What it does: Adidas designs, manufactures and markets athletic and sports lifestyle products. Its extensive portfolio includes footwear, apparel and accessories such as bags, sunglasses, fitness equipment, and balls.
Mission: Adidas is committed to its mission of being a global leader in the sporting goods industry, building a brand that emphasised the passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle.
Size and presence: Adidas employs approximately Ten thousand people in the USA and around Sixty-One Thousand worldwide as one of the most trusted sportswear companies in the world.
Best known for: Adidas is most famous for producing innovative sportswear products that are both fashionable and functional and worn and presented by the world's best athletes, teams and events.
The good bits: Adidas has time and time again proved that it is one of the best and leading sportswear manufacturers in the world by consistently producing products that are comfortable, durable and made with their customers in mind.
The not-so-good bits: Employees have reported long work hours and a fast-paced environment during peak season which makes having a work-life balance difficult.
With how popular Adidas is present, it’s hard to imagine that the company was born from humble beginnings, namely in the small town of Herzogenaurach in Bavaria, Germany. There the company was founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassler who made sports shoes in his mother's laundry room after returning from his conscription at the end of World War One. He was later joined by his brother, Rudolf which resulted in the creation of the “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”
The brothers' passion for sport led to the manufacturing of the first spiked athletic running shoes which helped the 800m runner Lina Radke win a gold medal in the 1928 Olympic Games. This was only the beginning of their success as more athletes started using their shoes (and winning while wearing them!) which led to the brothers selling 200,00 pairs of shoes every year before World War Two.
The brothers ended up splitting up due to a disagreement leaving Adolf to man the company but he was only met with success as the years went by. The company continued to produce innovative products from shoes to apparel to even World Cup balls, establishing the company to what it is today.
Adidas prides itself on its people-focused culture and believes that the key to achieving success begins at the heart of the company- the employees and their environment. Starting off with diversity and inclusion. Adidas strives to create an inclusive workplace, ensuring that every employee has the same career opportunities, be able to perform their best and is recognized and rewarded for their efforts.
Adidas nurtures an environment filled with recognition and rewards, you will be able to express your opinions without any concern and receive feedback that will help nurture your success and create an open and respectful environment. Further backed up by great leaders and the continuous drive for improvement, employees will be able to thrive in their personal careers at the company.
Adidas USA offers a paid 12-week Internship Program at its headquarters in Portland running from late May/ early June through August. Applications typically open from the start of January and last till the end of the month.
In order to be eligible, you must be a current undergraduate student enrolled in an accredited college or university with a valid U.S. work authorization. Students must also have at least a final semester of schoolwork to finish after the internship program.
On the other hand, Adidas offers a great environment for fresh graduates and entry-level employees to get their feet wet in the world-leading sportswear manufacturer.
To apply, navigate to the Adidas career site and register your account. You may apply for your chosen position and provide the required details and your resume. If your profile meets their requirements, you will be invited for an interview with the recruiter who will provide you with a timeline of the interview process. Then, if you’re selected to move forward to an interview with the hiring Manager, you will be contacted to schedule a meeting. Once your interview with the hiring manager, you may be invited to meet with the hiring team and may be asked to prepare and present a business case and be asked questions linked to your skills. And, if you’re selected for the position, in most cases, you will receive a verbal offer from the Recruiter.
Adidas continues to welcome talents and entrepreneurial minds from all over the world with the aim to produce agile employees that will provide a fresh new perspective. They do this by providing a unique career development approach to develop a ‘growth mindset’ in line with the 3C’S- Confidence, Collaboration and Creativity. By offering employees a wide range of learning and development opportunities and are continuously assessed, interns and fresh graduates have the opportunity to prove their worth and move up the ladder.
Moreover, Adidas encourages employees to get out of their comfort zones and better themselves by trying new things hence supporting the movement of talents across all areas of the company so you get to find your dream career. So, whether you’re an intern or a fresh graduate, you have the chance to put in the effort, scale up and find yourself in the position you’ve been dreaming of.
Interns can expect to receive a monthly salary ranging from $2,955 - $3,946. And, when factoring in bonuses and additional compensation, interns can expect to make an average total pay of $3,575 per month.
On the other hand, fresh graduates and entry-level employees can expect an annual salary of $16,000 depending on the position but with experience, The national average salary for an employee at Adidas USA is $31,807 per year.
Adidas aims to drive positive change throughout its company. They have implemented a sustainability program, announcing that it will use more than 60% recycled polyester in its shoe and apparel lines with the aim of reducing its environmental impact. They’ve also made a big impact in securing the wellbeing of their community during the pandemic by providing 18,000 3D-printed face shields per week for frontline medical workers in the US including distributing 100,000 masks to international medical communities and as well as donating $3.25 million to the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
Adidas has always shown support for diversity and inclusivity in the workplace but there have been reports from former and current employees at the Adidas US headquarters of a discriminatory working evironment resulting from the lack of diversity, causing the company's internal culture to be brewing.