Career Development

After graduating from HHL, I spent 17 years at McKinsey and became a Senior Partner. HHL had prepared me well for consulting and I enjoyed it a lot. Eventually, I wanted to do ... read more something new and left McKinsey together with a colleague to found ARENIT. True to HHL values, ARENIT is an entrepreneurial place. We buy well established family-owned companies to develop them with a long-term perspective.

My last two questions to HHL’s Career Team were: How do I get out of my job without any harm – and what will I do afterwards? This was followed by a coaching which consisted of several ... read more personal consultations, a career orientation workshop and receiving alumni contacts to exchange experiences. The entire consultation was very individual, unexpectedly open and helpful. A sincere thank you to the team for the great support.

After seeing Bertelsmann’s on-campus presentation at HHL and learning how interested they are in international profiles, I approached the company representative at the get-together ... read more afterwards to learn about internship opportunities in HR. One thing lead to another, and  I ended up landing an internship in Talent Management at Bertelsmann’s corporate headquarters. This internship turned into a job offer, and now I am an Associate in Corporate Management Development, focusing on university relations and employer branding.
My first day of work was actually coming to HHL to do a company presentation! Talk about full circle!

A member of the recruiting team of Volkswagen Consulting saw my profile in the HHL’s resume book and invited me for an interview. During the interview I used the knowledge ... read more I gained from my M.Sc. classes to solve various case studies and to make a presentation on an issue connected to the automotive industry. On the same day of the interview, I received the message that I got the job.

My first career objective was to work in a consulting company. During the Career Orientation Workshop at HHL, I evaluated my qualifications, interests and values, and thereby ... read more gained a better understanding of what was driving me  and my career the most. Not only my passion for consulting was strongly confirmed during the workshop, but also my ultimate, yet unexpected, career goal was identified as well: to become an entrepreneur! As of today, I am still working for BCG, but my next steps towards my own business are already planned – with confidence.

My HHL studies and the support by our career service team enabled me to start my career in ´Portfolio- and Product Strategy´ at Mercedes-Benz with a focus on “autonomous ... read more driving”.  As staff function to the CEO we are responsible  for developing the best product portfolio and manage new car projects  until series production. Notably,  career service already provided the  initial contact for a consulting internship during my studies which laid the foundations  for this job entry. But they  not only connected me with our alumni network in my target firms, but  also provided valuable help for a flawless application. I highly  appreciate that HHL´s career service has supported me along each step of  my development from HHL freshman to getting started  in the business world.

When I started my studies at HHL I did not have a clear picture of the industry or company I would like to work in afterwards. Through multiple interesting company presentations, ... read more workshops and networking events during my two years at HHL, I got to know a lot of supportive alumni that shared their experiences and impressions with us. This way, my objective to start a career in consulting took concrete shape and was actively supported through the career development department, who established the crucial contacts.