Trainee programme in international sales: “That’s exactly what I was looking for!”

Sebastian Weidenbach was confident that he wanted to start his professional career in international sales at a larger company when he was still a student. Having grown up in Ingelheim am Rhein, Sebastian had no connection to the Ruhr region until 2022 - the 28-year-old had associated thyssenkrupp primarily with lifts and escalators. And the technology company headquartered in Essen turned out to be a stroke of luck.

“I had known for some time that I wanted to work in international sales at a larger company,” Sebastian reports. “I worked in the pharmaceutical industry when I was a student and saw myself working there in the future. The thought that I would end up selling steel at thyssenkrupp Materials Trading in Essen hadn’t even crossed my mind! It just wasn’t on my radar.”

Sebastian stumbled across thyssenkrupp’s trainee programme by chance

After Sebastian had completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, the COVID-19 pandemic was still the dominant topic, and this made his job search a little more difficult. At some point in his search, Sebastian stumbled across thyssenkrupp’s trainee programme by chance: “A trainee position in sales in an international environment: That’s exactly what I was looking for!”

Sebastian was impressed by the company’s diversity and global presence. “Aside from of the wide range of sectors in which thyssenkrupp operates, I was certain that my work here would involve a lot of contact with foreign countries in an international environment and this was exactly what I wanted. I was also impressed by the size of the Group, which brings with it a certain infrastructure and culture.”

The thyssenkrupp trainee programme proved to be a stroke of luck

Then it all happened very quickly: Sebastian applied and was accepted sooner than expected. Despite the pandemic, the economist turned up for his first day of work at thyssenkrupp Quartier in Essen. “We were still subject to COVID restrictions when I started, but I quickly got to know my colleagues and was able to spend a lot of time in the office and start my induction.”

The trainee programme turned out to be a stroke of luck: “My expectations were actually met in full,” says Sebastian happily. One of the main features of the trainee programme was rotation between different departments. The aim was to end up working in international sales. The only thing that wasn’t clear was in which area and for which products.

“This gave me a lot of flexibility and the opportunity to get to know pretty much every department and every product,” says Sebastian. He would usually spend several weeks to three months familiarising himself with a department, giving him valuable insights into different departments and their areas of responsibility. “Although the focus was on sales departments, I got to learn about central units such as controlling and accounting, too.”

“Learning by doing”

The underlying idea was “learning by doing”. Sebastian was also given more and more responsibility and the opportunity to play an active role in sales. “At the same time, trainees were offered cross-company training and courses, such as presentation training or an introduction to agile working. This wasn’t just informative, but fun too, as you also get to meet trainees from other thyssenkrupp companies.”

Sebastian was particularly impressed by the way they worked together: “I was very surprised by the climate and atmosphere at the company. Given the size of the company, I would have expected a somewhat cooler atmosphere and that you might get lost in the crowd of employees.” But this fear turned out to be unfounded. “I feel very comfortable within the corporate culture - the people are just really cool, and we enjoy working with each other and having fun on a daily basis.”

A smooth transition to permanent employment

As the trainee programme progressed, the time came when Sebastian had to make a decision about which direction he wanted to take after completing the programme based on the experience he had gained. “It was clear to me that I wanted to stay in the steel trade, so the rest of the programme was geared towards this position. So, I spent the last few weeks of my traineeship in the department that ended up taking me on.”

The big advantage for Sebastian, who has been employed as a Junior Trader at thyssenkrupp Materials Trading GmbH since 2023: “This made the transition pretty smooth and seamless. I had the chance to familiarise myself with my future role before things really got going. Together with my colleagues, I am now responsible for the flat steel import business with a focus on Spain and Portugal.”

Sebastian has found his professional home at thyssenkrupp

He sees himself not just as a salesman, but as a trader and intermediary who operates through a strong customer and supplier network. “We can’t do business without an order from a customer, but we also can’t get anywhere if no steelworks in the world works with us. As a result, it is very important to communicate closely with both, which makes the whole thing feel very personal,” he explains.

Sebastian now has full responsibility for communicating with customers and suppliers and has even taken on customers for whom he is the main point of contact. “I learn something new every day and it’s a great feeling to become an expert in our field at some point.”

“In today’s turbulent world in which there are numerous sanctions and trade restrictions, our role as traders takes on additional importance because you have to keep an eye on these situations if you want to do business in steel imports. These can change abruptly and that’s why you need to be well informed so that you can adapt to new situations as quickly as possible.”

However, it is the international work that excites Sebastian most. “I’ve already made my first business trips abroad and will continue to travel to exciting countries in the future as part of my job.” One thing is clear: the native Rhinelander has found his professional home in the Ruhr region. It is this mixture of responsibility, international contacts and the constant challenge that motivates him every day and makes him feel like he has found his place.