“I played basketball growing up in Sweden, on a college scholarship in the U.S and for a club in Spain. I suppose it was quite a high level,” she says, as if her sporting prowess was nothing to be impressed by.
That was before Erika became one of seven successful applicants to be selected for Linde’s European Graduate Programme in 2016. As it turns out, Linde was impressed: not by her basketball per se but because this type of intercultural experience is one thing that it looks for in applicants. In fact, it’s a key element of the programme.
To discuss this and get even more insights into the EGP, we sat down with Erika and programme coordinator, Benedikt Balle. Here’s what they had to say.
On what sets the Linde EGP apart…
Erika: “After studying mechanical engineering followed by fluid mechanics, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I had a very technical background but felt strongly that working as a specialist wasn’t the direction I wanted to take. I’m a people person so management really appeals to me. That’s one of the things I really liked about the Linde programme – it’s clearly geared towards leadership.”
Benedikt: “We know we’re competing for top graduates, which makes this programme so relevant. We want to attract these high potentials and develop them into future leaders. It all starts with the selection process – often what graduates judge companies on – so we’ve worked hard to ensure ours is as smooth and transparent as possible. And we’ve had very positive feedback so far.”