Julia's story


careers-julia careers-julia

A variety-filled path

"The Trainee Program at Coca-Cola HBC is very varied. You switch tasks often and quickly. That allows you to learn a lot and have a steep learning curve."

About the RISE Management Trainee Programme

The Trainee Programme at Coca-Cola HBC is very varied. You switch tasks often and quickly. That allows you to learn a lot and have a steep learning curve. Of course this also means that you constantly have to adjust to a new environment, keep learning new things and go outside of your comfort zone. Again and again, you have new colleagues, new workflows, and at first you don't quite know what you're supposed to do. And if you have to go through this every four months, it's quite intense. But in a good way. I would say it's really worth coming out of your comfort zone in order to gain an overview of the various departments and how they are all connected. 

Support during the RISE Management Trainee Programme

First, I have a Line Manager in the Trainee Programme. She is like a "homeroom teacher" who is always by your side. Then, I also have Assignment Managers who are like "specialist teachers". They familiarize you with the current assignment. For me, this is currently the "Planning" department. They show me what I can do and what my projects are. Both of these positions helped me a lot in quickly gaining a foothold in the various departments. In addition, there's also HR Support. As a trainee, that means you have an additional contact person. If you have any problems whatsoever, you can turn to this person at any time. It really makes you feel well-supported and valued. In addition, we also always have training courses. That's what actually makes the trainee program so good. In these training courses, we learn things that we may not be so good at yet, such as "Managing Others". Initially, it's hard enough to manage ourselves. That's why the program is there to help you and prepare you for future management positions.

About the Coke family

The people at Coca-Cola HBC are really very open. I was comfortable right from the start because I knew that I could approach these people if I had any questions. Due to the fact that I stay with a team for only four months, I can't form very deep relationships. But it has been surprising how quickly I've been able to settle in every time. I've always been able to develop a passion for what I do, and the people around me have helped me a lot to move ahead in my assignments.

About the CCHBC Trainee Community 

There's a lot of contact among the trainees. We go out for dinner together once a month. But we also attend training courses and events together. Especially the events and the so-called "Stretch Assignments" bind us together, because we organize and prepare them together. These events include visiting the Christmas Truck, the summer party, or the Christmas party. Here, we can also always see the flow of the various team phases really well. At the beginning, you start by getting to know each other until we know who can do what, and in the end we manage the stress by working together. That does indeed create strong ties. 


Fun at work 

At Coca-Cola HBC, I really enjoy it when I can take on a project and have full responsibility. But our flexibility is also mega cool. I'm able to plan my day with a lot of flexibility. That's great because I enjoy being physically active. Three times a week, I do sports during my lunch break, which is also a great motivation for me. I highly value the fact that I can take this time.

Benefits for me as an employee 

The team structure and the networking are especially exciting for me. When you are assigned a new task, you have to find the people who can help you or who can direct you to the right people. I like that a lot. Depending on the job, I also value the flexible work hours. You can also work from home once a week, or if you have a long commute, you can work on the train. That's a benefit that not all companies are able to offer.

What I am proud of as a CCHBC employee

I find that Coca-Cola is simply a crazy cool brand. Coca-Cola Original is a beverage that I associate with a lot of great moments in my life. It's always fun when a new product comes out, or if I go to a restaurant and I get a Coca-Cola in the contour bottle. It makes me feel proud, and I think: "I work for this company!" 

My Coke story

My favorite beverage is simply Coca-Cola Original. When I was younger, I used to drink Coca-Cola with my brother when we were studying. Back then, we used to meet in the kitchen for a break from studying and pour ourselves a refreshing Coca-Cola on ice. 

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