The mobility of the future? A great thrill for Melisa
Getting to know Melisa, interior and ambient lighting expert.
The first contact I had with Volkswagen was in Group Research where I wrote my bachelor thesis in the area of lightweight construction. It was a really exciting moment, and my first contact with a big brand helped me decide the direction I wanted to take. I followed this up with a number of student positions in pre-development set-up for the Volkswagen passenger car brand. While I was still dealing initially with lightweight construction topics, I felt I needed to do something completely different so I switched to the unit responsible for developing interior and ambient lighting in the cars. I came on board here in 2016 as a StartUp Direct trainee.
As an employee in the interior and ambient lighting unit, I make sure that our cars are an absolute highlight in the genuine sense of the word when it comes to the interior too. I am involved from the initial idea to realisation in the production vehicles. The idea can quite simply emerge from nowhere, or from a specific requirement. It's both a challenge and a real thrill then to bring this to life in the vehicle. When everything finally comes together, the feeling is one of immense pride. My unit calls for a wealth of expertise and flexibility, something that is assured by our strong team and essential for career entrants.
...no one moment. Rather a series of individual moments. It began when I completed my master thesis. The initial idea took shape and was enthusiastically received by lots of colleagues. From then on I knew this was something I wanted to continue. And this was to be the case too. I was hired – my second wonderful Volkswagen moment.
Now it's the international activities as well as innovations and products that have already been developed or are in development.
...we are an unbelievably large, international company group that inspires people all over the world with its products. My typical working day involves talking to colleagues in China in the morning, moving on to Europe midday and finishing up in the evening on the American continent. There is also an opportunity to work in a variety of different departments and thus acquire an understanding of and learn about the intersection points for all topics relating to the product. The cross-brand communication and collaboration in Volkswagen is naturally unique and unbelievably good fun.
...an exciting time! I think that we are in transition. Be that the transition to electromobility, the era of autonomous driving or mobility as a service or also digitalization. All of these are areas where there are many opportunities to learn and develop and which demand a rethink and reorientation for all units. I am excited to be part of this future and really want very much to help shape it.
...to be genuine and be able to identify with the position and with Volkswagen. This should be clear both from the cover letter and the interview. A confident manner and in-depth specialist knowledge are very important in my view.
Source: Volkswagen AG