Kunsten at træde i karakter som menneske

Klædt på til arbejdslivet 2 – KPMG

A podcast dialogue between Ane Katrine Apel, former HR Director in KPMG and current HR Director Kemp & Lauritzen, and Pernille Steen Pedersen, stress researcher and Associate Professor at CBS.

What skills do companies emphasize when hiring new graduates”? This question is addressed in the podcast series “The art of stepping into character as a person – getting equipped for work life.” Across three episodes Pernille Steen Pedersen talks to three company leaders about their expectations for new candidates and which kind of skills they look for. Questions from students form the framework of the conversation, and the hope is to dispel myths and create greater transparency regarding how students can use their skills later in working life.

In this episode Pernille speaks to HR Director in KPMG Ane Katrine Apel, who has more than 18 years of experience within HR and holds a M.Sc. of International Business from CBS. Ane shares that she is looking for “the whole person” when hiring new graduates. Grades, to her, are just one small part, another is the experiences students have had, and who they are as humans. Since she only has very limited time when looking at an application and CV, she encourages students to write in a way that makes it easy to see how their story stands out. In job interviews she looks for the people who can reflect upon their path and choices, what they have learned on the way. For example, Ane likes to ask into why students have done what they have done and hear their reflections. “What is important to me is that you have made an effort and have thought about the choices you have made. No one makes the right choices every time, but we learn something from all situations. I am looking for the red thread in a person’s story – why you did what you did, why you sit here before me now regarding a specific job, and what are your future dreams,” Ane explains. She also don’t think in terms of “holes” or “gaps” in the CV, but rather life experience and a persons story.

Ane was asked to highlight three Nordic Nine capabilities she finds most relevant for new graduates, and she picked: 1) you grow by relearning and teaching others to do the same, 2) you have deep business knowledge placed in a broad context, and 3) you are critical when thinking and constructive when collaborating. Hear her explain how she understands these skills (and a few others, including the ability to give and receive feedback) and why they are important in the work market today.

Length: 24:19 minuets
Language: Danish
Key words: New graduates, Make a CV stand out, Share your story, Red thread in study and life experiences, Job interview, Gap year is not a problem, Learning from mistakes, Learning to give and receive feedback, Collaboration skills are essential.