Can you introduce yourself briefly?
My name is Bram, 24 years old, and I obtained my master’s degree in CIS in September 2018, specializing in Business Communication and Digital Media. I also obtained a bachelor’s degree in CIS in Tilburg. During my studies, I was also active at Flow: first as a member of the First Year Committee, of which I became a commissioner the following year, then as a member of the Promo Committee, of which I also became a commissioner the following year. During my master’s I was a member of the Formal Activities Committee.

Could you tell me something about the company you work for now?
I have been working at MS Schippers since October 2018. This is a company that focuses on supporting the professional livestock farmer and has the vision to reduce the use of antibiotics in the livestock sector. This is happening on a global scale, and MS Schippers has ten web shops in different countries where the professional farmer can find the best products and information on how to preventively keep their animals healthy.

How quickly did you get a job after graduating?
During my master’s I did an internship at an email marketing agency where I continued to work for six months after my studies. After a year in total, I was ready for something new and then I sent some letters of application to different companies. Via LinkedIn I was asked whether I wanted to work at MS Schippers to focus on the Email Marketing of the Dutch webshop. So it was really easy for me to get from one thing to the other.

How did you select the type of job you wanted to apply for when applying?
Initially, I applied for a different position at MS Schippers than my current position. During my job interview it became clear that the position I had applied for was not quite right for me, as it involved a lot of responsibilities that I, as a beginner without a lot of experience, didn’t want to take on yet. Luckily, MS Schippers saw the potential in me and they offered me the position as Email Marketer, it suited me better and soon I was hired and I could get started!

What is your job title at the moment?
I am currently working in the E-commerce team as an Email Marketer.

Can you tell us something about your daily work?
As an Email Marketer I focus on all mails sent from MS Schippers to the customers. In my job, I am responsible for setting up and structuring email marketing for ten different web shops of MS Schippers. I look at the best approach and strategy for each country in order to approach our customers as personally as possible. In addition, I advise and train colleagues on how to optimize their mails in order to improve our email marketing.
I analyze the mails that are sent and optimize these email campaigns by means of A/B-tests so that they score even better in the future. In addition, we are also taking major steps in marketing automation in order to be able to send customers automated mails that are relevant and targeted for them at that moment. I take the lead in making sure that everything runs smoothly.

To what extent does CIS reappear in your work? Does it connect properly?
I have gained a lot of knowledge during my entire study but this is mainly the theoretical information that is not directly applicable in my work. I can occasionally apply a theory I learned, but it would be nice if more attention was paid to practical skills such as Google Analytics during the study. It’s actually mainly the communication skills, teamwork, time management, working under time pressure and other skills that I have developed separately from my studies at the university that are the most useful to me during my work.