The ISS Trainee Programme opens up career opportunities both at home and abroad: following her placement, Kirstine Rose Arfelt is taking up a management position in Switzerland.
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Kirstine Rose Arfelt studied in Denmark, Belgium, and Australia. A native of Denmark, she holds a master’s degree in business administration and psychology. After successfully completing the ISS Global Management Trainee Program, she has been a permanent employee at ISS Switzerland since February 1, 2021.
Why ISS? I wanted to work for a company that puts people first: their needs, their motivation, and their ability to grow.
“I finally found an apartment in Zurich. I like Zurich because there’s such a wide variety of people here. Just like at ISS.”
I moved to Zurich back in September 2020 as part of ISS’s Global Management Trainee Program. The one-and-a-half-year program was one of the best decisions of my life. Although the application process at the headquarters in Copenhagen was incredibly tough, I was all the more thrilled when I was accepted. Why ISS? I wanted to work for a company that puts people first: their needs, their motivation, and their ability to grow. This desire grew stronger during my studies at Copenhagen Business School. I also wanted to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
The Global Management Trainee Program offered me exactly these opportunities: At a Danish pharmaceutical company, I gained insights into cleanroom cleaning during shift work. I gained experience in key account management at a Danish media company. Later, as part of the performance management team at a German telecommunications provider, I handled KPIs and reporting. I also gained insights into procurement, sales, and the Partnership Countries Organization at the ISS Group before finally learning more about key account excellence and integrated client management at an auditing firm in Zurich.
The closer my return date got, the more I wanted to stay. I was convinced that I still had a lot to learn here. I quickly realized why everyone at the ISS Group says: Switzerland is the high-flyer. On the one hand, this is due to perfection in the details. On the other hand, every single person also takes responsibility. So it happened that during my final review, I expressed my interest in a permanent position. That very same afternoon, I had a job offer on the table to become a Facility Services Manager in Zurich.
Two days later, I flew back to Copenhagen to complete the Global Management Trainee Program. I moved to Switzerland at the end of January. Will I stay here forever? Probably not. That’s what’s so exciting about our company: you learn to share your knowledge - worldwide.”