On May 23rd, we hosted our Office Hours event with Akilah, HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. We covered a variety of topics, including career paths, professional development, company culture, application tips, and more. If you couldn’t make the live event, we’re sharing the full chat below!
TalentEgg
Hello, and welcome to Office Hours with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services! My name is Stephanie and I’ll be monitoring today’s chat. We’re super egg-cited to get things rolling. Today, we have a very special guest joining us from the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services team who will be answering your career questions!
TalentEgg
Before we get started, I’ll quickly explain how this event works. Students and grads (that’s you!) will submit career questions over the next hour, and our guest experts will do their best to answer as many of them as they can. You can ask about anything from entry-level opportunities to interview tips. The sky’s the limit!
TalentEgg
If you pre-registered and submitted an advance question, then you can sit back and relax! If you have additional questions, you can submit them live during the chat. Now let’s introduce our guest egg-spert!
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Good Afternoon, I am Akilah and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have in relation to Mercedes-Benz Financial Services or the Captive Automotive Finance industry.
TalentEgg
Thank you so much! Here’s our first question.
Comment From Prabhjot from University of Toronto
Do you provide opportunities for students that are pursuing their CPA? Are there ways they can fulfill hours towards it as well do you provide time off in order to fulfill the CPA examinations?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Hi Prabhjot – great question! We have various intern positions available within our organization that could be useful. In terms of needing time for exams, we are pretty flexible, the most important thing is open communication.
Comment From Brittany from Ryerson University
What does continuous learning mean for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Thanks for the question, Brittany! Continuous learning is important, we have multiple avenues of learning. We have town hall meetings, we have soft skills training and online learning available.
Comment From Temitayo from University of Manitoba, Economics
As a new graduate, my question would be how do I enter the financial services industry without any professional certification at the moment?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Great question Temitayo! An internship is helpful because it gives you the opportunity to gain real time skills in a business setting. Not only does this help you with increasing your on the job experience it looks great on your resume as well.
Comment From Yintong from Western University, Bachelor Honour Double Major Degree in Finance and Financial Modeling
Dear Hiring Manager, I am a recent graduate from Western University. I noticed that currently there is no open positions showing on the company website, I am strongly interested in risk-management, so I am wondering will the company offer any risk-related job positions in the future? Also I am wondering what a typical day look like in the company? and how do you generally measure performance and success for a person in the company? Thank you very much for your time.
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Thank you for your question, Yintong! We are currently recruiting for a Risk Management Intern position, this position will be commencing in August. Check our career website for more details www.mbfs.ca. It would be hard to say what a typical day looks like because every day is different here. Some of our students “bucket” their days, they answering emails in the morning, attend a few meetings, work on projects, etc
Comment From Luna
Hi I graduated from Master of Finance program last December and working as fund accountant now, but working in automotive financial industry has always been my dream. I had internship experience in BMW Canada, do you think this background will make me standout? Typically which kind of candidates are you looking for?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Hi Luna, thank you for your question. Your background in the automotive industry is a plus. We are looking for candidates that possess a combination of work experience and soft skills. Some of the soft skills that we value are communication, presentation, good work ethic, professionalism and learning agility.
TalentEgg
Egg-cellent questions everyone! Keep them coming!
TalentEgg
Hi Yintong, here’s the link to a current Risk Management Intern position with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services!
Comment From Poonam from Mcmaster University
What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Poonam, within our organization there are numerous opportunities for both growth and advancement. Our internship program helps us grow our new talent and provides them with a solid foundation and understanding of the business. There are numerous opportunities for further growth through training programs, project work and rotational assignments.
Comment From Shivani S.
Is there any rotation programming for new graduates?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Shivani, thank you for your question. We currently do not have a new graduate rotational program however we are always welcoming of new graduates to join us for longer internships after their graduation. They have the ability to apply to our internship programs up to one year after their graduation date.
Comment From Mai
Hi. Do you offer any opportunity for HR students and how can I find the information about it?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Mai, thank you for your inquiry. We do offer opportunities for HR students. These internships are typically 8 months to 1 year in duration. They do not come up very often however if you are interested you can submit your resume via our employer portal.
TalentEgg
Be sure to stay up to date on recent job postings with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on the TalentEgg website as well! Also, it looks like it’s time for our Poll Question – answer below!
What are you most egg-cited to learn today?
Internship and Co-ops (56%)
Career advice (28%)
Growth and Development (0%)
Workplace culture (17%)
Comment From Timothy from Ryerson University
What kind of opportunities does a student in Global Management Studies have at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Timothy, we have various intern positions available within our organization that could be useful. Depending on your strengths there would be a few positions within our Operations department that would fit and help you build on your professional experience. Some of the roles which we do have include Business and Marketing Analyst Interns which support our Management teams, Marketing Intern and Business Development Intern.
Comment From Preami
What are three main qualifications for a Co-op student and how would you describe the work environment?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Preami, thank you for your inquiry. 3 of our main qualifications for interns are as follows: currently in school or new graduate, business knowledge and basic analytical skills. We also look for students who are keen on learning more about our industry and have a passion for what we do. To answer the second part of your question, we are extremely proud of our work environment. We would describe it as collaborative, diverse and dynamic. We ranked 10th for Great Places to Work so we pride ourselves on culture and inclusivity.
Comment From Jocelyn from Wilfrid Laurier, Business Administration
Would you recommend focusing on getting more designations or having more professional work experience?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Jocelyn this is a great question. Each person is different it really depends, however having a well-rounded background is always a positive. For us as an organization we really look at behaviors, for example, the ability and willingness to learn in a fast paced environment.
Comment From Pablo from Sheridan College, Business Finance
How do I start and what are the most important thing you need to have to start in the financial department?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Pablo, typically the best way learn and grow within our organization is to start within our Operations department. They are the core of our business and most if not all skillsets can be learned in the different roles available in this department.
Comment From Atique
What is most important to you when considering a new member to your team? How would you describe the culture here? What is the company’s management style? What characterizes the most successful people in this company?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Atique, thank you for questions. When we are recruiting for a new team member we are not only looking for professional skillset but also cultural fit within our organization. I would describe our culture as inclusive and diverse. Our management style is one of empowerment, we truly value our employees and want them to know they have the ability to make decisions on their own. We support successes and failures equally as they are opportunities to grow and learn. I would say that successful people within our organization have been open to change and have the ability to fail fast, learn and continue growing.
Comment From Alex
Is there more emphasis on hiring students that have majored in business opposed to someone like me who has an engineering major and only a business minor?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Alex, thank you for your question. We do value individuals with Business backgrounds however, we truly value behaviours and cultural fit equally. If you have a keen interest within our organization I would suggest taking a look at the open internship roles we have available to see if any fit your interests and what you have learned while doing your minor in business. If you are an agile learner and have a strong work ethic these are behaviours which we truly value.
TalentEgg
Loving these questions, everyone!
Comment From Wenting, Communications major
What kinds of soft skills are you looking for in candidates? Can you give an example of an interview question you would use?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Wenting, thank you for your question. Some of the softskills which we look for in our candidates are flexibility, open-mindedness and the ability to problem solve. Our interviews are behavioural based and test for specific competencies. An example of a question would be: “Tell me about a time you had to work on a project or assignment without clear guidelines and did not know where to start?”
Comment From Matthew Wang
Hello, Is an automotive background required to work at Mercedes Benz?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Matthew, thank you for your question. An automotive background is not necessary for a position within Mercedes- Benz Financial Services. Depending on your interest there are numerous roles which fall into our support functions that require more soft-skills that could be gained from other industries and backgrounds. Some of these roles are in our Marketing, Operations, Finance and Controlling departments or even in our HR space.
Comment From Luna
Hi Akilah thank you so much for your reply! I’ve been always keeping my eyes on MBFS website and noticed there’s a few positions opening, typically which months would be your hiring season?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Luna, thank you for your response. Our hiring seasons are all year round – however, for internships we typically open our roles in February, May and September. In these months you will see numerous open roles in different departments.
TalentEgg
We have time for a few more questions – ask away!
Comment From warda
Do you offer opportunities for grads who do not have a finance background but are interested in Business Strategy in general?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Warda, Thank you for your question. We do hire graduates that do not have a business background. We thrive on new perspectives and candidates with diverse educational and professional backgrounds. There are numerous roles within our organization that do not specifically require someone with a business background.
Comment From KT
What are the qualifications you seek for entry-level positions in accounting/finance roles?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
KT, thank you for your inquiry. We have a few entry level roles within our Finance and Controlling department. Some of the entry qualifications from a soft skills perspective is problem solving, priority setting, effective communication skills and perseverance. From a technical standpoint we look for advanced Excel skills and Microsoft Access knowledge.
Comment From Maham from Ryerson University
What kind of culture does Mercedes-Benz Financial have?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Maham, thank you for your question. We have a collaborative and inclusive environment. To learn more about us feel free to look us up on the Great Places to Work website as we featured within the top 10 Great Places to Work within Canada this year.
TalentEgg
Be sure to follow Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on their Linkedin Profile here or on the TalentEgg website!
Han from University of Waterloo
Do you have a training program after hiring, and how does it work?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Han, upon hire our interns train with their team for 2 or 3 weeks on the specific duties of the role. However, we are all constantly learning. On a monthly basis we hold instructor led courses to brush up on certain skillsets. We also host what is known as #morethanlunch where our management teams speak on certain key topics for our organization. These events are pertinent to our employees’ growth. In addition, all employees have access to Lynda.com to support continuous learning.
TalentEgg
That’s all the time we have for today! Thanks everyone for your egg-cellent questions
We hope you’ve all taken away some useful information about some of the awesome career advice with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services!
A very special thanks to our guest, Akilah! – the past hour just flew by! Do you have any final advice to give our students and grads?
Comment From Akilah – HR Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development Specialist
Thank you to everyone for joining us today. Your questions were great and we love to be able to provide more information about our company and the Captive Automotive Finance Industry. We have a keen interest in building top talent and truly value the opportunity to talk to you about the roles within our company. We loved having the chance to interact and share with you all of things we value. Hope to see more resumes and applications from you in the future! Thanks again!
TalentEgg
Thanks again for joining us, everyone. Have an egg-cellent day!