She came from a completely different world. Working in sports, coaching on behaviour and nutrition - that was her daily reality. Now she is working as a project coordinator at Pan Oston: ‘I never thought this would suit me so well’.
FROM SPORTS TO SELF-CHECKOUTS
"I initially applied for a role in another project team. During the process, we found out that I was in proceedings with a very good friend of mine. At the same time, another position arose within another team. We were then both able to get jobs at Pan Oston. I am in the project team NL, where we help our Dutch customers as much as possible. Quite a challenge, because within team NL, the complexity is enormous. Everything is customised, nothing is standard. Some customers are fairly standardised, but there are also customers for whom every shop is different. Sometimes we also deal with one-off customers. Then you really have to start from scratch and reinvent the wheel."
ADVISING AND BRAINSTORMING SOLUTIONS
What makes her work so nice is brainstorming solutions with the customer: "Some customers have no idea what works in a shop. Then you can really advise them: about the layout, about impulse furniture. With regular customers, we follow their lead, but with one-off customers, we often steer more. Then it's up to us to help them make the right choices."
LEARNING BY DOING
"I'm not from this field at all, but I have learnt SO much. There is a lot of support from colleagues. My first customer meeting was with Ben (sales) there. He said: 'Just go for it, if things go wrong, I'll whisper something in your ear.' And that worked. Then you make it your own story. That's how you really learn."
PROUD OF GROWTH
In less than eight months, she went through a huge development: "Recently, we decided as a team that I should take over one of the biggest Retail clients from my colleague. I'm quite proud of that. At first, I was mainly doing support, now I am responsible for project planning for individual customers."
NO TWO DAYS ARE THE SAME
"The project-based work suits me very well. No two days are the same, which I love. You have to be flexible and be able to switch quickly. That is something that comes naturally to me."
PERSONAL LIFE: CROSSFIT AND CHEESE
Four times a week, she can be found in the CrossFit box. "It's lovely not having to think for a while, just to follow along. And I take a walk every morning before work. Just to clear my head." Guilty pleasure: "CHEESE! And a good pizza. You can still give me the inside scoop on pizza in the region by the way, haha."
FINALLY, WHAT MAKES PAN OSTON SPECIAL?
"It is a down-to-earth company, you can be yourself here. Everyone is approachable, you can have a discussion and then laugh again. There is room to develop - if you show initiative yourself, you really get opportunities. And that feels really good."
READY TO BUILD A CAREER AT PAN OSTON?
We are constantly looking for new colleagues with the same mindset as us. Our recruiter is happy to answer all your questions and find the perfect match for your talents and ambitions. Would you like to get a taste of the atmosphere at Pan Oston? You are always welcome for a cup of coffee!
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