SAE Program – Introducing Our New College Hires

New college hires (NCH) that drive NXP development with innovative and creative energy are one of our most valuable assets. The last blog article already introduced the recently launched Sales and Applications Training Program. It was created to leverage the potential of our recent college graduates to a maximum – and you can be a part of it. With our training program designed for your situation, we will equip you with the right company information, soft skill trainings as well as relevant contacts and mentors within the company. It might be just the right program for YOU.

Following up on the first article, this blog post gives some current participants of the Sales and Applications Training Program the opportunity to share their experience and perception of the company and the program itself. Benjamin B. and Sonia Cheney were happy to answer some questions on this.

Benjamin, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. First of all, tell us how you came to work at NXP!

Benjamin: I have been with NXP, Munich in Germany since June 2018 as a Field Application Engineer for Radar Front Ends. I basically started here right after finishing my Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. I was really interested in the open job position, because it fit my studies and personal interests equally. I decided to apply and shortly after I was invited for an interview – It was a very quick and pleasant process. Now I am here.

That sounds great! And how do you feel about NXP as an employer?

Benjamin: NXP offers a welcoming and appreciative company culture that made it easy to join right after my studies. I am very impressed with the friendly and helpful environment and the good relationships we have within the teams. I would really recommend NXP to my friends. Of course I can only speak for the office culture in Munich, however, I found that even working with colleagues from elsewhere, the same applies.

Tell us more about your job!

Benjamin: I support our customers from the design until the production. So I am the linkage between the customer and NXP, meaning that I receive their questions and either answer them directly or find the answer within our teams in NXP. I really enjoy that I get to meet and talk to a lot of customers on a daily basis.

You are a participant in the Sales and Applications Training Program that was launched in 2019. How do you feel about it?

Benjamin: Even though I have been with the company for 1 ½ years by now, I still got to take part in this, yes. And it is actually really interesting. I did have a relatively good understanding of the company verticals and products by now, however, the soft skills taught and the fun experiences, the week long sessions brought, added a big value to my skillset. New college hires will definitely benefit from the Sales and Applications Training Program and learn so much!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Benjamin.

Now moving on to Sonia Cheney, Transnational OEM Account Manager. Sonia, tell us a little about your background.

Sonia: I’m happy to! In August 2019 I graduated from the University of Michigan, where I completed my Bachelor of Science in Engineering with an Electrical Engineering concentration (BSE EE). During my studies, I was very active on campus serving the Society Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) as their executive board member treasurer and supported the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers in the ground to low voltage circuit design/wire harness team. While I was looking for an internship two summers ago, I discovered that NXP in the Detroit office was searching for their first ever intern! My interest at that time was circuit design – NXP was offering this unique automotive cybersecurity analyst internship. I decided to give it a shot, although I was entering a world that I was unaware of at the time, “Technical Sales Engineering”. Since then what I found the most interesting about the job position was the unique combination of technical knowledge and business acumen. During my first few months at NXP, I immediately began promoting our microcontroller to my professors. This was when I knew a career in sales engineering was right for me.

I have now been with NXP since May 2018, first as an intern and in August 2019 transitioning to a full-time Technical Sales Engineer.

Sonia Cheney, Transnational OEM Account Manager.

So, what do you do at NXP now?

Sonia: Today, I support Muhamed Jawad’s Global Automotive OEM team. I focus on Transnational OEM accounts. Our office is in the heart of the automotive industry, Detroit, Michigan or as some say, “The Automotive Capital of the World”. With 21 automotive OEMs headquartered or have technology centers here – I engage with seven of these OEMs daily. A typical work day for me involves gathering customer project specifications, discuss technical features and work closely with our Field Apps Engineers to provide elite technical support.

What I enjoy the most is keeping my customers informed on next-generation technology trends and up to date on our latest product-line developments.

Sounds like NXP is the perfect employer for you?

Sonia: NXP has been a perfect fit. While I was working as a student, NXP was very flexible with my working hours and school schedule. In addition, the hands-on experience I gained in the office benefited my studies. After graduating and transitioning to a full-time sales engineer role, working with NXP has become even more rewarding. Within my role, I have a lot of freedom and I am trusted by my colleagues to solve problems the way I see fit. The environment is very collaborative, transparent and positive.

What do you think about the Sales and Applications Training Program?

Sonia: The training program is designed to familiarize new college hires with the company, and I think this is an exceptionally valuable approach. It helps new employees to get a close look at what NXP offers. During the training and in general, it’s refreshing to be amongst others that are just at the beginning of their career. The program tries to teach everything from soft skills to NXP’s business practices and product portfolios.

I am looking forward to phase two of training, where we will cover a mix of technical fundamentals and business topics. This is truly appreciated by everyone and I wholeheartedly believe the training program builds the foundation of a successful career at NXP.

If you are interested in learning more about this program, please visit NXP’s career page and submit your application for Sales and Applications Engineer positions that best applies to your next step in your career.

We are looking forward to welcoming you soon.