From internship to permanent position: How Lea was able to advance her career at Jungheinrich
Lea Cordes started out as an intern in the area of corporate sustainability — today she is a junior expert in social sustainability. Her journey proves how commitment can open doors.
My name is Lea Cordes, I am 27 years old and I completed my master's degree in Sustainable and Digital Business Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Wedel. My journey at Jungheinrich began even before I started my master's degree: after graduating with my bachelor's degree, I completed a seven-month internship in the Corporate Sustainability department and was immediately hooked. Despite a few minor IT hurdles on the first day, the onboarding process was extremely well organised – with appointments, team introductions and an open atmosphere. What was particularly nice was that I started together with five other interns and trainees. The young department, the friendly colleagues and the open atmosphere made it easy for me to settle in. So easy, in fact, that I could well imagine staying longer.
Continuing as a working student
When I started my master's degree, I had the opportunity to stay on as a working student – and I took it. From October 2023 to March 2025, I mainly supported internal sustainability communication: maintaining SharePoint pages, writing articles, composing texts in German and English, briefing external employees and accompanying cross-departmental projects. One highlight was the ‘SustainabiliTEA’ with my colleague Stina – an internal digital format that communicates sustainability to colleagues in a relaxed and inspiring way.
Learning and growing
I learned an incredible amount during this time, especially in project management and in-depth technical knowledge on the subject of sustainability. I was able to directly apply and deepen the theoretical content from my studies – and take on a lot of responsibility in the process. One challenge was communicating with colleagues across departments – especially with people in management positions. Preparing the content and presenting myself confidently in these conversations was challenging at first. But over time, I gained confidence and my self-assurance grew stronger.
Starting my career
What would I say to my former self? Quite simply: ‘This won't be your last day at Jungheinrich anytime soon.’ I am very grateful for the experience I have gained at Jungheinrich and especially for the trust my superiors have placed in me. I was allowed to try out many things, implement my own ideas and develop myself further. This time has shaped me – both professionally and personally.
