Graduate Case Studies - Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK

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Enterprise Rent-A-Car

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EnterpriseRent-A-Car

At Enterprise, we combine the opportunities of a huge, internationally successful car rental company with a more personal, entrepreneurial approach that lets individuals stand out. That’s because we’re divided up into hundreds of smaller businesses (or branches), which you’ll form part of and learn how to run yourself.

Our training scheme

You’ll start off as a Management Trainee, and after an initial classroom-based orientation session you’ll be assigned to a branch office for the hands-on business training. This includes management skills, finance, marketing, operations, sales and customer service, giving you the kind of business knowledge you’d only usually get from an MBA. Within a year you could be promoted to Assistant Manager. From then on, you’ll also receive a percentage of the profits generated by your own branch, which means you could earn more thanks to our performance-based culture.

Our career progression

Throughout the scheme, there’s a series of carefully monitored tests and evaluations, after which you’ll receive pay increases, rewards and more opportunities for promotion, working your way up to Branch Manager, then Area Manager, City Manager and beyond. You’ll also have the opportunity to specialise if you find an area of the business you’re particularly interested in.

Our background

Enterprise started in the US in 1957 and we now have a turnover of $10.1 billion, employing more than 66,000 people across the UK, Ireland, Germany, the USA and Canada, with over 3,400 in the UK and over 190 in Ireland. We’ve won more than a few awards in our time too. Most recently, we were voted as one of the 'best places to launch a career' by Business Week, and featured in ‘The Times Top 50 Where Women Want To Work’.

All about you

Join us and you can take advantage of enormous earning potential, a truly entrepreneurial environment, and a commitment to having fun, that few if any other companies can offer. If you have the potential to be a good leader, with strong negotiation skills and a high degree of self-motivation, then you’ll almost certainly love working here.

To find out more, please visit www.enterprisealive.co.uk

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Ever wanted to know what recruiters are looking for in graduates? Donna Miller, European HR director at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, shares her wisdom

1. What was your first job?

A graduate trainee with The Broadway, a department store retailer on the west coast of the US.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current role?

I love that it is diverse and that I am involved in all aspects of running the business. Everything in our business is about people, so I get pulled into things that don't necessarily relate to HR.

3. What do you do on a typical day?

When I am in the office, I spend time catching up with emails, phone calls and meetings. I serve as a consultant to our operating groups. I work primarily on strategic issues - where the company is today from a people perspective, and where we want it to be. I am out of the office quite a bit as well - travelling to our
offices throughout Europe and the US.

4. What key things do you look for when hiring graduates?

We hire on sales aptitude, customer service ability, work ethic, leadership, flexibility and communication
skills. Students can influence how well they perform in these by having work experience and being involved in clubs and organisations on campus.

5. How can graduates improve their chances of being hired by a company like yours?

By marketing themselves - students have a way of downplaying their work experience. They might think not to put pub or retail experience on a CV - but all experience is valuable experience. Often it's not what you did, but about responsibility, being on time and being held accountable. Those are the types of things that employers want to see.

6. What are the biggest mistakes students make when filling out application forms?

A lot of it comes down to spelling and grammatical mistakes. Get a friend or family member to review anything you send out. I can't tell you how many times I have received a letter addressed to me, with the name of another company. If you can't get it right, employers will assume that's how you will act within the
company as well. Detail is essential.

7. What advice do you have for students with interviews lined up?

Prepare, prepare and prepare. It's critical to know a bit about a company before showing up to your interview. You also need to work on your answers to typical questions. It's a good idea to not only know your strengths, but to have tangible examples to back them up.

8. What does Enterprise Rent-ACar offer graduates that other companies don't?

The opportunity to build a career. Most people don't really want to know what they want to do when they graduate, so they join a company and figure it out. When they do figure it out in a couple of years' time, it is often difficult to move roles or divisions within most companies. At Enterprise, since we promote solely from within, all of those options are available for everyone. Everyone starts as a graduate trainee, and where you move and in what direction is up to you.

9. What is the best piece of careers advice you have ever been given?

Don't sweat the small stuff - what seems like a big deal will be nothing in 30 days.

And finally...

10. If your house were burning down, what would be the one (inanimate) object you'd save?

A picture of me and my Mom that is on my bedside table.

 

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Graduate Management Trainees		31 August 08
YES, I'D LOVE TO SPEND HOURS PERFECTING MY TEA-MAKING SKILLS. NO, I WANT ON THE JOB TRAINING THAT ALLOWS ME TO DEVELOP MY MANAGEMENT SKILLS. We might be an international car rental company with a multi-billion pound turnover. But more importantly, we're ...

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