My story at LEONI
My name is Vera and I have been working for LEONI since March 2021. I started at LEONI as a working student in Human Resources Marketing in Germany. My tasks include matters pertaining to HR and marketing, such as organizing and post-processing in-house and external events, designing and revising promotional literature, drafting social media posts, and organizing job interviews.
In the middle of all this, an exciting topic for my master's dissertation developed, which I was fortunate enough to write one day a week as part of my working student activity at LEONI. The subject of my master's dissertation was the potential of Instagram as a human resources marketing tool.
When I completed my master's program in May 2022 and my time as a working student was coming to an end, my line manager approached me and suggested various ways for me to continue on my path at LEONI. And so, in June 2022, I started my job in the Global Recruitment department with a focus on social media and employer branding.
This is my job
I work in global recruitment, which means that, together with my team, I have a governance function at LEONI that supports the many countries in which LEONI is present.
The type of support depends on the requirements of the respective countries.
At present, for example, we are developing our employer positioning and working on a standard employer appearance so that we are perceived as the same company in every country. This involves producing promotional material, running photo-shoots as well as both internally and externally embedding our employer brand on social media, for example, and also on the careers website, which I am also newly setting up.
In between, there will also always be other projects in addition, which makes my job highly varied.
What I find especially exciting in developing my career is that I can now look upon our employer branding from a global perspective. I had already gained an overview of our German human resources marketing during my time as a working student, which was therefore ideal preparation for embarking on my career.
My daily routine
Start of the Day
My day usually begins between 8 and 9 a.m. I often work from home, as I collaborate with various teams around the world. About once a week, I meet up with my colleagues in the office. Maintaining personal contact within the team is important to us, so we really value these in-person meetings. I find this flexibility in my daily routine especially attractive.
Morning
First, I check and respond to my emails. After that, I usually have meetings with my team or with colleagues from other departments. I often work closely with our communications and marketing department, as there is a strong overlap in our responsibilities.
Lunch break
I usually take my lunch break around 12 p.m. When I’m in the office, our team often grabs something to eat from the city center and enjoys the break on the rooftop terrace of our Nuremberg location. Especially in summer, it’s a wonderful setting for a short, shared break.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, I usually focus on my projects—either working independently or in collaboration with colleagues. At the moment, I’m mainly working on the redesign of our global career website, creating and preparing content for various social media channels, and developing a global social media strategy for LEONI. This often leads to presentations for country communications or follow-up meetings, depending on the specific needs of each country. I usually finish my workday between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., depending on when I started in the morning.
Evening
After work, I enjoy spending time with friends or doing sports. I’m a member of Urban Sports, which gives me the opportunity to try out a variety of activities in Nuremberg. If my evening runs a bit longer, I allow myself a few extra minutes of sleep the next morning—provided I don’t have any early meetings. Thanks to our flexible working hours, I can shape my day in a way that works best for me. That’s what makes every day a little different.
My highlights
The best moment was probably the fact that my master’s dissertation and start at LEONI went so smoothly! Being able to start your career seamlessly, directly after your degree, without having to compose dozens of applications, that was a huge relief. In addition, I knew the team and some of the duties, and I was certain that the work culture and corporate values matched mine. And it was fantastic to know that my own performance was valued and seen, and that LEONI is interested in my development – as well as that of the other employees.
Another highlight was the trip with our entire team to the Social Recruitment Days in Berlin: an event where in two days we learned an incredible amount about active sourcing, employer branding and social recruitment – giving us more than enough inspiration for the coming year.
My view of LEONI as an employer
I find the atmosphere at LEONI to be very family-like despite the company's size. The company considers it important that staff quickly assume responsibility and work on projects independently without being constrained by micro-management and constant control. The confidence that is placed in every individual is palpable, and new ideas or improvement suggestions are actively welcomed.
I find the regular after-work events at our Nuremberg location especially pleasant. They give us the opportunity to get to know colleagues from different departments in a relaxed atmosphere, be it during a dinner together or at Nuremberg’s Christmas market.
The active advancement of junior staff, including working students and interns, who are integrated in positions with prospects is another plus point. From the outset, you feel appreciated as a fully-fledged colleague here and not as an anonymous number in the system as is the case in some other organizations.
The variability of work thanks to flextime and mobile working is also especially appealing to me. LEONI’s membership of the IG Metall labor union furthermore provides many benefits including additional days of vacation, bonus payments and collective pay negotiations. So, it is easy to balance my personal life with my work, and I greatly enjoy the fact that I was able to find this work/life balance in my first full-time job.
LEONI’s central location in Nuremberg is another highlight. It's only a 15-minute walk to my desk and the option of picking up a good lunch from the city center makes it easier to cope with everyday life. The fact that LEONI is also very good to reach by public transport, thanks to the proximity of the main train station, also contributes to the positive overall experience.
In summary, the few words I would use to describe LEONI are appreciative, flexible, and international.
