Are you interested in an apprenticeship in wholesale and foreign trade management (wholesale) at Testrut? In the following interview you can find out more - directly from the former trainee and current permanent employee Niklas Hofmeister.
Christina: When did you start your training as a wholesale and foreign trade management assistant and why did you decide to train at Testrut back then?
Niklas: Even before I graduated from high school in 2017, I was thinking about what I wanted to do afterwards. I consciously decided on an apprenticeship and became aware of the vacancies at Testrut through the newspaper.
I found the tasks listed there for everyday work in the trading company very interesting, which is why I then applied here. After two successful interviews, I signed my training contract at the end of 2016 and started my training on 1 August 2017.
Christina: What skills or qualities should you have to start an apprenticeship at Testrut?
Niklas: Since you work here almost exclusively with a PC or laptop, it is an advantage to have a certain basic knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc. If this is not the case, it is of course not a problem because you learn these things quickly in the course of your daily work. If this is not the case, it is of course not a problem, as you learn these things quickly in your daily work.
You should also be open to new tasks, as you will get to know many departments in the company at least once during your training. In addition, a good dose of ambition will help you progress, as there is a lot to learn that can also be helpful in your further career.
Christina: In which department do you work and for what reasons did you choose the area in which you work today?
Niklas: I work in accounting, more precisely in accounts receivable. We are responsible for looking after our customers. That means: we manage the incoming money, send reminders to customers in case of payment defaults or create new customer accounts so that they can place an order with us.
How did it come about? I was first assigned to the accounts payable department on a temporary basis. This eventually turned into many months, which allowed me to get to know the department better.
Since there was a staff shortage in the accounts receivable department at that time, I was asked if I could help out there afterwards. Because I already knew the accounts payable, I now wanted to get to know the accounts receivable work as well. After my final exams, I was offered a permanent position in this area.
A short temporary period thus became a permanent position.
Christina: What changed for you after the training?
Niklas: Not much has really changed for me after the training. Of course, you have to take on more responsibility for your work. Since I was already a full-fledged member of the department during the training, I was already given many tasks at that time that I will also do after the training. Therefore, this commercial training was already a good preparation for the time afterwards.
At this point, many thanks to Niklas for the interview and the interesting information.
Niklas' answers have made you curious and you would like to get to know the company personally? Are you sure that an apprenticeship at Testrut is the right choice for you?
Then find out directly about your entry opportunities and your contact person from the HR department in our career section.
By the way: The application phase for the start of training in summer 2022 starts in January!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Text and interview questions: Christina Berndsen, Content Management
Interview partners: Niklas Hofmeister, Accounts Receivable Accounting