When you’re just starting out in your career, the pressure to make the right choice can be overwhelming.

Will this company give me the best opportunities to learn and grow? What kind of impact can I make from the start? Will I even like the people I work with?

Here at Philips, our interns and graduates are making an impact from day one, putting their energy and fresh ideas to best use by helping us to deliver better care for more people.

But what do our interns, graduate trainees, and early careers employees believe helps them learn and grow? Here’s what they told us:

Find a place where your work really matters

In the early years of your career, you want to be able to see that you’re making a difference, says Moumita Chowdhury, a Bench Repair Engineer and former Philips intern based in Sydney, Australia. “Being able to touch so many patients’ lives is definitely a really rewarding and fulfilling experience that you get to have every single day.”

It’s especially rewarding to see your work in action, adds Arabella Bossiade, a Modality Sales Specialist and former Graduate Development Program member based in Germany. “I had the opportunity to go to the hospital, into the operating room, and stand right next to the surgeon,” she says. “That was particularly special to me because it was the hospital where I had my first operation as a child.”

Learn from others and form deep connections

Growing in your career is not just about working on exciting projects, it’s also about forming deep connections with your colleagues. “There are so many opportunities here to learn more about other people and other cultures,” says Natalia Hibner, part of the Graduate Development Program in Talent Acquisition in Lodz, Poland.

Arabella Bossiade agrees: “I worked with people from China, from India and many other countries, and it was so valuable to learn from their experiences.”

Keep your horizons open

Ultimately, your first role is about finding somewhere you can grow as yourself. “Philips has definitely given me lots of opportunities to make my way through different roles, learn a lot, and really explore my options,” says Moumita Chowdhury. “Being an intern with the procurement team, I just found everyone was really supportive and helpful and that was what made me want to stay here for so long.”

And if you’re lucky, you’ll also inspire others too, she says: “I’ve got two younger sisters. I’m glad they get to see this version of me and hopefully I inspire them to really go for it, try their best, and don’t look back.”

Find out more about entry-level roles here at Philips, and take your first step towards a career that matters.