We are opening doors for our talents of tomorrow

Haufe Group has been taking part in Girls' and Boys' Day for three years now, inviting girls and boys to spend a day getting to know us and our working world of the future. Our motivation? To inform, inspire, spread good humor - and to be remembered by the talents of the future.

A quiet murmur, the occasional hidden yawn and a shuffling of chairs - it's just before 9 a.m. in the auditorium on our Freiburg campus and Kevin Keller is smiling at more than 40 young faces who don't quite know what to expect today at Haufe Group's Girls' & Boys' Day. But Kevin is used to this and knows what helps: a quick hello and then some movement. "Everyone stand up and come forward," he says, starting the short round of introductions, "and then answer a question by spreading out to my left or right: Which of you likes ice cream and which of you likes pizza?"

The decision is not difficult, the children quickly make their choice. And with follow-up questions such as "Who likes computer games?", "Who is excited about the day?" and "Who already knows what they want to be?", the group slowly thaws. Murmurs and yawns turn into chatter and laughter.

Kevin is an HR Consultant at Haufe Group and is responsible for our development programs for young talents. His motivation is to support young people and help them discover their strengths. His work with Young Talents doesn't start on the first day of training, but much earlier, at careers fairs, collaborations and action days like this one. "Today we have the chance to show what makes us special. We have packed everything we offer into one day. Be it technical, be it entertainment, be it delicious food - and motivated employees who are looking forward to the day and helping to shape it," explains Kevin with anticipation on the sidelines of the event.

“Today we have the chance to show what makes us special.” Kevin Keller

Next to him is his colleague Pia Mäder, HR Marketing Specialist and co-organizer of the Girls' & Boys' Day. "Our aim today is not for the participants to leave here knowing which apprenticeship or course of study they are doing with us," she adds. "We want them to remember: The people were nice, they were interested in me, I had a great time. We want to be remembered - for the day when the boys and girls are looking for an internship or training opportunity and then think of us."

Of course, information about what entry opportunities are available is still part of the day. That's why Pia starts by explaining to the group how Haufe Group uses content, software and training to help people work successfully in a self-determined way. And what diverse areas of work our company covers: Everyone can find the right career prospects here.

Numerous entry opportunities in various fields of work

Pia and Kevin also explain the training opportunities, how young people start with us and how we support and accompany them on their journey with development programs.

Then it's time to get moving again. Divided into three groups, the students explore the campus and are given tasks: They have to feel office objects in a cardboard box, pack an egg using craft materials so that it survives a flight from the fourth floor and decipher a numerical code.

“We want to attract young people, but to do so, we need enough colleagues who want to train these talents.” Pia Mäder

On the way from one station to the next, Pia and Kevin answer questions and show what Haufe Group looks like from the inside. Time and again, the group encounters curious-looking employees - a very good sign for Pia. "Events like this are also important for us internally," she says. "We want to attract young people, but to do so, we need enough colleagues who want to train these talents. That's why I'm delighted that there was such a great willingness to help in preparation for today."

Insight into several training occupations

After the scavenger hunt on campus, it's precisely these helpers' turn: colleagues from our Business Brands and Corporate Services are there to introduce the students to the apprenticeships for IT specialists, event management assistants and office management assistants. These are professions that are stereotypically assigned to men or women, which is why gender stereotypes are being dispelled. There are also plenty of tasks: the young people put a jumbled up to-do list for the organization of a seminar day in the right order and set up an office workstation so that all the cables are plugged into the right sockets and the PC works.

At the end of the presentation, the IT colleague hands out squeaky ducks to everyone. In rubber duck debugging, programmers explain their code line by line to the duck and find errors more quickly this way. That’s why there’s a rubber duck on every desk in his department, he explains to the students.

How the day is received so far? "Really cool," says a boy after the IT presentation. He had always been interested in programming, but now he was even more convinced. "It’s nice that we can participate so much here and get to know each other," says a girl. She wasn't expecting so much, was looking forward to a day without school, but has had a lot of fun so far - and wants to apply for an internship soon.

Set an example for young women

Meanwhile, Kevin accompanies five girls to the sixth floor of our new building. The schoolgirls have signed up for the Girls' Day slot "I'm going to be a boss". Initiated by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), women in management positions throughout Germany invite young girls to take part. At Haufe Group, CEO Birte Hackenjos welcomes the schoolgirls to her office today.

The girls have brought lots of questions with them: What does a CEO actually do? What does a typical day look like for you? Did you always know that you wanted to be CEO? "A very exciting conversation," says Birte later. "They told me about their own plans and had given it a lot of good thought beforehand. They already had very concrete ideas, but of course also very open thoughts about their own future, which really impressed me. I hope I was able to encourage and support them to pursue their dreams and shape their career paths."

Over a vegetarian kebab and spaghetti bolognese in our company restaurant Café Culinaria, student Mathilda talks enthusiastically about the exchange afterwards. "It was my immediate favorite," she says. Would she like to be a chef? "Definitely," is the prompt answer, before the 14-year-old bites into her kebab again.

Solving problems with Lego

After lunch break, it's time for a Lego session with Agile Coach Ralf Tauscher from HR Learning & Development. "At Haufe Group, we actually work with Lego," says Ralf and explains what the Lego Serious Play method is all about and how it is used in workshops and team-building events. Today, each participant is allowed to recreate what he or she remembers from the day.

Many choose the egg challenge or the duck, others create our Haufe Group logo and the round with CEO Birte is also included. At the end, the students have to build a large structure from all the individual figures - and are allowed to present their construction to CFO Harald Wagner, who closes the day.

We are waiting for you

After explaining what schools and companies have in common, talking about his own career and answering lots of questions, Harald poses a question back to the group: what surprised them most today? "That everyone here is on first-name terms," is one answer. "In most companies, there are only a few areas. Here you have so many opportunities in completely different areas and you can always develop and reorient yourself," is another. Harald nods contentedly and bids the young people farewell for the afternoon. But before he does, he gives them an important message: "We know that we will need many more people in the future. I hope we have aroused the interest of one or two of you. We are here and we are waiting for you," he says.

Then it's already 3.30 pm. Almost seven hours have passed and the students leave the campus with a Haufe Group goodie bag and lots of new impressions. Kevin and Pia wave goodbye. Both are very satisfied with the day, with the student’s group and with the curiosity and helpfulness of their colleagues. Interest in the program is growing enormously, says Kevin - he is already looking forward to next year.