Graduate Profiles

Andre Rohde
CHEP Equipment Controller

 

 

About Me

I may not be the average graduate at 28 but with it I bring a great deal of experience.  Having completed my A-Levels (Abitur) in Germany in 1998, I followed the call from my country and completed 10 months national service in a tank division.  I followed this with an apprenticeship in a bank where I gained experience in the world of finance, economics and more importantly customer service.  After completion I spent some time traveling before moving to the UK in 2004 to complete a Business Studies degree at the University of Salford.  Having just graduated with 1st Class Honours I found myself in the lucky position of finding a graduate scheme not long after my last exam.

My interest in CHEP developed having spoken to representatives at the Graduate Fair in GMEX Manchester. Although this is not the first time I had heard of CHEP as my father was involved in the use of pallets when I lived in Germany.

Having undertaken many telephone interviews and attended assessment centres previously I can certainly say that the CHEP application process is as well planned as it is challenging.  The website gave me some great information about the scheme and the company, which was essential when assessing if the opportunity was right for me.  The final interview made me realise that this was a company I wanted to work for.  In fact my current placement and the career prospects described by my manager rounded up a well organised application process, in which I always felt the company wanted me, as much as I wanted them.

My initial induction into the business and the role definitely answered a lot of questions and even went beyond that.  My expectations were to be made welcome and to be given a sound overview of the company before settling into my first placement.  This was most certainly the case.  A lot of information is given and it seems overwhelming, however it all falls into place when you start to understand the role and the business.

My hopes for the future are, that by being in a large company, this will give me the chance to choose a career path from a wide variety of options.