As a school leaver, it is not always easy to know what job you want to do and how to get in touch with the right people. When student Industrial Engineering Bert de Koster (26) was looking for an internship in 2022, he came across myCareerCompanion and he effortlessly rolled into work life. Read more about his experience here.
How Bert ended up at myCareerCompanion
In 2020 Bert studied Industrial Engineering at KULeuven. Since he only took a few subjects at the time and had a lot of free time, he started looking for a summer internship. During that period, he saw a competition published on Facebook by AFC Brussels, an organization that wants to help bridge the gap between the academic and business world. He took part in the competition and one of the prizes: a free welcome package from myCareerCompanion.
“When I won the competition, I didn’t know myCareerCompanion yet. So I didn’t know what to expect. Looking back, it’s one of the best things that could have happened to me,” Bert says.
Why the platform came on the right moment
“The Industrial Engineering training is very theoretical with few opportunities for practical experience. So when I graduated I had quite a bit of knowledge in my pocket, but no idea what I could or wanted to do with it. Everything within the IT world seemed interesting to me. I had no idea what jobs, companies or corporate cultures existed.”
“With the code that I won, I created an account and took the myCareerCompass test. I filled out several questionnaires, all of them with very specific and interesting questions. They went way beyond standard questions that ultimately don’t give you any insights. I found that very valuable.”
“The results of the test gave me a lot of insight into what type of job and what type of company would suit me best. I learned a lot about myself. In addition, I was asked if I wanted to be contacted by myCareerCompanion to discuss jobs, which I accepted,” Bert says.
From student to permanent employee at Panenco
“After a nice and very personal conversation with one of the Talent Success Managers at myCareerCompanion, I was introduced to a company that suited me in terms of job content and corporate culture. That turned out to be Panenco, a software company in Leuven. I was hired as an intern while finishing my studies, then was offered a student job and finally a permanent contract.”
“I feel completely at home at Panenco in my job as a software engineer. It is a small company of about 10 employees and a very nice culture. At first I thought I wanted to work in a large company with a lot of growth opportunities, but now I notice that a small company with young people is really my thing. I have a very close relationship with my colleagues and I enjoy coming to the office every day,” Bert says enthusiastically.
Grateful for the help of myCareerCompanion
“I am very grateful for the help and insights I received from myCareerCompanion. Without them I would never have ended up at Panenco and I might have started working for a company that did not suit me. So I can only recommend the platform. I also did that to friends who were still uncertain about their career,” Bert says.