By Rachel Gilmore
At the end of February, I attended an informational webinar about the Inhouse Consulting Global Graduate Program run by Merck KGaA. Merck KGaA is a science and technology company that does business in the areas of healthcare, life science, and electronics. As I perform research in the biomedical science field, I had recognized Merck through their life science branch, MilliporeSigma, however, I did not know Merck KGaA also ran multiple graduate programs. Below, I’ll summarize what I learned about this unique career path from the webinar and a bit of my own researching.
Merck KGaA’s GOglobal Graduate Programs are made for graduates within one year of earning an MBA, Masters, and/or PhD. While there are two paths for GOglobal Programs, either Inhouse Consulting or Functional Graduate Programs, there are some features shared by all of Merck KGaA’s programs. The GOglobal Programs are two years long and include three to four individualized rotations through various sectors, which are dependent on the program an individual chooses, as well as include an international experience. According to Merck KGaA, these programs also feature competitive compensation & benefits.
The Inhouse Consulting Program is mainly catered toward graduates with experience and/or training in both natural science and business. This program kicks off twice a year, usually around January and June. If consulting isn’t something that sounds like it’s for you, there are other various Functional Graduate Programs. Each Functional Graduate Program has a distinct focus: marketing, commercial, research & development, and human resources. Most Functional Graduate Programs kick off in the spring, with the exception of HR which starts in September. What really intrigues me about these programs is the opportunity for an international experience and that Merck KGaA’s goal is to place all GOglobal graduates into direct hire roles following successful completion of the program. I’m very passionate about traveling the world, so working in a different country for approximately 6 months is super appealing. Also, the job security of a planned exit strategy into Merck KGaA is nothing to scoff at!
The application timeframe for these programs usually starts around 6+ months prior to start of the program, and Merck KGaA has a Job Portal where you can create a job alert to notify you via email when the program(s) you’re interested in has/have openings. To access Merck KGaA’s Job Portal please click here: https://jobs.vibrantm.com/emd/search/?createNewAlert=false&q=%22associate+consultant%22%2C+%22Operations+Leadership+Development+Program%22%2C+goglobal&locationsearch=&optionsFacetsDD_country=US&optionsFacetsDD_customfield1=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield4=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield3=
Even though I’m still a while out from the appropriate timeline to apply for Merck KGaA’s GOglobal Graduate Programs, I was excited to share a post-graduation opportunity with our Beyond the PhD community. Personally, the Functional Graduate Program in Research & Development sounds like it would be the best fit for me. I think these programs should be considered by PhD or Masters students nearing the end of their degree who are interested in industry careers and share a love of traveling.
To learn more about GOglobal Graduate Programs, head over to Merck KGaA’s website: https://www.emdgroup.com/en/careers/students/graduate-program-goglobal.html.
