"I SWOT my new job”

After 21 years working for BMW Financial Services, Bert Vanden Bergh decided it was time for a new challenge. “I had to step outside my comfort zone in search of new inspiration and motivation. For this big step, I needed to come up with a solution to find the right job with the right employer in one go.”

SWOT

“I used SWOT analysis numerous times during my career and I became a big fan of this methodology”, Bert says. “It provides transparency and it gives me a clear direction for the desired result. So I decided to use this methodology for my quest.” Bert placed his abilities and track record under ‘Strengths’ and his areas of improvement and pitfalls under Weaknesses.

“Within the methodology, Opportunities and Threats are external factors and are therefore used to determine the requirements (and no-go's) for my future employer.”

Applying

“The advantage of using this method was that I was able to select companies which were to my liking and to identify (within the job application process) which questions needed to be answered”, Bert explains. “Eventually it led me to the jobs page of the Sofico website. Throughout the thorough job application process I became more and more convinced this would be a perfect fit.”

Learning Organization

Given the level of complexity of Miles and everyone’s learning curve, every newbie is linked to a personal job coach. Aside from the job coach, a personal training program is made available which acts as a guide and information architecture during the first year at Sofico. “These measures ensure a proper foundation within the organization and for me this was essential to gain a clear insight into the bigger picture!”

Culture

“My first day at work and the introduction week happened in the early lockdown stage of the COVID-19 measures in the Netherlands (which was different to say the least)”, Bert explains when asked. “From the start, I was warmly welcomed by my team members and the entire company. Everyone has been friendly, helpful and open without any restraints. One great example of this open culture is a digital initiative which has been launched as an alternative for the typical coffee machine chit-chat with one of your colleagues (note from the editors: How’s The Weather). Now we can have this coffee machine chit-chat with our international colleagues.”

Future

“I am glad to be an integral part of a company that operates in a constantly changing world. Whether it is software-related, like blockchain or other future developments, or changing mobility solutions.”

“This requires us to be on top of our game and listen to our customers. With my knowledge, experience and passion, I look forward to further extending my knowledge of Miles and helping customers to utilize (or implement) Miles as well as possible.”