The year is 2019. The place is Bodø, Norway. Ruben Johansen has just finished a long shift at the electronics shop POWER, selling TV’s and other appliances. As he metaphorically wipes sweat off his brow, the question arises: Is this what he wants to do for the rest of his life?
Don’t misunderstand. POWER was a great place to work with amazing colleagues, and I learned a lot during my years there. However, I wanted to try something new and expand my knowledge base. I already had a bachelor’s degree in marketing, but it felt like I was treading water. I hadn’t been able to fully utilize my marketing degree.
After crawling the local college website, Ruben finds an exciting degree: Aquaculture Management.
Despite growing up in a small coastal municipality, this was a different direction for me. I think that is what intrigued me about aquaculture: how little I knew about it.
Three years and many new experiences later, he graduates with a new bachelor’s degree and successfully lands a trainee position in Benchmark, which relocates him to Bergen.
To be honest, I applied for the trainee position to start the application process and work on my interview skills. However, the deeper I got into the application process, the more interesting I found Benchmark as a company. When I was offered the one-year position, I didn’t even hesitate and accepted immediately.
In August 2022, he joins the salmon marketing team as an intelligence specialist under Birgitte Sørheim’s tutelage. At this point, he is the only man on the marketing team, which is a breath of fresh air.
An electronics shop is usually such a guy’s club. It was a nice change of pace to be the only guy in meetings.
The marketing team works well together and shows appreciation for Ruben’s suggestions.
When you are fresh out of college, you are often afraid of voicing your ideas, but the marketing team welcomed my contributions from day one.
After two months on the job, a situation occurs that would ultimately change his path in the company.
I was asked to join an egg delivery to see how the commercial team worked with our customers. I went with the customer representative for Southern Norway at the time, Kate Furhovden Stenerud and we had a very good day at the customer site. It was very interesting to see how she handled the salmon eggs and how experienced and calm she was with the people we met. On the trip back, she jokingly said that I should join the commercial team after my trainee period was over.
In June 2023, this is exactly what happens. The former CEO of Benchmark Genetics retires, and the following promotions, including Kate as the new Commercial Director, leave an opportunity to join the commercial team as Kate’s replacement. Ruben grabs it with both hands.
I had such a great time on the marketing team, but I saw the commercial position as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with a very skilled group of people and learn a lot about the products we sell.
Almost a year has passed since Ruben joined the commercial team as a full-fledged member of Benchmark.
I go on egg deliveries by myself, follow up with customers, draw contracts, and work with data collection. The position has been exactly what I envisioned when I accepted it.
Looking back on his trainee period, Ruben has the following tip:
Don’t be afraid to contribute right off the bat. You were hired because you showed potential during the interview process. You bring new angles and possibilities to the company, so voice your ideas and don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself. You are there to learn, but you also need to showcase your skills and knowledge to prove yourself an asset.
