Andre Borngräber

"The support given to interns and students preparing for their degree is excellent"

Since when have you been employed with Continental?
Since November 1, 2008. This is at the same time the last semester of my university studies in the field of information management. 

How did you find us?
It was more by coincidence and in a round-about way that I finally arrived at Continental. I sent an application to prepare a master’s project to one of Continental’s customers. It turned out, they were not offering any opportunities at the time and they passed my application on. That is how I first made contact with Continental and after a job interview it didn’t take that long to agree on a final project combined with the company’s support in projects.

Why did you decide to do an internship at Continental?
Continental is a group that does business around the world and is an appealing employer. Interns receive excellent tools and get a good look behind the scenes at the day-to-day business. The intern support team, for example, organizes monthly round-tables or meetings to exchange ideas about other cultures. The alternative would have been to prepare a theoretical master’s thesis. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but in the end, I decided to go for a more practice-oriented topic.

What does a typical work day look like for you? Is there such a thing?
At the moment, I am putting all of my efforts into my master’s project. But, during the first three months of my position, I was heavily involved in the day-to-day business to support the project. For example, I was responsible for providing support to key users in different countries while performance tests were being carried out and I prepared a dashboard to illustrate the various different key figures.

Which character traits and skills should an intern / students preparing for their degree bring with them?
The basic requirements are laid down at the university or rather during the course of studies. But you can acquire the most important skills during your internship or while preparing your diploma, bachelor’s or master’s project by applying your theoretical knowledge to real projects. In any event, it’s important to be open for new experiences and to exhibit a certain amount of flexibility. Just as important are the ability to work independently and your communication skills.

Have you already gained any experience abroad?
Unfortunately, up until now, I haven’t been able to gain any experience abroad. Of course, this kind of experience is important, but being able to gain practical experience during your university studies, for example, by taking on studies related student jobs, is at least just as important in my opinion. 

In your department, how important is the teamwork factor?
Teamwork is the key. You can already see this in the little things in the day-to-day. We all have lunch together; sometimes we meet after hours to do fun things. It just worked out that way. There was no pressure to do so from the company. After projects are completed successfully, we sometimes join in a celebration. In addition, the team in the department is on the one hand very open and friendly and on the other hand they are really competent and are even interested in working closely with the university.

How do you balance work with university, leisure time and family?
I do a lot of commuting between the cities on weekends, because Berlin is actually my home town, my girlfriend lives in Munich and I am writing my project here in Hanover. That is not always easy, but if well-organized it is certainly doable. As a result, you learn to appreciate your weekends even more and can enjoy them.

How do you spend your time off?
Right now, my time off is limited as a result of the master’s project and my constant commuting. Generally, I do a lot of sports. For example, I play squash, badminton and as a way to balance things out a bit, I like to go for a run. On the weekends, I enjoy time with my girlfriend by going to a café or seeing a movie and meeting up with friends.

How do you picture your professional future?
Right now, I really don’t have a master plan about what my professional future should look like, especially during the financial crisis. First, I would like to be offered a good entry position once my final project is completed. What’s important to me is that I feel satisfied in my job, that it offers me the ability to advance and that I have access to continued education programs. I’m not interested in simply swimming along with the crowd. Instead, I want to feel that I am needed.