”You could not ask for a better entrance into the professional life.”
For Schibsted trainee Karsten Gutterød Hauklien, the journey so far has involved stepping outside his comfort zone, broadening his perspective and being given responsibility. He thinks the opportunity and acceptance to try, and sometimes fail, is the key to learning.
Gutterød Hauklien joined Schibsted as a trainee in 2019, with prior experience from both communication and journalism. Now on his fourth and final placement though the trainee program, he is happy he gave it all in the application process and secured himself a golden ticket.
– Thinking back, it’s incredible how much I’ve grown in areas where I would rate myself poorly two years ago. The trainee program gives you the opportunity to discover what truly motivates you, both in general at work and which business areas or functions spark a fire in you.
The soon-to-be alumni applied to the Schibsted’s trainee program to be able to combine his passion for media and technology with his desire to create products that excite people in their daily lives.
– However, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, and I wanted to learn more. The Trainee program sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain experience from different roles and business areas and develop my skills, he says.
His final gig at Schibsted – at least through the trainee program – has led him to collaborate with multiple disciplines on a big project for E24.
– Right now I’m leading a team of in-house people and contractors in E24, developing a financial platform. That involves financial experts, developers, lawyers, designers, salespeople and more. A lot of moving parts, but it’s really exciting to see the progress we’re able to make together.
Fair and thorough selection process
Through the process from when he sent his application to getting the traineeship, Karsten Gutterød Hauklien felt he gained some new insight on himself and his career goals.
– After the last interview, I thought to myself: “Even if I don’t get the job, I have been given every opportunity to show who I am”. I actually learned quite a lot about myself in the process: How do I contribute to make the best possible teams, what are my current strengths, and which areas should I try to develop further going forward?
He has no hesitations in recommending the Schibsted Trainee Program.
– If you like working in teams to achieve great things, and you want to develop yourself through training, feedback and new experiences, this is the place for you. Along the way you learn loads of new skills, establish lasting relationships and become more confident. Could you ask for a better entrance into professional life, he says.
A company that puts people first
Being able to take chances is one of the best things about joining team Schibsted, Gutterød Hauklien feels.
– I think the biggest advantage is the opportunity and acceptance to try and fail. That’s a fast track to learning things at lightning speed, or learning it at all. In addition, you get a rare 360 degree holistic view of Schibsted as a company.
Schibsted is a company where the greatest achievements come from collaboration between the brands, he says and continues:
– Schibsted is a place where you work in teams and collaborate across functions and brands – using each other’s competence and experience. Who wouldn’t want to work in a place where everybody is keen to help each other?
To say Karsten Gutterød Hauklien is won over by the Schibsted way of working would be an understatement.
– I haven’t heard of anywhere else where the work itself is so cool, while the company still is focused on you being able to have a comfortable work-life balance.
My placements in the Trainee program:
• Editorial Business Developer, VG+, Oslo
• Strategy Manager, tori.fi, Helsinki
• Business Developer, Dine Penger, Oslo
• Project Lead, E24, Oslo
Read more about the trainee program here
