Bosch Nordic Experience 2018

This was the fourth time that Bosch Nordic Experience was held. However, this year the event took place in a new location and at a different time. In previous years it took place in Mellansel, Sweden, in February or May, but this year the venue was Lund, in order to show a different side of Bosch.

The idea behind the event is to increase awareness among students that Bosch is a top employer in the Nordics. “It’s a very competitive market and we need to be the employer of first choice for these students,” says Petya Docheva, HR Project Manager at RBSN/HRC. “We realized that it’s not enough just to be present at career fairs, we also need to engage with talented students in different ways during the year. Our mission is to show students that Bosch means more than they might think.”

The ten students were selected from around 200 applicants based on different criteria including study programs and their motivation to take part in the experience. Another important factor was their presence in social media. “We wanted to build a good social media presence via the students, who would act as our brand ambassadors and continue to promote Bosch at their target universities even after the event. They were writing blog posts, posting photos and videos on their own social media channels, thereby further promoting our Bosch Nordic Experience via their own networks,” says Petya. “What’s more, our aim is to engage with these students in the future, supporting local recruitment when there is a need for dedicated student employees, interns, thesis projects or entry positions.”
During the four-day event, the students had the opportunity to gain insights into Bosch and enjoy time for networking and fun with Bosch colleagues. Among other activities, they spent a full day at the Bosch office in Lund, which included a number of presentations, a tour of the office visiting the various teams and also a challenge for the students themselves. “We presented them with a case study. Divided into two groups, the students had around two hours to discuss the different issues and then make a presentation in front of local management in Lund and interested developers. Our Bosch colleagues were very impressed by their ability to come up with such interesting ideas in just two hours.”

Other activities included a workshop with Bosch Power Tools where the students learned more about the division and got to use the tools themselves. There were also climbing and yoga activities related to mindfulness and mindful leadership at Bosch. The event was greatly appreciated by the students and feedback from them was really positive. “Sometimes people perceive big companies like Bosch as being quite formal and difficult to connect to, but we got great feedback from the students, who said they were impressed by how very friendly and welcoming Bosch staff are,” says Petya. “In particular, we got very good feedback on the commitment of our colleagues and how passionate they are about their jobs. Many thanks to all our Bosch Nordic colleagues who supported this initiative and especially the great team in Lund!”