Five things I have learned as a Fujitsu Graduate
I have been working in Fujitsu Finland for a bit over one year now as a Project Coordinator Graduate. In this blog post I want to share with you five key takeaways from the Graduate Program that have stood out to me. So if you are interested in applying for a graduate position at Fujitsu or just want to learn more about my graduate experience keep reading!
- The recruitment process can be fun!
When you apply to the Graduate Program at Fujitsu you go through a few steps, such as online tests and a video interview. Those that make it through these first stages, are then invited to an assessment centre. Of course, there are always nerves involved in a job interview, but this set-up really made me forget about the nerves.In the assessment centre, we did group tasks such as building a robot together and there was a lot of time in-between sessions to mingle and talk with the other applicants – some of them being your future graduate colleagues later on.During this COVID-19 pandemic, these assessment centres have been conducted virtually to ensure everyone’s safety.
. - Where is Bracknell?
A part of the graduate program is that you get to travel and see different Fujitsu offices. I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Bracknell with the other European Project Management Graduates. We went through all the foundational knowledge needed to start a career in Project Management in Fujitsu as well as building a network of contacts you can turn to for any questions.This program might take you to places that you might not have visited otherwise. I had no idea about Bracknell before this trip, but now I know that the Dursley house from Harry Potter is located there, and I even took a short bus trip to Windsor to see the royal castle on the weekend. This program might even improve your geography skills.
. - It is smart to set SMART goals.
In recent times when travelling has not been possible we have had virtual graduate sessions. This November we had the first Virtual Early Career Conference with the theme Digital+ Digital. We could choose sessions to attend after our own interests and one session I attended was Managing Your Motivation. Especially recently it can be difficult to stay positive and motivated consistently.I learnt one way to help with this, which is setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. This way I have goals I can easily follow and once I achieve them, it keeps me motivated to move forward and keep setting new goals. The Graduate Program has really adapted well during this time and we have had several interesting online sessions supporting us to learn the skills that are good to develop early in your career.
. - You learn by doing.
The Graduate Program is structured to modules dedicated to specific learning topics that you attend throughout the two year program. One such module is Personal Impact, which I found very useful. It taught me to examine my personality type and how that can make others perceive me, and how to best communicate with co-workers that might have the opposite personality to mine.In your day-to-day work life, you have your role and your regular tasks. In my role as Project Coordinator I have been working with customer and internal projects since I started. The benefit of being a graduate is that you do get extra trainings and you always get help when you ask for it.
. - Your network matters.
Being a graduate has given me a great opportunity to build my network, in Finland and across Europe. It was a great way for me to learn about the different roles and units that make up Fujitsu, so it helped me get a better understanding of what Fujitsu does and how it operates.It is also good to get to know co-workers in other departments because then I have more colleagues that I can turn to when I need help with something. Even now during this time of remote working, there have been Graduate events that have let me just network and talk with others.
You can read more about the graduate program here: Fujitsun Graduate Program Suomessa ja maailmalla : Fujitsu Finland