Meet Linda, the Blind Applying champion of Peek & Cloppenburg

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Linda is finishing her double Bachelor’s in International Management and will be working in Buying at Peek & Cloppenburg. What stories will she be sharing through her blog?

What are you most looking forward to while working at Peek & Cloppenburg?
I am looking forward to getting an insight into how a large fashion retail company manages their supply chain, with a particular interest in how buying, in which I will be doing my internship, is contributing to the company’s success. I am also most certainly looking forward to broadening my horizons in the fashion industry, improving my skills and learning from the most knowledgeable professionals in the industry.

What's the best aspect about working in fashion?
For me personally working in fashion means working with highly creative, interesting and enthusiastic people. I believe the most interesting part is the changing consumer trends and demands that fashion brands must predict and adapt to constantly. I need a challenging environment in order to grow and develop professionally, and I believe the fashion industry can provide this for me.

About a year ago, you were doing voluntary work in Zanzibar. What did you take away from this experience?
I took away an understanding of how to work with people from a different cultural background, who had completely different perspectives, and another view on the world. In the beginning it was difficult to adapt to the circumstances and to integrate into the community, but after some time I felt at home, and found it hard to leave such a colourful island with such amazing people. 

Meet Eric, the Blind Applying champion of Johnson & Johnson

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Eric has been finishing his Master’s in Statistics at Columbia University. Models and statistical analysis will prove useful at his Data Science internship at Johnson & Johnson. He will be sharing his stories and insights through his blog.

Were you surprised to find a professional match with Johnson & Johnson?
Yes, I was completely taken by surprise. It hadn't occurred to me that Johnson and Johnson was looking to hire people with knowledge in statistics, machine learning, or data science. Lucky for me, they started their data science internship program only a few years ago, so I get to be one of the lucky ones to help shape the influence and future direction of data science at the company.

What has been an interesting learning for you while working with data? 
In my deep learning course, I've enjoyed seeing firsthand how effective deep neural networks can be at accurately learning features from data. For the course final project, I worked on a team that achieved a classification accuracy of > 99% on the well known MNIST dataset. This is a remarkable result because this level of accuracy rivals human levels of performance. It's really quite fascinating that such a result is achievable despite the fact that the scientific community still doesn't really have a good explanation for how neural networks do what they do.

3 songs that will be on your playlist this summer?
Believe it or not, I listen to a lot of pop country. First 3 songs that played when I hit shuffle: Days Go By (Keith Urban), We Are Tonight (Billy Currington), and American Honey (Lady Antebellum).

We were going to post street view photos from the offices of Munich Re, EY and Merck where three champions begin their internship today. Google Maps had other plans…

Meet Gianna, the Blind Applying champion of Peek & Cloppenburg

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Meet Gianna, the Blind Applying champion of Peek & Cloppenburg! Gianna will soon be sharing her insights from the preparations of the new season, as she is doing her internship in Düsseldorf.

How fitting do you find an internship at Peek & Cloppenburg with your career interests?

Since I have already had practical experience in the fashion industry (mytheresa, ChiChiFan Hamburg) and I have always been interested in the latest fahion trends, I can cleary see myself in a fashion oriented business.

Peek & Cloppenburg, being one of Germany’s biggest fashion companies, is the perfect employer for me to gain more work experience. Besides, I will get insight in the Buying department which is an area I always wanted to work in. This internship truly meets my career interests and I can imagine working for this company after my studies too.

Düsseldorf is known for its architecture and style. Any fashion tips for this summer season?

For a summer stroll a flyaway bohemian dress, or a delicate white dress, combined with espadrille shoes are essentials in every girl’s closet. But also bright colors such as red, yellow and blue are a must this summer season.

You have been to Paris, Shanghai and New Jersey. Which aspect of traveling do you like the most?

I am crazy about exploring a city or a country, trying local food as well as getting into some adventures. I really appreciate those memories and experiences in life. What I will never forget was snorkeling in the Bahamas while sharks were swimming next to me or the best cheesecake ever that I had in New York City.

Meet Tessa, the Blind Applying champion of Deloitte!

 Tessa has begun an exciting internship in Consulting-Innovation at Cologne, Germany.

Could you imagine that you would get the internship at Deloitte?

There are so many interesting companies participating in the Blind Applying program, but since I am strongly focused on consulting, Deloitte had been one of my favorites. I was hoping to have good chances of being interviewed, but I would have never imagined being chosen as their champion. Of course, I am more than happy to get this great chance.

You have organized fashion events and fashion is one of your main interests. What has fashion taught you about business?

Fashion is business and it also shows a lot of analogies to the business world in general. You work with many different kinds of people in fashion, which helps you to get along with and understand the perspective of different business partners - be it an experienced entrepreneur or a creative aesthete. Furthermore, you have to move with the trends to be in fashion and even stay ahead of them by creating new ones. It is the same in the business world. Companies that are able to invent products which meet the present wants of customers, are way more successful than the companies that are always in delay regarding new trends.

Is there a person who has inspired you in your life?

Yes, actually there are a few. A special one of them is my father, who showed me what it means to work hard in order to reach your goals instead of only chasing your dreams. He taught me that kindness, rather than resentfulness, puts you ahead, and he shaped my sense of justice. No matter where in the world I am or how difficult my situation might be, I know that he offers his help unconditionally. He is my kind of life insurance.

Meet Isabel, the Blind Applying champion of EY!

Isabel can’t wait to start her internship in Assurance in Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Were you expecting to get the internship at EY?

Not at all! I was really surprised when I got the phone call and Ms. Heiden told me that I could possibly go to Chile. It was the best birthday present ever!

What’s the best and worst thing about preparing your trip to Chile?

The best thing is that I now have a very good reason to improve my Spanish and I started already with an intensive Spanish language course, which I had planned. And the worst …I cannot really think of anything “bad” – apart from maybe getting the suitcase packed with the “right” things in it. 

Any local speciality you’re looking forward to trying?

There are a lot of things I want to do and try out during my internship. As far as I know Chile offers a big variety of sea food and exotic fruits, both of which I like very much. And I hope that on weekends there is some time for doing some sightseeing in Santiago and maybe a short day-trip to the Pacific ocean and the mountains nearby.

Meet Jennifer, the Blind Applying champion of Enterprise

Jennifer has studied and worked in Washington, D.C. and is now getting ready for her internship on HR Brand Development in London.‪

How excited are you to be starting an internship at Enterprise?

I’m beyond excited. It still hasn’t really sunk in that I am this year’s “Blind Applying Champion” for Enterprise. On a scale from 1 - 10, I would pick an 11 if it was possible. I love the company’s values and culture and can’t wait for this new adventure, challenge and growth experience. Really looking forward to meeting the team in London.

What’s the first thing you wanna try in London?

Foodwise, I have never had fish and chips, so that is on my list. Along with my all time favorite chicken restaurant Nando’s. And I would like to go on the London Eye.

Most inspiring British artist?

I don’t usually categorize people by nationalities, so the only British artist I could think of off the top of my head is the make up artist Jennie Jenkins (beautybyjj). I can be a bit of a girly girl, so she has definitely taught me a thing or two about make up on Youtube.

Meet Gonçalo, the Blind Applying champion of ABB!

Gonçalo has studied in Lisbon and Karlsruhe. He is starting his internship just today at Kraków.

How excited are you to be starting an internship at ABB?

I am thrilled by the opportunity to have this first experience with ABB, a company that I very often heard about while studying. I am curious to see the innovation in R&D from the inside, and I am also looking forward to meeting great people during this internship. Can’t wait to start!

Which sight in Krakow are you looking forward to visiting the most?

I don’t have a particular “must-go” place. Krakow seems super interesting, as well as the whole region. I definitely see some opportunities for cultural and hiking escapes around!

In your opinion, which is the coolest innovation in technology in the last 5 years?

Even though these have been around for more than a century, I must say electric cars. Not only there have been promising developments the past few years, but also the future possibilities seem to be endless. Self-driving cars anyone?

Meet Anna, the Blind Applying champions of Deutsche Telekom

We cannot tell you the color of ‪#‎TheDress‬, but we can introduce Anna, the Blind Applying champion of Deutsche Telekom! Anna has majored in HR Management and has spent the first year of her Master’s studies in Bangkok. She is now getting ready for her internship in Human Resources in Chicago. 

What was your first thought when you found out you got the internship at Deutsche Telekom?

As I was keen on this great offer from the very beginning, I was very excited when I got the phone call from Deutsche Telekom and they told me that I’m the lucky one they chose for this internship. Now I can’t await this new adventure to start.

You’ve been to Thailand and Costa Rica, how does it feel to be starting an internship in the US?

I’m really looking forward to my stay in the US as it is a strong contrast to my former stays abroad. I am excited what kind of experiences I’ll make and how I’ll explore the intercultural differences.

Which book/ movie will you take with you?

I’ll take the book ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn with me.