TwynstraGudde has been involved with Refugee Talent Hub for years. Through the mentorship program, they are committed to helping newcomers find paid employment. Frank van Es, General Manager at TwynstraGudde, has been on the road in recent months as a mentor to Rumeysa Bolel – a talented starter from Tilburg. In this blog, he shares what the mentorship has brought him and Rumeysa.
You get to know each other: who are you, where do you come from, what have you experienced so far? Personal stories are shared that have made you who you are today. The mentoring program starts with your heart. We learn about each other's culture and habits. What is working life like in the Netherlands? How do you deal with colleagues and your manager? What is normal and unusual there and how does this differ from working life in your country of birth? I immediately thought it was a special and educational start!
Learning from applying for jobs
During the program, there are joint moments with all mentors and mentees about, for example, how to prepare for a job application. In between, there are weekly 1-on-1 meetings. During these meetings, Rumeysa and I worked concretely on finding a job, writing a motivation letter, drawing up a CV and preparing for an interview.
Every application was a learning experience. What questions were asked? How can you respond to such a question? A difference with Turkey, Rumeysa's country of birth, is that in the Netherlands many more questions are asked about who you are as a person and fewer about what knowledge and experience you bring with you. Do we click? Do you fit into our team? Another difference is that in a work environment in the Netherlands you are quickly seen as an equal. Everyone is allowed to have a say and have an opinion about something. That is not always efficient and effective. We can learn from the Turkish business culture in which it is clearer who is responsible for what and decisions are made more quickly.
"The mentoring program starts with your heart"
Frank van Es, Algemeen Directeur bij TwynstraGudde
Seeing with different eyes
At the end of the mentoring program there was a nice closing meeting. Rumeysa and I looked back on the program and what it brought us. She appreciated the practical tips in finding a job and especially the time and attention.
It took some getting used to having the director of TwynstraGudde as a mentor, especially because in Turkey the director is much more distant. But 'Mister Frank' quickly became 'just Frank'. Rumeysa now approaches a job interview differently, has adjusted her CV and motivation letter and there are already concrete opportunities at various companies. I have learned a lot from Rumeysa in how she approaches life and I admire her perseverance. We have seen each other with different eyes.
I would like to encourage everyone to make more use of the talents of newcomers: 'Get to know boundless talent!'
