Zoë’s first day as a Relocation Consultant
“Let’s do this!”
It’s Monday, September 14, 2020, and it’s my first working day at Your Talent Agency (formerly known as Your Expat Agency). Besides the fact that it is of course very exciting such a first day of work, it is also more of a first full-time job as a recently graduated HBO student. The alarm goes off early and I am immediately wide awake next to my bed. Is it the nerves or is it enthusiasm? I suspect it’s a mix of both emotions coursing through my body at 70 miles per hour. Nerves for the new and the unknown, enthusiasm to exchange school for the work field, build a so-called career and learn new things. My role as Junior Relocation Consult/Coordinator doesn’t exactly match the direction I learned for. In addition, it is an industry where I was not aware of the business behind it, but which, to my surprise, made me very enthusiastic. Not afraid of a challenge and full of good courage I started my trial month. Let’s do this!
In the first week, I was immediately involved in the Relocation processes. For example, I was allowed to watch introduction talks, and participate in registrations in the town hall and I was already busy planning viewings and actually viewing apartments. Cliché but true: You learn by doing. Sacha and Judith gave me their trust and soon I started working more and more independently. Their trust in me made me more confident in my work. What makes the job so much fun is that no relocation is the same and the personal contact with the clients. The intensive contact creates a bond where trust is number one, you are actually their confidant in a country that is foreign to them. In addition, no working day is the same. One day you’re in the office all day in meetings and arranging the documentation for a Visa application, the next day you’re running and flying from one appointment to another. Never a dull moment!
Mastering the processes and all the snags involved is where the challenge lies for me. A small change can already make a difference in the process and its outcome. As time and the number of Relocations go on, I expect to understand these snags better and better and as a result be able to provide clients with better independent advice. In addition, not to mention speaking and writing English is a challenge. Dare I say I have a decent command of the English language, I thought… Until I came across a new branch of English with terms you’d never heard of before. Actually, I see every Relocation as a challenge. A challenge to get clients to the Netherlands as carefree and prepared, to make it as pleasant as possible for them here and to make them fall in love with our little country.
My goals for the next six months are to be able to work independently and to carry out the entire Relocation process independently, thereby taking the work off Sacha and Judith’s hands. In addition, a challenge awaits me in the field of Marketing for Your Talent Agency. My goal here is to generate more exposure for Your Talent Agency and to create content that meets the needs of the target group. I secretly have a number of expectations on my list about the future. I expect to gain a lot of experiences, take on challenges and grow as a person. One thing I know for sure: Your Expat Agency exceeds all my expectations and I hope to be able to work for this great company for a long time to come.