PostNord Strålfors invests in Young Talents
PostNord Strålfors is on a digital transformation journey - and the key to success is having the right competencies to drive the development forward. Therefore, this year we have started a Young Talent program together with an external partner where we bring in newly graduated IT talents to join us on our journey.
"We believe it is a recipe for success that we have our senior colleagues who has many years of experience collaborate with our younger talents who in turn brings with them the latest academic educations and new perspectives," says Jonas Åkvist, IT Manager Business Application Development.
The training program runs for one year parallel to you working on sharp assignments and being a part of a team within the Nordic IT organization. The talents have an assigned a mentor during the start-up period. The goal is to accelerate the development curve, and already a couple of months into the program we see positive results where the talents contribute to the development and the business.
Jonas Åkvist
IT Manager Business Application Development
Mikael Gilljam
Head of Business Development, Strålfors Sweden
“It is very exciting to see how quickly our young talents are in full swing in the business, and I am impressed by how they are already successfully delivering and contributing positively to our product development”, says Mikael Gilljam, Head of Business Development, Strålfors Sweden.
We talked to two of the Young Talents to hear what attracted them to become part of our team here at PostNord Strålfors and what their first impressions were.
Jenny Kahlin
What made you apply to Young Talent?
It was something that really came at the right time for me, and it sounded very exciting. I previously worked for a year as a programmer, but when Covid-19 came there was less to do, so I decided to further my education and studied for Advanced Software Developer at a university of applied sciences in Trollhättan.
I came into contact with the Young Talents program at Strålfors when I was at an evening course in Java at a company called Cilbuper, which is an external partner of Strålfors in this program.
When I then went through the recruitment process at Strålfors, I got a great impression of the recruiting managers and the company. So, I was very happy when I was offered a position in the program.
What do you think of the Young Talents program so far?
It feels great, I think the setup of getting training continuously during the year feels fantastic, while at the same time being involved in real projects. For example, I work with a project that works with the development of our new Payment Service, which is a new service and a high priority within the company. It's really fun to be part of. But of course, there is also maintenance of older programs.
Since I joined, I have received a very warm welcome. The culture feels safe and inclusive. You as a company take actions immediately, talk to each other and help each other. Everything feels very easy, open and friendly.
What do you hope to get out of the program for yourself?
I hope it will make me a better programmer and that I will be equipped for the future in a must faster pace.
What do you think is so fun about programming?
It has always been easy for me to settle into the world of programming, to see patterns and connections. I also like the feeling of creating something new.
Erik Jergéus
What made you apply to Young Talent?
I graduated from Chalmers this fall with a Master of Science in Computer Science (Algorithms, Languages and Logic) and a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering. I was attracted by the Young Talents program because I thought it was interesting with the competence-building focus combined with the fact that you get to work for real. During the years at Chalmers, you got a very large theoretical toolbox, but which you may not always be able to apply in reality.
What do you think of the Young Talents program so far?
I have great impressions so far. It gives a good insight into working life in general, and in Strålfors in particular, and through the program you get the skills you need in a faster way. It also feels good that there are several of us in the program and that we can help each other as well. In the team I work, we handle much of what is the interface for our customers.
I also feel that it is a very calm and composed culture, not like a startup. I feel the organization take the time to listen to the developers and think more long-term. I also find that everyone is helpful.
What's so fun about programming?
I think the problem solving is the fun. Hypotheses are tested and after enough mistakes, you find out what is right. And programming is just one way to solve it. It's a fun craft.
What do you see in five years?
In five years, I hope that I have gathered much more experience, but that I still work with programming. For me, it is also important to be with an employer where you can have a good work life balance. Here we work in a hybrid model where you can split your time between home and office, which I appreciate very much.
Can you recommend this to others?
Yes absolutely, it feels great so far.
