05 Apr 2023 #PEOPLE STORIES
Meet Syed, International Working Student @Order2cash
Syed Whaidul Alam
Order to Cash Process Working Student
Reading time: 3 min
Hello! My name is Syed Whaidul Alam. I came from the small but energetic developing country Bangladesh. I came to Germany to pursue my postgraduate degree in an international environment. I am currently completing a Master’s degree in International Management & Information Systems. I joined DOUGLAS on July 1, 2022 as an E-Commerce payment intern to get a real-life practical experience from an international German company. After completing the amazing 6 months internship, I am now appointed as “Working Student – Order to Cash Process”.
Employer for internationals
DOUGLAS operates Europe-wide, so we don’t only work with international stakeholders, but I have a lot of international colleagues as well. I really like that aspect about the company, since it’s very inclusive and welcomes employees with an international background. This mindset can also be found in our daily work. I am currently working on an international project that concerns E-Commerce payment methods in over 15 countries. Here, I regularly communicate with our international colleagues to assure that everything goes smoothly.
Expectations vs. Reality
I was reluctant at first because of my German knowledge, but since I am working in an international team, it is no issue at all to communicate in English. Something I didn’t expect was the trust that DOUGLAS places on its employees. I have a lot of freedom to organize myself and responsibility for my own projects. Something that pleasantly surprised me was the friendly atmosphere in the team that made me immediately feel welcome.
My best internship experience
That was Nicolaus Day, because it was the first time I got to meet everyone from my department as everyone came into the office. To finally get to know everybody personally was really great. Another thing that I really enjoy are our weekly team meetings. We get to connect with each other and share current projects that we are working on. But simultaneously, we can share any problems that might be on our minds, so there is really always someone around to share your thoughts with.
My biggest learning
The biggest aspect is definitely that communication is key. You also have to put a lot of commitment and dedication into your work. DOUGLAS puts a lots of trust in the employees and I of course want to do my part to help fulfill our mission, whether I am working on an international project, like a report on the development of KPIs or simply operational tasks.
Advice for talents
You should be really comfortable to communicate your needs within the team. However, I think the most important thing is to be open minded and to be willing to integrate yourself fully into the team for the best possible experience!