Oracle EMEA Campus Recruitment

Manfred Weber, Sales Director at OracleDirect currently holds several senior responsibilities in our European Sales teams, following to an exemplary career progression. He is currently part of the OracleDirect organisation and has about 100 employees reporting to him (For more information about Oracle Direct see another article: http://blogs.oracle.com/campusrecruitment/2009/05/interview_with_sofia_schneider.html).

He is convinced that if you deliver great work, show commitment to the company and think and act as an entrepreneur you will get your chance at ORACLE to have an amazing career. As part of his management responsibilities, Manfred is very clear on his recruitment strategy, training and development priorities and the importance of having the best employees on board.

Manfred, why is the continuous training of our sales employees important to you?

“Within the ORACLE corporate culture the leadership principles such as “Leading by Example” and fostering the “Continuous Learning” are highly valued goals. We consider our employees as our most important resource and as the key to our success. Only the best employees will be able to deliver outstanding results. My management team, as well as ORACLE as an organisation, invest heavily in the development of employees in terms of training and coaching.

In addition, ORACLE is known as an innovator and a market leader. Thus, it is important to anticipate the market changes and be ahead of the competition. This is why we continuously review and adjust our sales model and aim for more. In previous years, ORACLE has driven the IT market by its product innovations as well as by its mergers and acquisitions strategy. Both lead to a continuously increasing product portfolio, new customers and new opportunities which are followed up on. In times where the frameworks are constantly changing it is more important than ever to coach our employees to stay open minded and handle changes positively.

To support the Sales Representatives with this ongoing change and to make sure they have all the skills and tools they need, my management team and I have designed a clear learning path including soft skill training, product training, sales tools training, business & account planning and so on. The trainings are part of each individual’s business plan and are agreed and reviewed regularly between the manager and the sales representatives. Each training session is followed by an assessment period to make sure that the new content is fully understood and integrated into the daily business before overloading the sales expert with too much information at the same time. This “training path” was honored with an internal award of the Oracle Deutschland GmbH called the “ORACLE Continuous Learning Award” in 2009.

What do you consider as the characteristics of a great sales person?

“In addition to an IT affinity and if possible some sales experience, the inner motivation, drive and the willingness to perform at the top are the key factors to become a successful sales person. Good communication skills and good English language skills are absolutely essential. We are selling a large number of different and complex products. In order to maintain a good customer relation it is important to understand the customer’s viewpoints, interests and needs to implement the right products that help our customers achieve their goals. This makes it absolutely necessary that our sales experts are able to understand and explain complex topics and circumstances. Only if we really understand what the customer’s needs are, we will be able to offer the right solutions. In this job you will meet a lot of people and it is absolutely crucial you enjoy working in a truly global environment, and are a real team player.”

If you are interested in a little insight into our Oracle Direct Sales Teams than please see our video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFeoJclvXDE

Do you see yourself as a future sales specialist at ORACLE? Please have a look at our open positions at http://campus.oracle.com if you are a graduate. Or if you have already collected some experience go to Jobs@Oracle DE or send your CV to christine.angerer@oracle.com

As of November 30th 2009, all our open roles for german speakers in OracleDirect are as follows:

In Potsdam:

2x Vertriebsbeauftragte/r Public Services, Vertriebsbeauftragte/r Enterprise Sales, Vertriebsbeauftragte/r SOA Enterprise Sales, Vertriebsbeauftragte/r (m/w) GB, FMW, SOA/E2.0 in Vollzeit, Territory Manager (m/w) GB TSBU Mittelstand in Vollzeit- Potsdam/ Stuttgart, 2x Staff/ Senior Internet Sales Consultant- Presales.

In Dublin:

Business Development Consultant m_w für den Deutschen Markt_Dublin , Business Development Consultant (m/w) für den Deutschen und den Schweizer Markt, Business Development Consultant m_w Oracle University für den Deutschen Markt_Dublin, Business Development Consultant for Applications Response Team- German Market- Dublin, Marketing Intelligence Representative_German Market_Dublin.

The telephone interview is a crucial stage of the selection process. Lots of companies consider it an effective form of pre-screening. If you applied for a specific role the recruit er will contact you to make an appointment to talk at a specific time and date, so you will have time to prepare. Here are some simple tips to help you perform during your telephone interviews.

Preparation for a telephone interview is as important as preparation before any other form of interview or meeting. The impression you create in the opening moments, and the manner with which you present yourself will determine whether or not you will be successful.

Find out as much as you can about the company and the job description. The company websites are one of the best sources of information. Find out about the size and structure of the company, its products and its markets.

Make a note of any questions you would like to ask. Ask questions about items that are important to you, especially if your decision whether to proceed depends upon the answers (for example: will I have to relocate? (if that is something you do not wish to do!). Otherwise, ask broad questions such as: What training will be given? What opportunities are there for advancement? Have these questions written down.

Have a notepad and pen ready, along with your diary. Have your CV at hand. In all probability the hiring manager will have a copy of it too, so you probably won't be asked to describe your background in detail.

The main rules are:

• Sound interesting/interested, energetic and enthusiastic
• Be succinct (don't waffle)
• Ask open-ended questions (beginning with who, what, when, why, where, how: these all ask for information, and keep the ball in the other person's court). Be prepared that they will do exactly the same!
• Don't use jargon
• Be polite
• Use the other person's name regularly throughout the conversation (but not all the time). Also, use the company name a few times.

Prepare to answer these questions

You can't prepare for every possible question, but there are a few which frequently come up:

• Tell me about yourself!
• What do you know about our company?
• What are you looking for?
• What would you like to know about us? (A good opportunity to ask your prepared questions)
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What else would you like to know? (An ideal opportunity to 'close' - see below)

Closing the telephone interview

Part of the purpose of the telephone interview (from the recruiter or hiring manager's perspective) is to find out how keen you are, and (especially in the case of sales jobs) whether you have natural closing ability. As soon as it seems appropriate during the conversation, ask for a date to meet for a face-to-face interview. Say something like ‘I'd really like to visit you to show you what I can do for you. When can you meet me?'

If you are invited for a face-to-face interview, thank the recruiter, and discuss the details:

• When?
• Where?
• With whom?
• What should you take to the interview?
• What will the procedure or next steps be?
• Will they be able to make a decision after the next interview? If not, what will happen after that?
• How many people are you up against?
• What is the most important thing the company is looking for?

Don't worry if you don't feel able to ask all these questions. The first three questions are the most important obviously. Here you can find tips and tricks about how to handle your body language during a face-to-face interview.

If you have any questions related to this article feel free to contact virginia.italiano@oracle.com. You can find our job opportunities via http://campus.oracle.com

Guten Tag ! Our names are Steffen, Rebecca and Andreas and we are the “Comp& Ben” Team in Munich, Germany, responsible for the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Steffen is working for Oracle for 6 years. Andreas has started his career at Oracle as an intern and has written his final thesis at Oracle. He is working for this team now for 8 years. Rebecca has just joined the team as an intern beginning of 2009.

Oracle is looking for the most dedicated and the best employees on the market around the world. Oracle commits to providing an adequate salary and excellent benefits for its employees. Therefore, we have our own Compensation & Benefit Teams, which constantly benchmarks the package. The Compensation & Benefit Teams belongs to the Human Resources-family with its seven fields of expertise: local Human Resources teams, Organization and Talent Development, HR-Systems, M&A Team, Business Partner, Recruitment and Compensation & Benefits.

To work in the area of C&B is interesting due to its various tasks. The aim is to develop competitive terms & conditions, which include having a good knowledge of the social policies and the labour legislation. It also involves a high amount of market research and handling a huge quantity of figures and data. Additionally, it requires strong communicative skills to be able to discuss new plans with senior management and negotiate with the workers council for their consent and finally roll out to all Oracle employees.

We also work on the compensation and benefits aspects of the integration for acquired employees – which is very exciting. Oracle has made a large number of strategic integrations lately (for more details, see this website). Harmonising the terms and conditions of the acquired company with the ones Oracle is using, is a major operation and needs to be handled with great care.

I asked Andreas, Rebecca and Steffen what makes their job special for them:

Andreas: Working at Oracle means working in a constantly changing environment. The Oracle of 2001 is not comparable to the Oracle of 2009. There is no day like the other since this is a very vibrant company with new and exciting opportunities every day. Additionally, I like working with a huge amount of data and figures to get my analysis done and being in contact with all the Oracles employees at the same time.

Rebecca: Even as an intern I am having a lot of freedom to structure my own work and to come up with ideas. It is a great chance for me to collect practical experience in addition to the theoretical knowledge I gained at university. Here at Oracle I have the chance to build a network. I am not only working with Steffen and Andreas but am also part of a virtual team with colleagues around the world. The job in an international company is fascinating since everyone brings their experience/ ideas into the international projects and that has changed and broadened my viewpoints of how to solve problems.

Steffen: Since we are a matrix organisation I support the Comp & Ben activities in the different countries in EMEA. I enjoy being part of this international C&B team where I can work with very interesting people and customers every day. 

Current openings in the area of HR and others can you find on http://campus.oracle.com. For questions regarding German speaking positions for Graduates and Interns at Oracle please contact christine.angerer@oracle.com

The Irish had arrived at the business end of the tournament and it was the Dutch team that posed the next challenge in the quarter finals. Fully refreshed from their exploits the previous day, the Irish continued on were they had left off and raced into a 4-0 lead by half time. Goals coming courtesy of a Darren double, John B. netting his fourth of the tournament and winger John R. who seemed to be in the best shape of his life also getting on the score sheet. Team coach Miguel made a host of changes in the second half and the game fizzled out with a easy victory for the Irish.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the draw the favorites France faced the Scottish with the winners to play Ireland in the semis. The Scottish team was boosted by the fact that four of the Irish contingent that traveled over opted to represent the Scottish in the tournament. Both Garrett and Stuart put in sterling performances throughout the group stages but for one reason or the other were unable to help the Scottish overcome the French losing out 2-0 and setting up a mouth watering tie in the semis. Just as both Garrett and Stuart had decided to play for Scotland, along with Tony and Paul who were just as influential in the Scottish advancement into the quarters, Daniel too played for his native Germany but also failed to reach the semis losing out in the quarters to the English.

The semi finals drew a large crowd and feeling slightly aggrieved from the first encounter the Irish were determined to get the win, a result they had cruelly snatched away from them in the group match. Similar to the first match, both teams played some nice passing football creating some good chances in the process. It looked as though the game was heading for a stalemate until the final minute Darren was blatantly taken down in the box and awarded a peno. He duly dispatched of it and turned to see the Irish line jumping for joy, including Diarmuid who although on crutches traveled with the squad quickly forgot about his recent operation when the goal went in and the final whistle blew. The Irish had beaten the holders France 1-0 and looked forward to stern test in the Final against the Italians.

Similar to the previous day, temperatures soared and thanks to the ever willing support of Garrett the team kept well hydrated. The time had arrived; the coveted world cup was on show for all to see, and remarkably only Italy stood in Ireland’s way of lifting the trophy in their debut appearance. Similar to the French game, both sides played some good football with the Irish perhaps edging the better chances. Then an opportunity presented itself in the form of a penalty kick which was dubious to say the least. Again Darren stood up to hit it but unlike his previous two efforts the Italian keeper saved the spot kick and kept it 0-0 at half time. The Irish dusted themselves down and still held the belief and that of the crowd that they were the better side and could go on to win the game. Midway through the second half centre back Marco who was definitely in the running for player of the tournament suffered an injury to his shoulder and had to be substituted. This unnerved the Irish a bit and allowed the Italians some space in me behind their defense and it wasn’t long after that Italy put one of their chances away taking a 1-0 lead. The Irish didn’t lie down and die, showing true grit and determination, constantly pushing forward in search of a much-deserved equalizer. With the clock counting down and the Irish desperately pushing forward, the Italians broke on a counter attack and scored a second which effectively ended the game and in the process the dreams of the Irish team. Within seconds after the kick off the referee blew the final whistle and the Italians had taken the mantle of world champions.

As disappointed as they were, the team still felt a great sense of achievement and had most certainly earned the respect of their fellow nations, receiving the loudest cheer at the presentation ceremony. In their inaugural Oracle world cup the Irish team had finished runners up, and unfortunately on this occasion the luck was not with the Irish. They now look forward to next years tournament which will be held in Como in Italy were the Irish team will look to go one better and dethrone the Italians in their home country…..

FUNNIEST MOMENT : Paul picking the ball up mid match thinking it had crossed the side line but in fact was another marking on the pitch.

HIGH POINT : Against the odds beating the reigning champions France in the semi finals

LOW POINT : Losing out to Italy in the final.

If you are interested in working for Oracle in the UK or Ireland feel free to contact fiona.mcconnell@oracle.com or visit our website http://campus.oracle.com.

The date; 18^th September 2009,

The venue; Zurich, Switzerland

The occasion; The Oracle Ireland football team’s debut at the annual Oracle World Cup

After months of planning and preparation by the management team of Patrick (manager), Miguel (head coach) and Scott (asst. coach) and weekly training sessions conducted by Declan including a number of friendly games, the Irish team flew out to their inaugural World Cup on  Friday the 18^th September.

The complete squad

Patrick (manager), Miguel (head coach), Scott (asst. coach) Adrian, Luca, Mark , Marco , Kevin, John R., Fabio, Patrick, John B., Darren, Derek, Scott, Jason, Maxime, Padraig, Diarmuid, Alex, Jamie, Daniel, Garrett, Stuart, Tony, Paul, Diarmuid and Garrett.

Arrival

Upon arrival the team was in jubilant mood and was greatly anticipating the draw which was to be held at a reception party later that evening. Some of the teams mooted to be contenders were the Scottish, the Italians, and of course the current holders France. At the draw, teams and representatives assembled and waited with baited breath to find out who stood between them and the coveted trophy which was also on display at the reception. As it was the Irish team’s first appearance they were put into pot two with the weaker nations potentially drawing some of the favorites. When the draw commenced, silence fell over the room, some of the audience could hardly bear to watch and John R. of the Irish team was one in particular who could not keep his eyes open. As suspected, the draw wasn’t particularly kind to the Irish team who drew France (champions), Spain, Russia and Czech Republic. Undeterred the team enjoyed their night and looked forward to the challenge which lay ahead.

Day 1

The following morning the team gathered in the hotel lobby and made their way in high spirits to the sports complex where the games would be played. Four group stage games to be played on day 1 and by late afternoon they would know their faith; would they be taking part in the quarters, semis or even final to be held tomorrow or would they be mere spectators?

The first game pitted the team against the technically gifted Spanish team. But it didn’t take long for the Irish to take the lead with John B. getting of the mark in the tournament closely followed by a second from Darren. The Spanish pulled one back but it was John B. again who put the Irish 3-1 up. At this stage the team looked comfortable but a sloppy penalty conceded gave the Spanish the opportunity to bring them back into the game. Unfortunately for the Spanish, goalkeeper Adrian  made a fantastic save and soon after Lacey finished the game as contest with his second resulting in a 4-1 win in the opening fixture. Great start!!

After a blistering start to their campaign, the team faced Czech Republic in their next fixture. In temperatures which peaked at 30 degrees, the team dispatched with Czech’s quite comfortably. Some stalwart defending from messers Luca and Mark accompanied by some battle hardened midfield work from Paul and Jamie created the platform for Derek to put the Irish 1 up, who although carrying an injury to his thigh played through the pain barrier for his country. A second was added soon after by the ever industrious player/manager Patrick and a Darren penalty gave the team a 3-0 victory and 6 points to go with it. Looking good!!

The next encounter would hand the Irish their toughest test yet as the French lay in wait, the current champions who hold an impressive track record that has seen them finish no worse than the semi finals in the last 4 years of the competition. The flamboyant French did as expected and passed the ball well but it was the Irish who took the lead when John broke through the French defense and slotted home neatly. It looked as if this may have been the decisive goal as we headed into the last minute but the French struck with a floated ball into the box which to all present looked as though it had been hooked away by Kevin before it had crossed the goal line but to the person who really mattered, in this instance the referee, decided otherwise and awarded the French a controversial equalizer which tied the game at 1-1 earning both teams a point, in the process confirming the Irish teams qualification. We’ll take that!!

Going into the final group game against the Russians having secured qualification, the Irish team took the opportunity to show the squads strength in depth by fielding other members of the squad Maxime, Padraig, and Alex, all of whom gave the management food for thought with some sterling performances. Clearly the training regime had paid off and the Irish comprehensively dispatched of their Russian counterparts with a 4-1 victory. Goals from the ever reliable player/coach Scott, midfield maestro Fabio, the defensive rock Kev  and striker Darren who netted his 4^th in as many games. The game didn’t pass without controversy however with Jason being booked after his second bone crunching tackle in the space of minutes followed shortly after with the sending off of Diarmuid for serious foul play. This unfortunate setback failed to take any of the gloss of the fact the Irish were through to the quarter finals tomorrow as group winners with 10 points. Half way there!!

After their display on day 1, the Irish team had ensured people were sitting up and taking notice, laying down a marker that although this was their first year at the tournament, they meant business!! That evening the team wound down by gathering together and going for some food/refreshments with some opting to go the supermarket and others looking to enjoy some samba dancing.

How will this story continue……? Next week more news about the exciting Annual Oracle World Cup!

Hoi, my name is Roderick and I worked as an Intern for eight months from October 2008 until May 2009 in Oracle. I was located in the Oracle office in De Meern (near Utrecht), The Netherlands. Currently I am working as a Business Development Consultant (BDC) for the Benelux, located in Dublin, Ireland. How did I manage to get an Internship at Oracle and start as a Business Development Consultant?

As part of my course in Business Economics at Rotterdam University I had to do two Internships. The first internship was supporting the company and the second internship was to write a thesis for my graduation. During my first internship I met someone from Oracle. We started to talk about my experience as a sales intern and she started to tell me about Oracle. After a while I received a phone call to discuss if I was interested in an Internship for Oracle. I was open to this, but I did not have any experience in an IT environment. After my job interview I was convinced that Oracle is a company, which could offer me a great sales environment and a lot of knowledge of IT. During my internship I wrote a thesis about Enterprise Content Management (ECM) in the Dutch Public Sector. The interest in ECM systems was growing and I was asked to look at the challenges the Public Sector faces around document life cycle management. Oracle offered me all the freedom to write my thesis.

During my internship I had the opportunity to attend Field Sales and product trainings in Ireland, Public Sector events and various social events. Oracle showed me what it is like to work in a Sales role as a young professional, with innovative products, in an international environment and with great colleagues. This made me think about starting my career at Oracle and so I applied for the role of Business Development Consultant at Oracle Direct in Dublin. I started in July 2009.

It is a great opportunity to start in a Sales Role as a BDC. You receive a lot of training and coaching, and learn all about complex selling processes, the Oracle products, the different markets and different companies. My job is to create and find opportunities and build a pipeline. This is only possible when you are in close contact with the field and inside sales representatives and can benefit from high quality campaigns that are organised. I work closely with different colleagues to start up campaigns and to qualify the opportunities. I do not have to talk about technical issues; I only need to understand the different products and the added value to customers.

Oracle offered me two great opportunities  and more opportunities are possible in the future.

If you are interested in an working for Oracle in Dublin, focusing on the Benelux? Please contact jessica.ebbelaar@oracle.com

Oracle Offices in Baden-Dättwil in Switzerland, 08:30 in the morning:

Barbara (Legal Intern working for the legal department), law student in the final year at the University of Zurich, working at Oracle since March 2009. Yudi (Contracts Intern working for Consulting contracts), law student for 5 Semesters at the University of Lucerne, certified in Marketing and Communication, working at Oracle since May 2009.

B: Good morning, how is life?

Y: Hi, the longer the better, how about yourself?

B: Ahh…I studied a lot last night and I have got loads of work to do.

Y: Yeah…I know how you feel…

B: Do you remember the day you started at Oracle?

Y: How could I forget…..I had just stopped working at the airport in Zürich-Kloten….I wanted to go back to working in an office, preferably something in connection to law, as I studied law for 5 semesters. Besides that my goal was to begin a further education in marketing & communication. Therefore a job at Oracle seemed like an excellent opportunity. How did you end up at Oracle?

B: Hmmm… Actually, it was quite a coincidence! I did something totally different before: I was doing an internship at UNHCR (United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees) when I applied for the job here. Basically, I wanted to take my final law exams in June but had to postpone them due to medical reasons. So, the job at Oracle suited me perfectly: part-time, legal, working in different languages and rather demanding… But tell me, how do you like it at Oracle after half a year?

Y: Wow,I have so many impressions! But, what I like in particular is the multicultural and international atmosphere. It’s also interesting to be involved with many different lines of business: License Contracts, Sales, HR, Legal… How do you cope with working and studying at the same time?

B: Oh, it’s sometimes rather challenging but work keeps me motivated to study. There are quite a lot of things I’m allowed to do: Localizations, Translations, Research, Justifications and giving my opinion. There’s always something to keep me busy… What keeps you occupied?

Y: Well, at first I worked more in the field of consulting, things like checking contracts for non-standard clauses, supervising signature processes and assembling contracts for funding. In the course of time, I have been allowed to do many other things, especially related to Partner Agreements. What are your plans for the future?

B: First of all I have to finish my law studies and then I’d either like to join an international organization, the diplomatic corps or a private company like Oracle. What do you want to do after your internship at Oracle?

Y: Generally, I’d like to pursue my marketing education and then join the marketing or communication section of an international company. Why not return to Oracle then?

B: Wow, sounds good! Look, I’ve got to go now, let’s meet up for a coffee at 10?

Y: Perfect! I hope I will have reduced the mountain of paper on my desk by half till then…

If you wish to know more about being a graduate and working for Oracle in Switzerland, contact julie.roi@oracle.com.

Shruthi Chindular, IT Senior Business Development Technology Manager, joined Oracle six years ago and is sharing her experience on working for Oracle and explaining what is important if you want to start your career in Sales.

When you start working for the first time probably the most important challenge you will be facing is crossing the bridge between school and a working environment. Being able to land on corporate grounds and embrace the culture is key. You can make the crossing easy on yourself by preparing even before you graduate by taking a number of actions. For example get in touch with what is happening in the company you are interested in. Start networking with people from the group you are interested in working for, and inform yourself by looking at company websites and other social networking sites. Once you are a part of the organization that you wanted, don’t wait to start looking at how you can add value to the company in your role. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions will not render you vulnerable. If you do not ask, you will probably never know!

I already knew quite quickly I wanted to join Oracle, as I passed by the shiny Oracle office building frequently on my way to college in India. I worked on Oracle products while studying for my Masters in the US and my wish to join Oracle became stronger. The company made some powerful software and was the database company to work for. After working in the US as a Field Sales rep for a few years in my early career, I returned to India and applied for a role as a Business Development Consultant (BDC) in Oracle. Since then my career developed quickly and I changed to advanced roles every year, going from prospecting roles to Sales roles, BDC Manager, Sales Manager and now Senior BDC Manager in Dublin. Sales in Oracle means closing deals and generating revenue while the BDC role focuses on prospecting and generating pipeline for all direct and indirect channels.

At the moment I manage 30 people across 3 different Marketing Intelligence Teams and also lead the Operation Excellence, Communication and Mergers & Acquisitions pillars for the Business Development group based out of Dublin. The Marketing Intelligence team I manage is responsible for gathering accurate contact details of customers including infrastructure information etc. which helps to specifically target a marketing campaign either by product, industry or focus. Each team member has specific targets/ metrics in the form of contacts, email opt-ins, calls, etc.

90% of the team consists of graduates who are interested in a Sales career. We support the graduates coming into Oracle with a lot of training, role-play and assessments. There is an intense coaching program in place for all Managers in OracleDirect. Marketing Intelligence Representatives that are promoted into Business Development Consultants have a chance to be nominated to start a sales and marketing diploma as part of the DIT programme.

What I look for when selecting graduates is their enthusiasm, energy, commitment, competitive nature, openness to new ideas, if they have a long-term plans with Oracle and their language skills. It of course helps if they have a marketing or sales related background. You also have to feel comfortable in a company that wants to be number One in a very healthy competitive way. Oracle has a work hard, play hard culture that pushes you to bring out the best in yourself.

The Marketing Intelligence role is a great start to grow into a Sales role within Oracle. If you seek a career in Sales, starting in a Marketing Intelligence or Business Development role is the best choice you can make. Sales always begins with demand generation. If you know how to find your customers, it may be smoother for you to close the deal!

If I look back at my six years in Oracle it has been an exciting ride, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be that way. I have always been recognized for my contributions to the company . In various ways. I plan to make my career in this powerful organization especially because Oracle itself presents many diverse opportunities across the globe There is so much to learn every day here.

For more information about Oracle in Dublin take a look at the video: A world of opportunities @ Oracle Direct. If you are looking for an opportunity at Oracle visit out website http://campus.oracle.com. For questions with regards to this article please contact jessica.ebbelaar@oracle.com.

Hi, my name is Ingrid. I am a Norwegian, living in Sweden, working in Denmark- a true Scandinavian! I joined Oracle in January 2005 as a Territory Manager, based in Ireland, for the Norwegian Small and Medium sized Business (SMB) Market (also known as General Business). Now I am responsible for General Business in the Nordics. My team is focuses on selling Oracle’s technology products to the SMB Market in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

My Background

I graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in December 2004. I currently hold a Masters degree in “Master of International Management”- CEMS MIM. CEMS is an alliance of European Academic institutions and corporate partners. The aim of the Masters program was to build a bridge between university education and business expertise in an international business environment. When I graduated I wanted a job outside of Norway. One day a recruiter contacted me and said she had an opening at Oracle. I was not that familiar with the IT-industry and had not really considered a career within the IT-sector, but the recruiter convinced me to go for the interview. I remember she told me that if I joined Oracle “only the sky is the limit”- and she was true!

My first period working for Oracle

When I first joined Oracle I participated in extensive foundation training with colleagues from all over Europe, Middle East and Africa. The 3 weeks program gave me a thorough insight into Oracle technology products, business practices and sales skills. It was also a golden opportunity to create a network within Oracle. After the foundation training I was assigned a buddy. I had regular meetings with him during the first 6 months.

Why I joined Oracle

The job as a Territory manager in General Business turned out to be a great stepping-stone for my career at Oracle. Besides obtaining excellent sales skills, I acquired irreplaceable knowledge of the IT industry. After 1 year I took over as a Team Leader for the Norwegian and the Finnish SMB market and one fiscal later I became the sales manager of Norway. As long as you deliver results- countless possibilities await you! When I became a manager at Oracle I was offered a 3-week training called “Foundation of Management”. The training gave me a valuable input to my new role as a manager. Meeting peers from other parts of the organization gave me the necessary overview that is needed as a manager. It was also very inspiring to meet colleges with a different culture than my own.

What do you love most about your job at Oracle?

The Nordic General Business division is a group of enthusiastic, intelligent and fun individuals that want to succeed! We share many social activities and participate in Oracle’s many social events.

I am very attracted by the international atmosphere, the fast pace and the winning attitude. My work is very varied and I do a lot of traveling, visiting partners and customers in the 4 Nordic countries. I had no experience from the IT industry when I started, but I learned that as long as you listen to what your customers and partners tell you about their business needs, you’ll have all the support you need to find the right technical solution for them. Being vigorous means you are always willing and ready to learn, this has been one of my key assets here at Oracle. A day at Oracle never looks the same.

For me it is also important that Oracle offers a great work-life balance and supports a healthy life style. I am a very result oriented person and like to set personal goals. In August I participated in a Mountain Bike competition with colleges from the Nordics. We trained for this event for almost a year- and we all made it; a great experience!

The Future

Currently I find lots of challenges in my present job. I am leading a great team with lots of potential, and I am working to leverage that potential towards more efficient ways of doing things, creating better results and raising customer and partner satisfaction through shared successes.

As for my future opportunities within Oracle, I am confident, that a fast changing industry will continue to pose new challenges in my current job, and also that our HR processes secure that I keep developing my skills, so I can step up to new job opportunities, should they open in the future.

If you are interested in working for Oracle in Scandinavia please contact fiona.mcconell@oracle.com

Hi, I am Nermine, I am a Senior Recruiter in Oracle Egypt.

Recently we have invited students from the“Misr International University” to attend a presentation about Oracle and the success of the Global Customer Services Center. The day was a superb success: students and professors had a valuable day.

“Misr International University” is one of the most reputable private universities in Egypt.

During that day, we focused on presenting the Oracle’s Global Customer Service Center, which offers great opportunities to fresh graduates, in one of our state-of-the-art teams. The centre focuses on supporting Oracle customers all over the world, in English.

About 14 Computer Science and Engineering students attended. During the presentation we discussed the recruitment process, the online application process, the skills and qualifications, which we are looking for at Oracle, trainings offered to enable students to develop their soft and technical skills. We delivered a technical session about the Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing technology, which would help them in their graduation projects. We discussed the challenges students can come across working in an international company:

• Importance of Soft Skills in addition to technical profile
• Ability to work in global environment and deal with different cultures
• Virtual work structure where employees may report to Remote Managers and belong to virtual teams across the globe
• Keeping up with the technology advancement and adapting to corporate changes
• Multinational compliance and ethics standards

At the end of the visit we gave them a tour of the center so they could get a better idea of the work environment and the culture within Oracle and to motivate them to join our professional atmosphere.

Amani Rabei, The Centre Senior Manager, explains why she thinks it is valuable to welcome students in this way. “ It is very important that university graduating students get exposed to the needs of multinational companies. We in Oracle Global Customer Services (Egypt) have been adopting an awareness campaign to graduating students from top universities.

For the past years we participated in several university employment fairs. We accept requests from universities who want to visit Oracle Global Customer Services Center at the Smart Village. The Smart Village having many IT companies is becoming an attraction to students’ visits. I believe this is a great marketing tool for our Oracle work culture in the market that can help us reach out for good candidates seeking challenging careers in reputable multinationals.”

Oracle Corporation gives high emphasis on recruiting motivated software engineering and management graduates as part of its strategic initiative. Activities at Oracle include seminars/information sessions that focus on providing i nformation exchange between Oracle recruiters and the universities students. These activities are being expanded as we continue to grow and put an emphasis on recruiting graduates from premier institutes. Oracle is always looking for graduates who are motivated for career progression and individuals who appreciate the challenges of working within multicultural teams with the same dedication to teamwork and excellence.

Would you be interested to know more about these presentations or a job in Oracle Egypt, please contact nermine.salah@oracle.com