Over the past few weeks, we sat down with some of our colleagues at Klarna who have joined us through our Graduate Program to learn more about their experiences.
The first Klarnaut we interviewed is David Callisto, who came to Klarna as a graduate in the Product Management competence.
Here’s how our discussion went:
Why did you apply to the graduate program?
David said: Graduate programs allow for being part of different teams and problem spaces before finding a position that I would like to pursue full-time. This also facilitates interaction with a variety of stakeholders, which I find important, hence why I decided to apply for this program.
What makes Life at Klarna special to you?
Klarna is a fast-moving company, with an evolving problem space. This makes your day-to-day work and interactions interesting and fun. Essentially, you are in a constant learning loop. It can be something as complex as the architecture of a product offering or something as simple as cool tricks to use Google meets in a smooother manner. Also, to my surprise, we are a very diverse company, with everyone being welcoming and open to helping you.
How has your time in the graduate program supported your development?
Reflecting on this question, I feel the graduate program has helped in getting me accustomed to working for a fast-growing company and being given the time and space to develop my capabilities. While it is still only 7 months, the exposure I have gotten in this time period has given me an insight into what kind of problem spaces I would like to work on after the conclusion of the graduate program.
What has been your favorite part of working in the Product Management competence so far?
I would say the ability to move through the various layers of abstraction when addressing a problem space. You are provided the opportunity to look at a problem from a bird’s eye view, and at the same time, deep-dive into the design and engineering aspects of the problem space, along with being given the ownership to develop, test, launch, and improve products with your team.
Any advice for people interested in joining the graduate program at Klarna?
This is a tricky question to answer. I would break down my advice into three parts:
- Understand the role: Reach out to people and understand the role you plan to apply for. The nomenclature of the title can mean different responsibilities in different companies. For example, a product manager in Klarna might entail different responsibilities as compared to another company.
- Explore our Leadership Principles: A considerable emphasis is placed on our leadership principles in the application process and also once you join Klarna. Read through them on our website and reflect on how they apply to your work and/or daily life.
- Have confidence in your capabilities: All this advice would be in vain if you don’t apply. So, have confidence in your ability, and apply!
David’s story with our Graduate Program is just one of many, some of which we will share with you all in upcoming interviews on our blog. But you know what? Why don’t you start writing your own graduate story at Klarna?
The applications are still open for our 2022 graduates intake, and you can find out everything about it here.