An open field of work with a large trust advantage
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After studying economics in Wuppertal, Matthias Dierkes now works at SYNAXON AG
"SYNAXON AG covers a very wide range of occupational fields," says deputy sales manager Matthias Dierkes, "whether in the areas of marketing, sales, IT, purchasing, or even superior as project manager or assistant to the board. There is something for almost everyone!" Since 2016, the young academic who grew up in Lippstadt has been working for Europe's largest IT association group, which offers him extensive opportunities for career development.
Like millions of other young people, Dierkes was initially undecided about how his career should develop after leaving school. "Directly after graduating, I was not sure at all in which direction I wanted to develop or in which direction my studies should take me." Economics, which he finally decided on, offered him insights into a wide variety of fields, which he was then able to deepen during his master's studies. Today, he knows how important these experiences are in everyday working life: "This approach from business administration, economics and law is now also very helpful in my professional life, enabling me to assess and understand the background of other departments."
Uni Wuppertal - a never regretted second choice
"To be honest, Wuppertal wasn't my first choice right away," he freely admits, because as a newcomer, of course, you first concentrate on the big universities like Münster, Cologne, Aachen and Düsseldorf. "But after I had increasingly realized that these are indeed 'mass universities' and that a certain anonymity prevails there," he also looked at the smaller universities and then got stuck in Wuppertal in the Bergisch Land. "Wuppertal caught my eye positively as a university city, but also as a very down-to-earth city. Especially the many options for a later master's degree and the positive attitudes at the university led me to the decision to study here." Dierkes praises the support in the faculty by the lecturers, who always had an open ear for his inquiries.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management - Preparation for the daily work
The decision to orientate towards Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management arose from the desire to be able to advance, develop and improve something in a company at some point. "The entire course of studies appealed to me very positively and I always had the impression that I was very well prepared for my future workday in this specialization", he explains.
Back to home
From the beginning it was clear to the today 32-year-old that he wanted to take up his first job after his studies at least near his hometown Lippstadt. "Since I already had my first contact with the IT industry during my master's degree in the form of internships and working student activities," he says, "I was able to establish a direct connection at SYNAXON." Europe's largest IT association convinces him with its mission statement and appeals to him especially through the "Open Company" seal of approval. This seal of approval stands for authenticity and openness for the critical examination of one's own qualities as an employer as well as communication at eye level with the employees and potential applicants. In times of social media, these qualities make for a contemporary human resource management that can lead to corporate success through constant mediation between management and staff. "At SYNAXON, we pursue a very open working environment and every employee is given a great leap of faith", explains Dierkes, "so that, for example, since January 2019, every employee has been able to decide freely on his or her place of work and working hours". SYNAXON also integrates its employees in every form of further development and this is what finally prompted him to apply.
SYNAXON AG
SYNAXON is Europe's largest IT group. This is understood to be a voluntary association of several companies of the same trade level within a branch. The overall goal is to increase the competitiveness and profitability of the individual partner companies.
SYNAXON AG, as the group's headquarters, supports its affiliated IT partner companies along five group brands. At the core of the extensive range of services are the areas of purchasing, sales, marketing, networking and further education.
Mattias Dierkes joins SYNAXON AG directly after his master's degree in 2016 at the company location Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock. "I started here in the field of merchandise trade in the very classical field service." Determined, he works his way up to team leader for field service and is given the opportunity to participate in a management development program. "After completing this two-year program, I was immediately able to take the next career step and have been working as Deputy Sales Manager since the middle of the year." As a result, his range of responsibilities shifted towards achieving and securing results, with the focus on the further development and promotion of individual employees throughout the department. "Therefore, my daily work routine now consists of many internal meetings, but also planning and development work. In addition, we at SYNAXON AG attach great importance to the topic of employee participation. I also try to incorporate this as often as possible into further decision-making processes, new ideas, etc."
Observe other industries
In order to keep up to date, Dierkes continuously follows the ever-changing media with a focus on the IT channel and adds: "What I have noticed more and more over the last one or two years is that it can be helpful to observe other industries with an open mind. This often reveals developments where the IT industry may already have solutions, or solutions from other industries can be well adapted."
Dierkes advises economics graduates who are interested in jobs in this expanding company to apply and concludes: "We are again looking for a large number of new employees in the coming year. "
Uwe Blass (Interview from 04.11.2020)
Matthias Dierkes studied economics at the BUW and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management.