You’ll probably know them from the Bedrijvendagen Twente, SNiC or one of the many other student events where we can be found; campus recruiters Maaike and Cheryl. What do they do as campus recruiters and why did they choose to work at Nedap, out of all the cool companies in the Netherlands? You can read it in this interview.

Maaike, you’ve been working at Nedap for about 2 years now, what’s the biggest difference between studying and working life for you?

Maaike: The biggest difference between studying and working life is that in working life you are more concerned about your personal development. You come into contact with different personalities, even more than during your studies. You learn how to really gain support and to convince, or how to bring people together.

Cheryl, as an intern you probably know it better than anyone: what do you think is the main difference between study and internship?

Cheryl: I’m still studying, so I don’t have a lot of experience in working life outside internships and part-time jobs. What I do notice during my internship at Nedap is that there is much more attention for me as a person compared to when I’m going to school. I have noticed that Nedap has a great amount of attention for its employees and finds their commitment important. In practice, I’ve learned that ‘in the future’ I want to have a job that gives me satisfaction. Nedap has already given me the opportunity to do this during my internship, by allowing me freedom in the projects I work on.

There are so many cool companies in the Netherlands, why did you choose Nedap?

Maaike: I chose Nedap because it’s a company that is involved in contemporary technology. I myself have always been interested in organisations that are involved in technology. Of course, there are several organisations that do this and yet Nedap is unique. Because of its way of working, the freedom you get and at the same time the responsibility you have from day one. That really appealed to me.

Cheryl: I initially chose Nedap because it has a very professional image. I find her vision on personal development extremely interesting. This has triggered me several times when I was looking for my internship. Also, Nedap develops technology that helps people to be more productive and successful in their work. Something that HR (my studies) is also about. This has made me curious about how HR adds value to Nedap. The organisation knows what it stands for and what drive it is looking for in (future) employees.

What do you like about your job as a campus recruiter?

Cheryl: I was lucky to be able to attend a number of events at the start of my internship. What I liked most about this was the interaction between students and the organisation. Because I’m still a student myself, it’s great to see that Nedap values students and wants to offer them the opportunity to invest in them. As a student, you can experience great personal development at Nedap.

Maaike: The best thing about my job as a campus recruiter is that I’m constantly making that connection between the students and Nedap. To create this connection, together with my colleague Silke, I have created an entire campus recruitment program in which we are in constant contact with students from universities and colleges.

Every Nedapper works at home for the time being because of the coronavirus. How do you make sure you get through the days?

Cheryl: I try to keep my normal rhythm and I make sure I have enough distractions throughout the day. I also had the opportunity to borrow material from my gym during the coming period. So in the evening I often go out in the backyard to train, or for a run. I talk to my friends via the app ‘Houseparty’. That way we can still see and each other and have fun (online)!

As colleagues, we keep in touch with videoconferencing and in addition, we come up with all kinds of fun initiatives to keep in touch with each other!

Maaike: I make sure I do relaxing activities between work and in the evening. A (small) walk or work out, a cup of tea in the garden, reading a good book or Facetiming with friends and family.

In addition, there are many fun coffee breaks with colleagues via video calls. We even did some sports exercises via Zoom ?. This way you still stay connected to each other.

Maaike, you’ve been working at Nedap for a while. Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Maaike: I studied Human Resource Management and I then did a Master in Organizational Design and Development. In 5 years time, I would like to have a job where I can combine these two studies. I like to think about how teams and/or business units can be organized differently and at the same time look at how employees can get the best out of themselves.

Cheryl, your internship at Nedap is almost over. What’s your plan for the next few years?

Cheryl: I am currently in my third year of Human Resource Management. In September I will go to America for six months to take my minor there. After that, the graduation process will start for me. At the moment I am still in doubt whether I would like a master’s degree in HRM or communication because I notice that my interests lie in both areas. In five years’ time I hope to have finished my school career and found a challenging job.