Testimonial: Planning your career path

Sam van den Brink (26) has completed his studies in Consumer Psychology in Leiden and now works full time as Operations Associate at Flexport. A job that he came to via Studentflex, our parent company. Sam first followed the High Potential Academy program. Curious how he experienced that? Then read on.

How did you get in touch with High Potential Academy?

“During my student years, I have always been busy arranging my career path. An acquaintance noticed this and recommended – from her own experience – the High Potential Academy program. Would it give me more direction and structure to reflect on my career? That seemed very interesting.”

How would you describe your contact with High Potential Academy?

“I would describe the contact with both High Potential Academy and Studentflex as warm and involved. It felt like you were talking to someone who had been on a similar path for 5 years. They understood very well what I was up against and really thought along with me. Not a stuffy office, but young, fresh energy with the right amount of experience.”

What is your experience with High Potential Academy?

“It has been a while since I completed the program, but the coaching sessions, in particular, have stayed with me. The atmosphere that I sensed from High Potential Academy was: “we believe in our Potentials and we want them to do well”. An insight that helped me a lot, then, is that as a starter you also have to want something, from the mindset: “I have to want it, they have to offer me something.” That also carries weight in a job interview: knowing what you are good at, what you want to do, and what you want to learn. It was a great experience to spar about that.”

Can you tell us something about your (current) job?

“The program showed that I wanted to gain more relevant work experience first, after which High Potential Academy put me in contact with Studentflex. Subsequently, via Studentflex, I started working as a Temporary Operations Associate at Flexport, a disruptor in international freight transport. This is an Account Manager role, in which I think along with clients and can be proactive in this. The supervision is super, the types of assignments are very cool and the diverse and international work environment is also very stimulating. This ensures that I enjoy going to work. By now, I am no longer ‘temporary’ because I have been hired for a permanent role within the team. It’s very cool to make your first career step like that!”

Ambition?

“I find it difficult to separate my ambitions from the job I have now. In any case, I’m going to get to work and discover what suits me. That may be the logistics sector, but perhaps also something else!

A beautiful journey of Sam: from Potential at High Potential Academy to Flex worker at Studentflex, to a starter job at our partner Flexport. Want to know what we can do for you? Feel free to contact us, we would love to have a (digital) coffee with you!