Routescanner | Revamping Employer Brand
It has been a while but what an amazing story it has been.
Let’s start at the beginning
In the period of COVID the Upstream Festival 2021 was the very first in person event we went to with Your Talent Agency, a 3 day event where we met amazing start-ups and scale-ups. The place to be when you are a start-up, scale-up, investor, corporate or policy maker. If you have the common goal; to enable innovations that will drive the transition to the next economy.
Obviously the first introduction is always the same, hi, how are you, what do you do and what brings you to this location. It’s a story as old as time. If you’re both not interested you nod to each other, wish them the best of luck during this event and start looking for another fish in the sea. Or you just act like a friend is calling your name, whatever suits you best. I tend to be a bit awkward, so I always go for the last option, or just do what we call the Houdini, going to the loo and leave in secret.
If you’re both interested, you stay and chat and might come to great ideas together, you never know what will happen. You might need each other later.
This was the case with Routescanner, Sacha and Chantal met on the Upstream Festival and hit it off. Within a short period of time, they met up to talk about a collaboration together for the Brand Management of Routescanner by Your Talent Agency.
Routescanner
Routescanner is a transparent, informal group of passionate maritime techies on a mission to offer the container shipping world a new solution that is both sustainable and simple. They are the very first company who is doing this on an online platform by offering different kind of routes for your container shipping. Your route will automatically be calculated, and the program is always showing the most sustainable route first, then there are different transportation options you can take; a train, boat and truck. All operators, terminals and port can join Routescanner and will be treated equally. There is no commercial influence in the results that they present. Awesome right?!
Next to all of this they are located in Rotterdam and enjoying the perks of their mothership the Port of Rotterdam. So, a start-up but underneath the wings of a big corporate organization.
Meet up with the Management
To determine the core of the organization we go back to the roots of the organization, who are you, what do you do, what are you good at, what is your mission/vision and what is the end goal? How do you want to be seen, how do people see you? These are some examples of the questions we use to get to the core of the business to make sure that how they see themselves is portraited in the same way to the outside world.
Because that’s what we want, attract future employees, and make sure they get the right idea what the organization entails inside and outside.
Obviously, every company works in a different way and every agency uses different methods to get to the core. So, to say the way that we use is the way everyone should use is just nonsense (but truly, our way is best haha).
As we were in the middle of the pandemic the first meeting was through teams with Chantal Gouka (Managing Director), Kevin Kruijthoff (Director of Product & Technology) and Wietse Bruinsma (Community Manager).
It was amazing to get to the core with them as they are the ones who started Routescanner, they were so in line with each other and almost give the exact same answers on the different questions we asked them. Their goal is to make the container logistics world more sustainable, with an open culture, a good dose of humor and you need the have the real Rotterdam mentality; ‘’Niet lullen maar poetsen’’.
The EVP’s
Together they’ve decided who would become the faces of the organization. Kars Hoving (Business Manager), Liselotte Lorenzo Sanchez (Business Manager), Kim Los (Data Scientist) and Kevin Kruijthoff (Director of Product & Technology).
Together with them we had deep dive sessions, to get to the core of the organization. It’s a session that is again getting to the core of the organization but also to the core of why Routescanner is such an amazing company to work for.
Sacha and I went to Rotterdam and visited Routescanner which is actually located in the building of the Port of Rotterdam. The view was to die for and what an intimidating building, absolutely state of the art technology.
We met the EVP’s had the deep dive sessions with them and came to the conclusion that everyone just like the management is in line with each other. From the questions that we asked most of the answers were the same and came to the conclusion that they all really appreciated working for Routescanner but also be part of the Port of Rotterdam.
With their answers we went back to the drawing table to create the content for the upcoming ‘’werken bij’’ page.
With this content created the page will show you why the current employees are so happy about Routescanner, what drives their engine and what gets them up in the morning.
Shooting day
When creating a ‘’werken bij’’ page. We obviously need video content to show why Routescanner is the place for you to work at, but we also need pictures of the entire team.
We work with a great company who has done some pretty great projects in the Netherlands, they are really able to get the essence of the person, the value of the company on the video (please have a look on the website of Routescanner so you know what I’m talking about).
We were again in Rotterdam around November for this shoot, I can tell you one thing. It was freezing cold, windy, and foggy. So not the best weather conditions to schedule something like this in this month.
With the best view of Rotterdam in the back (the harbor) the EVP’s were interviewed. The video shows you what Routescanner does and why everyone is so happy to work for them.
With the photographer we took everyone’s personal shot, but with different twists. No matter the conditions we went for it, no jacked, undercooled. Everything for the best picture.
I also had my very first experience on a water taxi, I can say now that I am not able to get seasick. At least on such a small thing, no idea what a cruise does.
Why YOU should work at Routescanner?
I think you should find out for yourself, there are several vacancies open right now, they keep on growing and I think that as long as you are motivated to get Routescanner to a next level. You’ll be happy for a very long time.
Just have a look; https://www.routescanner.com/careers