This year, WerfSelect is celebrating 20 years of providing PastPrecies matches. We do this for both interim and permanent positions, for wonderful clients and top professionals. A great occasion to put the people we have worked with so well over the years in the spotlight.
In this first interview interim manager Ilse Jansen who worked through WerfSelect at JDE, Grolsch, Bolletje and currently at Omega Pharma.
First, tell something about yourself
After working in permanent employment for several years, I wanted more time to travel. This, combined with my curiosity and eagerness to learn, has led to me now working as an interim manager for 7 ½ years. For me, this really is the perfect way to take on a new challenge every time. Especially being able to look behind the scenes and meet new people and cultures is why I love working as an interim professional.
Of course, every time I start somewhere new, it’s exciting. And I can think, “Oh dear, how am I going to do all that?” But experience has taught me that this passes. Within a week, I’m already talking about “we.”
My strength lies in my experience, but certainly also in my hands-on mentality, enthusiasm and flexibility. In being able to move quickly when the market demands it. In getting that favor factor from your new colleagues. Because together you have to get the job done. You can’t do it alone.
What kind of principal suits you?
I suit a company that is informal, where you roll up your sleeves and put your shoulders to the wheel together. When the assignment is challenging, distance is no obstacle as far as I am concerned. And that is what WerfSelect does so well. The people at WerfSelect know the clients very well, they know the company culture, how people interact, what they do and what the atmosphere is like in a department. I have already had four great assignments through WerfSelect and I hope many more will follow.
Why do I like interiming so much? Because anything you give attention to becomes interesting.
WerfSelect stands for the PastPrecies match; by understanding the person behind the CV on the one hand and the needs at a company on the other, so that the team gets better. Have you experienced the same?
Yes, it starts with the intake. We take the time to find out who you are, where your strengths lie and where your allergies lie. What makes you really happy and where you can add value. The funny thing is that all but one of the assignments WerfSelect presented to me became assignments where I started. If that’s not a PastPrecies match.
What do you think has made the match successful every time?
Well, that is of course difficult to say, but the basis starts with the fact that at WerfSelect they know very well what I can do, but more importantly who I am and in which culture I am most at ease. We have known each other for 7 ½ years now and, as in any relationship, you get to know each other better and better.
Another aspect is the briefing of the assignment. Besides discussing the job profile, they tell a lot about the company culture, the mutual atmosphere and what kind of people work there, from immediate colleagues to managers. WerfSelect is strong in knowing its clients. They have a real feel for a company. I don’t just mean the facts, but certainly also the soft characteristics. That combination ensures that you go to an interview confident and certain. Almost all times this has resulted in actually getting the job. WerfSelect rolls out the red carpet for you; you then have to walk that red carpet as yourself.
Do you have another message/mission/desire for WerfSelect for the coming years?
I wish WerfSelect will continue to maintain that PastPrecies match. That they continue to really know their candidates and that they continue to understand their clients the way they do now.
