Account manager Evelien has been working for Randstad Digital Belgium for 4 years. She started out as a recruiter, quickly became tribe lead and has now really found her spot as account manager.
Why does she love this job? What is her favorite full-circle moment? And why is playing volleyball similar to working in a team? We asked her all about it!
take every chance that comes your way.
“4 years ago, I started working as a recruiter for Randstad Digital. I had already spotted the organization on social media a few times and I was immediately drawn to it. So when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it”, Evelien tells us.
“As a recruiter you meet lots of people, and I love that”, she continues. “You learn what makes people tick, and how to communicate with different profiles. I love matching people with opportunities.”
She quickly became tribe lead. Evelien tells us: “I’ve always been quite ambitious. I love learning new things, and I hate standing still. So becoming tribe lead was actually the natural next step in my career. But due to reorganizations, my function suddenly no longer existed. So that threw me for a loop…”
Evelien: “Luckily, a position as account manager opened up at the same time. I didn’t have any experience in this role yet, but I was eager to learn. Randstad Digital saw that I was motivated, and gave me a shot. So here we are… :-)”
learn to embrace change.
“Of course change is always a little scary, but it also entails new possibilities.”
Evelien: “Change equals new opportunities. Sometimes I do miss recruiting, but I have more control over my own work now. Both my parents work in sales, so I’ve grown up with conversations about margins and targets. KPI’s and opportunities were all we talked about at the dinner table!”
“Since I’ve evolved from recruiter to account manager in such a short period of time, I sometimes come across these great full-circle moments. I hired someone as a recruiter who I’ve recently placed on a project in my role as account manager. Since I’ve been with this person in all stages of the process, I can say with 100% certainty that him and the client are a perfect match. That’s what energizes me!”
competition sports have prepared me for a career as account manager.
Evelien: “I’ve played volleyball for 17 years, and I feel the same team spirit and competitiveness in my job. We’re motivated to succeed together, and when that happens, we celebrate wholeheartedly.”
“Setbacks are normal, but we also deal with those as a team. We take a step back, pick ourselves up and get motivated again.”
“What I have learned is that everyone prefers a different method of communication”, she continues. “While playing volleyball, everyone is competitive. If the match wasn’t going great, we’d shout a little louder, clap our hands together and get excited again. This doesn’t always work in the corporate world. Some people are introverted and don’t like competition. That’s when you have to adapt your style and find a way to still motivate everyone around you.”
of course change is always a little scary, but it also entails new possibilities.
what does the future hold for you?
“For now, I like where I am”, Evelien laughs. “I love to learn and evolve, but since I didn’t have any experience as an account manager yet, I still have a lot to learn in this function.”
“My goal for the coming time is to keep growing in my current function. What’s more, I value a good work-life balance. I always give 100% when I’m working, but once I feel that it becomes a bit much, I’m not afraid to take a few steps back.”
“I’m convinced that I can still learn and evolve in my current role as account manager”, Evelien concludes.
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