the article interesting and helpful!
The traineeship is amazing! I´ve been through various changes, worked in different teams and I´m learning new things every single day. At the moment I´m in Portland working here for 3 months for the brand.
The application phase for this year has already passed, I´m sorry! The Openings are usually posted at some point in spring. So stay tuned or even create a job search alert to not miss out on it again.
Good luck for you!
I really enjoyed this article! I'm currently putting together my application for the Corporate Communications Traineeship and I was wondering if you had any insight on how to apply for that specific team? This year there is a video portion to the application and I really want to make mine stand out.
Who are the type of trainees that the Corporate Comm team is looking to add on? I'd love to hear more about your experience now that you've experienced a lot of the Traineeship!
Thank you so much.
Best,
Sophia
thanks for your feedback. It´s great to hear that you´re interested in the traineeship. Honestly, it was an amazing time. I learned so much, worked together with amazing people and grew in so many different ways! Not to mention it led to my dream job within PR!
Regarding your application: Show your creativity! Be confident and demonstrate your ability to collaborate! Don´t worry too much of what type they´re looking for, everyone could be a great add on to the team with valuable insights and qualities. Try to show why you really want the job and what makes you stand out. There is no right or wrong way, but being outgoing and self-confident is definitely a good start.
I´m sure you´ll come up with a creative idea, good luck!!
Sophia