Meet Frida
The Swedish trainee explored all corners of Visma, from strategic to hands-on analyst projects. Get to know her experience with Visma life – and the strong bond she made with her fellow trainees.
Hi Frida! We’re curious about your journey from being a student to entering work life as a Management Trainee. How has it been?
“It’s been great! During my studies I wanted to explore the intersection between business, management and technology, which is the basis of my education. I did an internship at Visma which I was really happy about because I worked on something meaningful both to me and Visma. After the internship I was offered a position in the trainee programme.”
And we’re so glad you’re here! What attracted you to Visma’s trainee program?
“The trainee programme is the perfect career kickstart for anyone interested in working at an IT company. You get to try out so many different business areas, companies and opportunities within Visma, which is great if you're a bit unsure about which direction you want to go in. One of the key benefits of being a trainee is also that you get to meet and work with many different people and build a large network. With all these opportunities combined, it was the perfect start to my career!”
“The trainee program is the perfect start to anyone's career, especially those interested in working at an IT company”
You’ve said how everyone was super welcoming and helpful when you first stepped into Visma. Can you elaborate – what was it like, your first days and weeks?
“My first week at Visma was very inspiring – we had an introduction week together with all of the trainees where we got to meet and listen to several leaders from the top management team. They shared their journeys, how they've grown together with the company and their perspectives on the direction that we’re headed as a company. It left me feeling grateful for having leaders that take the time to recognise young, aspiring leaders. I have a feeling that people want us to succeed, and that type of culture is something I appreciate.”
This all sounds like a strong company culture! What do you think is the key to that atmosphere?
“I think Visma understands that they succeed when their employees are happy and thriving, and that building a culture with a strong work-life balance can be seen as a business case. Because the happier the employees are the more motivated they are, which translates to better deliveries as a company. Creating this type of culture is a win-win for everybody.”
Your trainee program lasts over a year, giving you about two months on each project. Sounds like quite a journey! What do you get to experience during this time?
“The three projects that I've worked on so far have been quite different and of different nature. I've had both strategic projects and very hands-on data-driven projects. Every day has been different, every project has been different, and I work with different people all the time. I feel that I get to challenge myself and dig into what I'm interested in. Before starting as a trainee I was unsure of what direction I wanted to go in. ‘Do I want to have a technical role or do I want to go into a role that’s more business-driven?’ The trainee programme is perfect for challenging those thoughts and trying new things.”
“It's really a mix of working at a start-up and being in a huge company at the same time”
Sounds like the perfect combo. Working on a data analysis project in the Business Insights & Data Science team, what do you get to do?
“We're looking at what insights you can get by combining and merging customer and marketing data, hoping that the outcome will be better insights into the customer's overall lead journey. Investigating questions like ‘What has the customer done before they became our customers?’ and ‘which touchpoints have been the most crucial in turning leads into customers?’ By looking at their data before they became a customer, we can understand their journey better.“
Interesting! What does a typical day at the office look like to you?
“A typical day for me usually starts with a stand-up session with my current team. Quite often I also have one-to-one status meetings with my project owner about how everything is going and if there's anything that I need support on. Since my project right now is data-heavy, I usually spend a few hours digging into and analysing data. I usually have lunch with other trainee colleagues, and it’s always fun to hear how their projects are going and share ideas. Even though we don't work together, I get a lot of input from them on my project, which is very helpful.”
And how about outside of work, we’ve heard you’re a social group of people. What are you up to?
“We hang out quite a lot actually! We’re spread out in different locations depending on our current projects, but when we’re together we have dinner, grab drinks after work and do other social activities. We've become a really close group during our trainee year as we're all going through similar experiences. So you get this special bond with other trainees and you can feel that also when you're talking to people that have been trainees years and years ago. It’s almost an alumni network of trainees at Visma.”
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Many say that Visma, despite its size of 15.000 employees, doesn’t feel like a big organisation. What’s your take on that, now that you’ve been around in a few companies?
“It doesn’t feel big. Everything is quite decentralised, making you feel that you have a big impact in the area that you’re working in. It's really a mix of working at a start-up and being in a huge company at the same time. You have the entrepreneurship and fast-paced tempo that a startup has, but you have the safety net and the large scale benefits of being a big company. So you get the best of both worlds. I think that the main benefit of being a large organisation is the competence that we have within the company. We have so many experts within their different fields. Whenever you need help with something, there's always someone that you can reach out to.”
Let's talk about technology. What are your thoughts about technology and its role in society?
“We're driving the change towards a more digital world, facilitating other companies in adapting to that change through our products and services. From small companies and entrepreneurs to the public sector. I did my first trainee project in a company that offers a purchase-to-pay solution to the public sector, where a municipality in Sweden purchased the covid-19 vaccine through our system. Just knowing that this municipality used our system for something so crucial for society made me very motivated and proud. You feel like you're contributing to real change and to something necessary for so many people. I think it’s unique to say that I'm creating value at a tech company that's growing at this pace after only six months into my career. But I feel it, and I think that the other trainees feel it as well.”
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Meet more colleagues
“Some projects are more business-oriented, while others are more techy"
– Anders Blesvik Gandrud, former Management Trainee
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"If you pitch a good idea, you're good to go"
– Martin Sommerseth, Managing Director
“People here excite me! They have my back and challenge me"
– Nadia Varekamp, Customer Success Manager
