Applications for the Vodafone Graduate Programme are open once more, so we wanted to get a first-person insight into the programme and find out what prospective applicants can expect.
Clare Cummins is a graduate programme alum, having completed it in January of this year. Before delving into the programme, Clare studied Marketing, Innovation and Technology in DCU.
Vodafone's Graduate Programme piqued Clare's interest as she wanted to work for a global tech company, but particularly one that had Irish roots. Coupled with the opportunity of a hands-on experience and mentorship throughout, according to Clare, "Vodafone ticked all those boxes."
What else can people anticipate when applying for the Vodafone Graduate Programme?
The Breakdown
There's a lot that goes into the Vodafone Graduate Programme. For Clare, this is done in order to give grads real world experience in a number of fields.
"Vodafone give a lot of trust to grads to bring their ideas forward, they give them the tools to really bring them to life."
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Those tools, in the commercial stream of the programme, are cultivated over an 18 month programme, with two nine-month rotations. The technical aspect of the programme sees three six-month rotations for graduates.
Those rotations, coupled with an induction with the other grads, give you a "hands-on and well-rounded" experience in your work, as well as the opportunity to make friends.
Furthermore, you're also assigned a grad buddy, who can help you with any queries or questions.
The Highlights
For Clare, the enjoyment of her time in the graduate programme was directly down to the different experiences she had.
She says that the opportunity to "take ownership" of her work, which just added to her satisfaction with the programme.
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"Through the rotations, I got to get involved in a tonne of different projects and take ownership of the work.
"It meant that, by the time the programme was over, I got a really well-rounded experience and learned loads of new things."
The Working Culture Of Vodafone
Throughout the graduate programme, you gain an insight into what Vodafone aims to achieve as a company. For Clare, she saw that community was at the forefront of everything Vodafone did.
This meant instilling a pride in working together to solve customer issues. However, when dealing with its charity partners, Vodafone showed that it wasn't just "a business for business' sake."
"It's not business for business' sake, they do business for good as well, which is seen through their charity partners.
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"Grads get really involved in the different events done for these charities."
The Effect Of COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted working practices across the world. Whilst some companies are ill-equipped to deal with an ever-changing working landscape, Vodafone has seamlessly evolved.
Being a tech company, Vodafone we're readily prepared for such a phenomenon, with Clare pointing out that flexible working is nothing new for Vodafone staff.
"Vodafone have always had flexible working, so it was so easy to transition from office working to working from home.
"They were hands-on in making sure staff had everything they needed to work from home."
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The Aftermath Of The Programme
Following the completion of the programme in January, Clare believed that she had the requisite skills to progress her career further.
Her next port of call was actually to be Vodafone once more, in a role that she had undertaken during the programme.
"I was lucky to progress to a full-time role in Vodafone. It was a dream role that I had since starting.
The experience I got on the grad programme gave me the skills I needed to progress into this stage of my career.
The Advice Part
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Although Clare applied for the Vodafone Graduate Programme under the pretence of doing a graduate programme for a tech company, her experiences ensured her that the programme wasn't just for those with technological degrees.
Clare would implore anyone, regardless of degree, to apply for the programme, both for their career and their personal relationships.
"It doesn't matter what course you studied in college, there's something for everyone out there in the company.
"Whether you've done English or Marketing, like me, there's a role for you.
"I've made so many friends along the way and I got so much experience, so I really would recommend it to everybody."
Applications for the Vodafone Graduate Programme are now open. To apply, click here.
