Dear readers,
I got to know Novo Nordisk via my master program and met some graduates and other employees during a career fair and was immediately intrigued by the company and the graduate program. I liked the industry, the company culture, the focus on sustainability, the graduate program with its international experience and possibilities to work across different areas, and I had the feeling that I would fit… but how to convey that in my application?
As the application process has been open for a month now and the deadline for applying is slowly coming closer (10th of February) I would like to share with you my experiences from the same time last year and some tips and tricks which might come in hand when writing your own application.
For the first round, you are asked to hand in a cover letter, your CV and university transcripts. The first thing I did was going over my CV and cross-checked what I would like to stand out when you would first glance at it. I took out some side jobs that to my opinion were not relevant to Novo Nordisk (although I came to the conclusion that having worked in a bakery is highly valued in the Danish cake-eating culture) and wrote some more lines on my tasks and responsibilities in internships and extracurricular activities that I thought would fit with the program requirements.
Next, I started drafting my cover letter. I had already browsed over the website numerous times and read many of the blogs graduates posted. First I brainstormed on the values that are inherent to Novo Nordisk, what my thoughts were on these, in what way I dealt with them in past experiences, and how I felt they fitted me. I used this as a red thread through my application letter and basically covered the questions: why this industry, why this company, why this program and why me? I would like to stress that it is really important to make your motivation letter a MOTIVATION letter: Show why you want to work at Novo Nordisk, not only why your skills and experiences fit.
And then the university transcripts: well, just upload these :)
I would like to stress that this was my approach to the first round of the application process and you can use it as a way to think why the company and the program would fit you and why you think you are the right candidate. In the end, we are a very diverse bunch of people, but I do feel that we share similar ambitions and values and we are all very eager to learn and develop ourselves.
The way you write your own letter should reflect who you are and why you think you and the graduate program you are applying for are a good match. This can be for several reasons that are specific to you. Think about those reasons and try to convey them in your letter.
For more tips and tricks and overall stories on applying have a look at Thomas’ blog, who made a clear summary of many blogs covering application tips and tricks.
In case you have any questions or comments, I would be more than happy to answer them!
Best of luck,
Elvera
4 Comments to Application tips and tricks
Hi Elvera,
Good points mentioned ! Especially the CV part, i wouldn’t have thought of that!
Just on that i was wondering, in terms of the ‘task and responsibility’ with each employment details on the CV:
Would it be more the outcomes of the role or how you contributed ?
Having worked in different countries, i have learn’t that different work cultures want different aspects!
Thank you in advance!
Kind Regards
Katrina
Hi Katrina,
Thanks for your question! Regarding focusing on outcomes or your contribution: I think they are very much linked to each other: your contributions have led to the outcome.
Mainly, what you write about this should be linked to what you have done and what was valuable to you. Just to give an example, if you have worked on a project, you can mention what your specific responsibilities were and what your biggest learnings were.
Please be reminded that this is not a fit-for-all answer. It depends on your own experiences. So look at the different experiences you had and how they have attributed to make you a suitable candidate for the Novo Nordisk Graduate Program and try to show that in your description.
I hope this answer helps. If not, I’ll be happy to give more clarification.
Best,
Elvera
Hi Elvera,
This is a great post- I can see why my application wasn’t successful last year!
How long was your motivational letter? And how did you pick what experiences to highlight in your cover letter?
How’s your post going by the way?
Thanks,
Zainab
Hi Zainab,
My motivational letter fitted on one page. Concerning experiences, I looked into my internships and university projects and within those I highlighted the ones which showed international character, leadership or where I felt I learned a skill or learned more about a specific topic (e.g. sustainability) that could fit with Novo Nordisk and the graduate program.
I hope this answers your question!
Best and good luck with your application,
Elvera