The initial contact with NextGen felt right away
Bart Coppens and Lotte de Jong work at Sligro in Veghel. Bart is working via NextGen as a Supply Chain Engineer, while his supervisor Lotte made the same move three years ago. Together they talk about what is involved in this position and how NextGen has guided them in it.
The first contact
Bart: "I remember very well that I graduated in August and was then approached by NextGen, which felt right away, even through the messages on LinkedIn. I really noticed that NextGen approached me with my current position in mind, they had a very clear plan in mind. That gave me a lot of confidence, I got the feeling that this was a position in which I could challenge myself intellectually a lot. In addition, Lotte would become my supervisor, she also started working at Sligro via NextGen, so that was a nice bonus.'
Lotte: "That was fun, yes. Three years ago I was approached by NextGen for the same position. I had previously worked for a logistics service provider, but I had reached my ceiling there. At Sligro I was able to grow further, as it turned out, because after having worked as an engineer for two and a half years I am now Team Leader Supply Chain Engineering. And from that role I also got Bart for an interview. It's nice to see that NextGen really has an eye for the right type of people.
Soft skills and their importance
Bart: "Contrary to what you might think, this work requires a lot of soft skills. It's all about assertiveness, about stakeholder management. It is more important to get people from inside and outside the organization on board, than to have a good problem definition. That has to be in you, or so you have to develop yourself in it.'
Lotte: "You have to be able to analyze well, but it is just as important that you can communicate your story through all layers of the organization. Not every engineer can do that equally well. That is also directly one of NextGen's added values, because they guide you in developing those soft skills.'
Bart: 'I have a lot of contact with my Talent Manager Amanda. With her I look at my development points and we deal with any issues. For example, I tend to say what I think out of enthusiasm, which is not always very useful in a business setting. Amanda is a mirror for me in that respect, and together we look at how we can improve.
Lotte: 'Soft skills are something that people sometimes underestimate. If you get a project right not only technically but also politically, it has a much greater chance of success.'
Bart: "Every day, I notice that this helps me. In my work, I am involved in a number of projects simultaneously. It starts with identifying a problem, then we start measuring, analyzing and then a solution follows. But that solution has to be embraced by the stakeholders. In this job, I meet new people every day, with certain interests and connections. The trick is to keep everyone happy while also getting them to embrace our solutions, no matter how difficult that may be for them at times. But everything you do here can be implemented immediately. Our projects are looked at very seriously. That gives a lot of satisfaction.
Lotte: "You get to do lots of different things here. Bart does best when he is on different types of projects at the same time, also because he has the ambition to grow. That is the advantage of engineering, there are projects of all shapes and sizes in which you can take the lead. That's very much in line with his ambition and that's why we put him in that position. I really notice that it helps him develop assertiveness and professionalism. And making mistakes is also part of it. People really do listen to you. Everyone is taken seriously, as long as you can substantiate your story well. '
Bart: "I really notice this on a daily basis. It often happens that I propose a change or improvement that is not in everyone's interest within the organization. It is my job to get everyone on board.
Lotte: 'That also resulted in very nice cost savings. And in addition, this particular case was a great case for the rest of the chain.'
Bart: "That's nice to hear, isn't it! I'm really happy to be here and that the cooperation with both Sligro and NextGen is going so well. As a beta person I never thought so much about those soft skills, but the guidance I get in that is very valuable. In addition, NextGen made sure that I ended up in this great place.
NextGen as a partner
Lotte: "NextGen is a very good partner. The advice they give him is valuable not only for him personally, but also for us as a company. They always provide good people, especially three years ago of course, when I came to work here... NextGenners always add value to the team. I think it's great that NextGen finds those people, and that at a time when it's hard to find suitable staff. Bart is working on great projects, his communication and assertiveness are improving by leaps and bounds, so again this is all right.''
Bart: "I want to be a good professional. It's just important to me that I do my job well, that others are satisfied with me, and that we get great results from it. For now, that's the way it is, and I'm trying very hard to keep it that way.'
The initial contact with NextGen felt right away
Bart Coppens and Lotte de Jong work at Sligro in Veghel. Bart is working via NextGen as a Supply Chain Engineer, while his supervisor Lotte made the same move three years ago. Together they talk about what is involved in this position and how NextGen has guided them in it.
The first contact
Bart: "I remember very well that I graduated in August and was then approached by NextGen, which felt right away, even through the messages on LinkedIn. I really noticed that NextGen approached me with my current position in mind, they had a very clear plan in mind. That gave me a lot of confidence, I got the feeling that this was a position in which I could challenge myself intellectually a lot. In addition, Lotte would become my supervisor, she also started working at Sligro via NextGen, so that was a nice bonus.'
Lotte: "That was fun, yes. Three years ago I was approached by NextGen for the same position. I had previously worked for a logistics service provider, but I had reached my ceiling there. At Sligro I was able to grow further, as it turned out, because after having worked as an engineer for two and a half years I am now Team Leader Supply Chain Engineering. And from that role I also got Bart for an interview. It's nice to see that NextGen really has an eye for the right type of people.
Soft skills and their importance
Bart: "Contrary to what you might think, this work requires a lot of soft skills. It's all about assertiveness, about stakeholder management. It is more important to get people from inside and outside the organization on board, than to have a good problem definition. That has to be in you, or so you have to develop yourself in it.'
Lotte: "You have to be able to analyze well, but it is just as important that you can communicate your story through all layers of the organization. Not every engineer can do that equally well. That is also directly one of NextGen's added values, because they guide you in developing those soft skills.'
Bart: 'I have a lot of contact with my Talent Manager Amanda. With her I look at my development points and we deal with any issues. For example, I tend to say what I think out of enthusiasm, which is not always very useful in a business setting. Amanda is a mirror for me in that respect, and together we look at how we can improve.
Lotte: 'Soft skills are something that people sometimes underestimate. If you get a project right not only technically but also politically, it has a much greater chance of success.'
Bart: "Every day, I notice that this helps me. In my work, I am involved in a number of projects simultaneously. It starts with identifying a problem, then we start measuring, analyzing and then a solution follows. But that solution has to be embraced by the stakeholders. In this job, I meet new people every day, with certain interests and connections. The trick is to keep everyone happy while also getting them to embrace our solutions, no matter how difficult that may be for them at times. But everything you do here can be implemented immediately. Our projects are looked at very seriously. That gives a lot of satisfaction.
Lotte: "You get to do lots of different things here. Bart does best when he is on different types of projects at the same time, also because he has the ambition to grow. That is the advantage of engineering, there are projects of all shapes and sizes in which you can take the lead. That's very much in line with his ambition and that's why we put him in that position. I really notice that it helps him develop assertiveness and professionalism. And making mistakes is also part of it. People really do listen to you. Everyone is taken seriously, as long as you can substantiate your story well. '
Bart: "I really notice this on a daily basis. It often happens that I propose a change or improvement that is not in everyone's interest within the organization. It is my job to get everyone on board.
Lotte: 'That also resulted in very nice cost savings. And in addition, this particular case was a great case for the rest of the chain.'
Bart: "That's nice to hear, isn't it! I'm really happy to be here and that the cooperation with both Sligro and NextGen is going so well. As a beta person I never thought so much about those soft skills, but the guidance I get in that is very valuable. In addition, NextGen made sure that I ended up in this great place.
NextGen as a partner
Lotte: "NextGen is a very good partner. The advice they give him is valuable not only for him personally, but also for us as a company. They always provide good people, especially three years ago of course, when I came to work here... NextGenners always add value to the team. I think it's great that NextGen finds those people, and that at a time when it's hard to find suitable staff. Bart is working on great projects, his communication and assertiveness are improving by leaps and bounds, so again this is all right.''
Bart: "I want to be a good professional. It's just important to me that I do my job well, that others are satisfied with me, and that we get great results from it. For now, that's the way it is, and I'm trying very hard to keep it that way.'
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