At regular intervals, we run a six-month trainee programme aimed at newcomers who enjoy data analysis, visualisation and teamwork. We asked Raffaella and Chris, who successfully completed the traineeship in 2020 and are now working as Junior Analysts at zweipunkt, about their experiences, expectations and highlights.
First things first, Raffaella and Chris, why did you apply for the traineeship? What were your expectations of the traineeship?
Raffaella: I have always been interested in this world and applied for the zweipunkt traineeship because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn the basic concepts and familiarise myself with the tools needed to work in this field.
Chris: My goal was to gain a foothold in the world of data analytics after graduation. Like Raffa, I hoped to learn what is important in this field and to gain my first practical experience.
...have your expectations been fulfilled?
Chris: Definitely! The traineeship is structured in such a way that you quickly learn the important basics and are involved in customer projects relatively early on. The mix of theory and practice, which is what I wanted, is a central component of the traineeship.
Raffaella: My expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I had expected to be able to count on a certain amount of guidance and leadership during the traineeship. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised at how well thought out and structured the programme was. During the 6 months I had the chance to benefit from the experience and know-how of the team and to grow through their constructive feedback.
If you had to explain to your grandparents what you did at zweipunkt during your traineeship, what would you say?
Chris: I would tell them that I learnt how to collect data (especially data generated by internet usage, but also data that can be measured in various business activities) and process it in such a way that exciting insights can be derived from it. Our customers then need these insights in order to improve their website, optimise their operational business or as a basis for strategic decisions, for example.
Raffaella: I would emphasise the comparison with the "physical world": Even in the digital world, it is important for companies to understand how customers interact with their products and services, understand their behaviour and identify areas for improvement in order to remain competitive. In real life, a customer's behaviour and reactions may reveal themselves a little more directly, but in a virtual environment it is necessary to capture the right information in the right way, process it and ultimately present it in an easily understandable way using the right visualisations.
What was the structure/programme/content of the traineeship like?
Raffaella: The traineeship was divided into modules. Each module had one or more use cases. The process was to gradually move from a basic understanding of why digital analytics and what its scope is to in-depth knowledge (just like I would explain it to my grandparents, I had to understand the context before I could move on to action!)
The traineeship covered the following topics:
- Defining business objectives & goals
- Defining metrics based on business objectives
- Tracking implementation & how to define the tracking specification
- Collecting & analysing data
- Visualising the data
- Interpreting the results
In addition to the above, we had the opportunity to work with tools such as Google, Google Analytics, and other tools.we had the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with tools such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio, Tealium iQ and Tableau, but also to delve deeper into search engine topics such as SEO, the use of Google Sheets as a data source and its structuring, the use of regular expressions and much more.
Chris: Exactly! After the usual onboarding for a new position, the first part of the traineeship was about familiarising ourselves with the world of web and data analysis from a less technical perspective. After that, it was all about acquiring a solid grounding in the tools and software used at zweipunkt. For me personally, the focus was more on Tableau and less on Tealium, as it was planned that we would be deployed in different areas in the future.
In the second half of the traineeship, things became more concrete, as you were involved in ongoing customer projects at the same time and were therefore able to put what you had learnt into practice.
What were your personal highlights? What (work, successes) are you particularly proud of?
Raffaella: It was always a pleasure when I was able to identify the cause of a problem and find a solution, such as fixing a "tag" that wouldn't fire or implementing a "RegEx" to display the desired data on a dashboard, but also receiving positive feedback from colleagues and customers. These are still my highlights today. The problems have perhaps become a little more complex compared to the beginning.
Chris: For me, it's also the small success stories. Very often it's the details that can make a big difference and are celebrated accordingly. And when the end product as a whole makes the customer happy, it's always a highlight!
You both successfully completed the traineeship and now work as Junior Analysts at zweipunkt. How well did the traineeship prepare you for this role?
Chris: We were able to successfully complete the first (partial) projects after the traineeship and I feel integrated into a functioning team. Without the optimal preparation provided by the trainee programme, I don't think this would have been possible at this time.
Raffaella: I also feel well prepared! The trainee programme offers an overall view and perspective on the day-to-day work of a Junior Digital Analyst.
The use cases allowed me to see and practice real case studies and towards the end of the traineeship I had the opportunity to work on small projects.
What would you recommend to a future trainee? What should they bring with them? What should they know?
Chris: Definitely enthusiasm for the world of data analysis and visualisation, enjoy working in a team and with customers and a certain degree of self-organisation.
Raffaella: I would say mainly a desire to learn and a positive attitude. Some background and skills (such as programming knowledge) are of course an added value, but not decisive factors.
Chris: I think so too! Data analysis, digital analytics, etc. is more than statistics, programming and software tools. The aspect of customer consulting is at least as important.
Where would you like to develop professionally and professionally? How/where do you see yourself in the future?
Raffaella: Professionally, I like working as a consultant because it gives me the opportunity to work on different projects and be in contact with different customers and industries. This makes my day-to-day work very dynamic. I am happy to be part of the zweipunkt team and therefore see myself where I am now.
In terms of skills, it's hard to say as this field is very diverse and the opportunities are countless and constantly evolving. At the moment, I want to develop skills related to analysing data via BigQuery and standard SQL.
Chris: I want to consolidate and expand my data analysis toolset and continue to gain experience on the job. I don't have too specific ideas for my professional future, not least because of the rapid changes in our field and the fact that this expertise is not industry-specific. What counts is that I really like it at zweipunkt!
