There were five of us who started together as Graduate Trainees in Danica Pension. That was good because, as we were all at the same level, we were able to ask 30 silly questions without anyone getting annoyed. We covered four business areas in five months and felt that we were well prepared when we joined our departments. It was a great way to start. In principal you can have a completely different background and nonetheless be well equipped when you complete the training programme.
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Maria Szelag Mikkelsen, 31 years |
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Qualifications: Trained as manager with McDonalds. Academy economist, BCom (part 1)
Job title: Team Leader, Esbjerg
Location: Danica Pension
Experience: Seven years |
Started as a temp
I started in 1998 working through an employment agency. I joined the company on a permanent basis later, having applied for the job. I was frequently asked whether I could handle starting at the bottom as an ordinary member of staff when I had been used to management responsibilities; but it was no problem. In fact it was good to have that knowledge, which I can use in my work as a Team Leader.
I have eight employees in my team
I have eight colleagues working for me and one of my responsibilities is to allocate customers and cases to them. My work is extremely varied on a daily basis. One day it could be a company that has just hired four new staff who need a pension plan. So we need to have an application completed to enable us to set-up and issue the policy. The next day it might involve staff changing jobs or customers who are retiring.
Happy to be a manager
It’s wonderful to be able to plan my own day. I am very happy being a manager and I really enjoy being responsible for staff and having an area to run.
When I started in Danica Pension I worked with on case administration. Now that I have climbed up a level my day consists of projects, reporting and improvements, and making sure that my staff are doing well. This suits my personality perfectly.
I do not need to change company
It means a lot to me that I work in a large Group. One of the benefits is that I have plenty of opportunities if I ever wanted to try something new. Best of all, I can stay in the Group – I don’t need to move to another company. Danske Bank is a good place to be, something I appreciated right from the start.