When I was younger, I had always envisioned a career in the hospitality industry: luxury hotels, fine dining, and amazing locations where I would be the host to welcome guests. Little did I know 6 years ago that ‘hosting’ could have a completely different meaning.
After high school, I started my education with an MBO+ education in Amsterdam in hospitality management. Afterwards, I followed the ‘Fast Track’ bachelor curriculum at Hotelschool The Hague. And Just last week, I received my Master of Science in Management from the Nyenrode Business University where I was proudly 4th in my class. Over the course of my education I developed an interest in marketing. To me, marketing aim to influence consumer behavior in such a way that win-win situations are created. Ultimately, I see marketing as the department where I can help achieve goals and celebrate successes.
During the final steps of my master’s degree, I came in contact with Leaseweb through a Facebook post where an internship with the marketing team was advertised. Even though my understanding of ‘hosting’ had been completely different, the position was interesting enough to contact a fellow Nyenrodian currently at the company. In September 2016 I was welcomed to Leaseweb as an intern and instantly given my own responsibilities.
They say time flies when you’re having fun. This statement could not be more true than at Leaseweb. The past weeks have flown by (the fact that I was in the midst of graduating may have also contributed a bit). But, this also meant that my internship would necessarily come to an end because I was graduating. Now this is a milestone in itself, but there was more cause for celebration: Leaseweb offered me a contract to stay on as a Trainee for Marketing Executive! In this role I will mainly be responsible for lead generation through campaigns, data quality optimization, and customer lifetime management.
The transition from student, to trainee, to graduate, to trainee/employee feels a bit unreal as I write this because it all went so fast. As I look back over my experience, there is definitely one piece of advice that I would like to share: you should never be scared to deviate from the original plan, as long as you stay the course.
Hard work and dedication have helped me to get where I am, but I am very grateful that Leaseweb has identified me as a ‘talent’ they believe in. This shows that Leaseweb truly cares about helping individuals progress through their career and achieve their goals. For now, I have found my place on the 5th floor surrounded by an amazing marketing team. Together with them, I am ready to continue learning, help achieve the company’s goals, and celebrate successes together.
Looking back, I am proud of where I have been and where I am now. I do not know what the next step might be, but I am confident the path that I am following will take me to more amazing places.