In search of the talents of tomorrow: employer branding at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Submarines, fuel cells, augmented reality: the maritime industry offers an exciting and future-oriented working environment. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is more important than ever for companies to present themselves as attractive employers. How can you attract the attention of young talent and retain them in the long term? Employer branding is the magic word – and Marie-Christin knows how to do it.
Marie-Christin has been working at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems since 2023. She began working as a consultant at a personnel research institute while studying business psychology. She spent four years researching, teaching and advising companies on the topic of employer branding. During this time, she realized how urgent the topic of HR marketing is for companies in Germany due to the shortage of skilled workers.
The next logical step? Putting it into practice. At thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Marie-Christin now contributes her expertise to employer branding and university marketing.
Employer branding: finding and promoting talent
“My job is to raise awareness of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as an attractive employer among maritime talent,” explains Marie-Christin. To this end, she organizes appearances at careers fairs, initiates collaborations with universities and gives students exciting insights during shipyard excursions.
This task is easy for her thanks to the diverse areas of activity at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. “Each of our sites has something special. Everywhere I go, I meet experts who work with impressive technologies,” Marie explains and adds. “For example, we print highly complex components from metal, develop a fuel cell or work with augmented reality glasses in production.”
The unusual products, such as the submarines, are a particularly important argument in personnel marketing. “Anyone who has ever stood in front of a submarine knows how special it is,” Marie continues. “Accompanying the construction of such a complex project over several years until completion is something unique.”
In addition to this fascination, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems scores with attractive framework conditions. “Our employees benefit from the IG Metall collective agreement with very good remuneration and special payments,” explains Marie-Christin. “We also offer numerous benefits such as bike leasing, company fitness, subsidies for the Deutschlandticket and much more.”
For many companies, the key to success is dialog with students and young professionals in order to attract the talent of tomorrow.
Because she herself completed her studies during the pandemic and started her career largely working from home, Marie-Christin greatly appreciates the personal interaction. This also applies to her work and the special atmosphere at the shipyard. “Riding my bike along the Kiel Fjord to work every day and working at a shipyard is simply something very special.”
Focus on young talent
Marie-Christin also enjoys working with the students. “It's great to accompany young people on their way into their professional lives,” says the employer branding expert. Addressing students in the right way is particularly important for this. “University marketing is our most important channel for recruiting young talent,” she explains. ”If we want to fill our vacancies in the long term, we need to invest in young talent today. And this includes, for example, presenting our technologies and experts at university events and cooperating on theses.” In her opinion, this is the only way to successfully transfer knowledge between practice and lecture hall.
However, this also brings challenges. After all, if you want to reach people and influence them in such an important decision as choosing a job, you need a good understanding of the target group's professional needs and decision-making processes. “Technology students in particular are inundated with offers from employers. It's not so easy to stand out from the crowd,” explains Marie-Christin. “Especially as this target group is less and less likely to be found at trade fairs. We must therefore not ignore other channels such as social media or guest lectures.”
Marie-Christin, Expert Employer Branding & University Marketing at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Authentic, approachable, digital: how employer branding works at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Marie-Christin is aware that good personnel marketing also means a lot of work. Because only marketing skills are not enough in this job. If you want to reach people, you have to make contact. “A good understanding of the target group is an advantage,” explains Marie-Christin. “You can learn this in a degree course with an HR focus or psychology subjects or by dealing with the target group and topics such as career guidance with a lot of interest and motivation.”
Natural, well-developed communication skills, empathy and creativity are also an advantage. “Employer branding must be designed close to the target group. The best employer characteristics are useless if they don't resonate with the target group.” For Marie-Christin, this goes hand in hand with regular optimization of recruiting channels and marketing strategies. “Those who regularly engage with the target group and focus on the needs and communication channels of the next generation of young professionals have a good chance of winning them over,” Marie-Christin says.
Strong employer branding is the best advertisement for a company and can make a significant contribution to the company's success.
Even if large companies such as thyssenkrupp Marine Systems have a harder time because they are less flexible than small companies or startups, Marie-Christin has an answer: “We must not lose touch and should constantly rethink our framework conditions for attractive work.”
You can find more insights into our daily work and cooperation at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and everything about our exciting projects and technologies in our stories.