Elke at Brunel/APG Heerlen

Can you shortly introduce yourself?
My name is Elke, I am 25 years old. I currently live in Veldhoven, next to Eindhoven. In 2016 I obtained my master’s degree in CIS (BDM). In my second year of CIS I became an active member of Flow: first as a member of the inFlow Committee, the year after that as commissioner of the Web Committee. Furthermore, I went on two study trips with Flow: we went to Manchester and to Lisbon.

Can you tell something about the company you now work for?
Since the 1^st of April 2016 I work for Brunel and since the 1^st of August 2016 I am detached as NextGen Trainee at APG in Heerlen, one of the biggest pension providers of the Netherlands. It is a large company: the IT-department only already has about 500 employees.

How did you end up here?
Brunel organizes two job interview trainings every year in cooperation with Flow. I participated in this training. After I sent my resume in reaction to the practice vacancy, me and the other participants went to Brunel for a ‘job interview’. After this practice interview the recruiter asked me if she could send my information to her colleague to see if Brunel could be of interest to me. A week later I went to Brunel again, but this time for a real job interview. After this interview, a conversation followed with two recruiters. I was hired pro-actively, which means that they didn’t have an assignment for me yet, but they hired me because they saw I had potential. In the first four months I mainly acquired different certificates.

How fast did you find a job after you graduated?
I signed my contract in December 2015, but after that I handed in master’s thesis. In February 2016 I graduated.

How did you select the type of job you wanted to apply for during your job hunt?
During my job interview, they focused mainly on the IT-side of Brunel. After the interview, they immediately checked if I fitted in that sector and what I actually liked about it. During my studies, I mainly chose the HAIT-courses. Besides that, I was commissioner of the Web committee, so the IT-sector felt like a logical choice for me.

What is your current function at the moment?
At APG, I am doing a two-year IT-traineeship. I am working at three different departments or on projects for eight months. I have just finished my first project at a program in which I came in contact with different parts of the whole organization, so not only IT. My function is actually two-sided: I support the communication department and I also work for Quality Assurance. Furthermore, I am being trained by Brunel and I receive specific courses from APG. Besides my traineeship I can work on my personal development. After this traineeship the aim is that I will be an employee on the IT-department of APG.

Can you tell something about your daily work activities?
My daily work activities are very diverse. I do have a working spot, but I am in meetings a lot too. Besides that, I write texts for several communication goals, but I am also busy on IT-related projects.

To what extent does CIS come back in your work?
Looking at the variation between IT and communication I think I have found the right balance for me in my Communication and Information Sciences background. The courses I took are fitting my current function. Of course it is a pity that the focus lies on discussing theories and that there are few opportunities to gain practical experience. I can apply those theories in my work sometimes, but in the end, I am now an IT-trainee and most of the courses I took weren’t necessary to do this job. I need more knowledge about IT, and I didn’t learn that in my courses.