zeb’s Female Buddy program – a testimonial
Published on: April 22, 2025
The Female Buddy program puts female job candidates in touch with future female colleagues: during the application process, they can talk to their buddy as an independent person and ask questions openly. So when Jonna contacted Nina – who was the job applicant at the time – and introduced herself as her female buddy, Nina was surprised at first, but immediately seized the chance to get to know a future colleague. In this testimonial, the two of them talk about their first meeting and their thoughts during the process.
Let’s start with an introductory question for you: what attribute would you use to describe the Female Buddy program?
Nina: valuable.
Jonna: supportive.
Nina, what was your first thought when Jonna contacted you and introduced herself as your female buddy?
I was pleasantly surprised when Jonna contacted me during my application process. Previously, I had only come across such initiatives as part of onboarding, but not before a final job offer or as part of the application procedure. Therefore I appreciated all the more having the opportunity to talk to someone outside the formal interviews and ask them any unanswered questions.
Jonna, how did you as the female buddy arrange your contact with Nina?
I wrote her a message and just offered to have a chat with her if she had any questions about the application process or zeb. As I was in Frankfurt on a project and Nina was studying there at the time, it only took a phone call to arrange a meeting at the Frankfurt office – a perfect opportunity to get to know each other personally. By the time we met up, Nina had already accepted the job offer, and as luck would have it, her future project team happened to be in Frankfurt too. So, in addition to taking a short tour of the office, she also got to meet and greet her new colleagues. 😊
Did the two of you stay in touch once the offer was accepted?
Jonna: Yes, with the Female Buddy initiative, zeb tries – wherever possible – to ensure that the two people involved are assigned to the same office or the same future project team in order to facilitate an ongoing exchange of experiences from the outset.
Nina: In our case, it was a perfect match: we belong to the same team and were even lucky enough to end up on the same projects. As a result, we are in close contact and benefit from the connection both professionally and personally.
What advantages does the program offer from your points of view? Are there any disadvantages? If so, what are they?
Jonna: The Female Buddy initiative offers the perfect opportunity to gain valuable insights into the company at an early stage, to get to know other future colleagues beyond the application process and to benefit from their experience. It is usually not too long ago that the female buddies went through the application process themselves, so that they can identify directly with the challenges and answer any remaining questions neutrally and honestly from a similar perspective.
Nina: Even after onboarding, it’s nice to have a direct contact person you can turn to with organizational or personal questions. This connection from the application process to onboarding and beyond provides security and orientation. It helps you to find your feet more quickly in your new environment and to start building your professional network.
Jonna und Nina´s report about zeb’s Female Buddy program did raise your interest? Click here to find further information.
