A traineeship at KBC? That's seeing an opportunity and grasping it with both hands
Alice Staquet and Michiel Hendrickx rose to the challenge to be the first to complete a traineeship in the Transform department. They have very different backgrounds, but the same drive to contribute to innovation within KBC.
How did you find out about this traineeship?
Michiel: I was a tester for a digital platform that connects young graduates with companies. I saw this job posting and it appealed to me immediately. The combination of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship is exactly what my degree was about. Entrepreneurship, but then and intrapreneur within a large company seemed very interesting to me.
Alice: It turned out differently for me. I had already worked for a year at KBC in corporate banking, but felt I was missing something in my job. I talked about that with my manager and colleagues. Besides giving me advice, they also gave me the space to look for a new opportunity. After several meetings, we came up with this traineeship, which I’d also seen on LinkedIn. The project-based approach particularly appealed to me. Working together in a team towards a tangible digital transformation result.
How did the application process go?
Alice: I had interviews with colleagues from HR and with Nele Vandenbussche. She is the Delivery Manager for Third Party Services, a department within Transform. The interview I had with her was more like an enjoyable chat. I felt at ease straight away because she wanted to get to know me as a person besides finding out about my qualifications and experience, because to work in Transform, you need a certain mindset. For example, you have to deal with disappointment, because not every idea will come to something.
Michiel: I went through the standard application procedure. That involves several steps, but we got through these pretty quickly. First, there were some tests and then I had to work out a case, which I then discussed with Jan Bruyneel. He heads up one of the policy teams. That turned into a long and enjoyable chat about anything and everything. I got the impression, more than during interviews with other companies, that my added value was appreciated. I knew I would fit in.
What are you working on as trainees?
Alice: Digital transformation and innovation together form a broad world with many interfaces. The aim of this traineeship is to introduce us to the various aspects of the work and enable us to start building our own network within the organisation.
We're on a ‘rotation’, that means we work in one team for a few months, and then move on to another. At the moment, I'm working in the team responsible for Kate, the digital assistant in KBC Mobile, but I'll also do a stint in Digital Channels and Third Party Services. My focus is digital transformation.
But our work can come from anywhere. When I meet colleagues from other teams and they ask if I can contribute, I discuss this with my mentor. If it fits in the planning, then I get the time to do that. At the moment, I'm focusing on developing and optimising cases for payments in Kate and monitoring the project implementation.
What I particularly like is that I have a lot of freedom to gain a wide range of experiences and that my colleagues help and coach me when necessary. This means I can get out of my comfort zone.
Michiel: I think our schedule is intentionally light, with room for additional projects. We have a full programme, but not an excessive workload.
My focus is on innovation. So, for example I'm involved in brainstorming ‘What kind of action plan do we need to innovate within KBC?’ or ‘What topics should be on our radar when roadmapping?’
But, just like Alice, colleagues sometimes challenge me to do something different. For example, the customer experience team asked me to supervise a service design project, which I then did. That was really good fun to do.
What is it like working in a team that’s only involved in transformation and innovation?
Michiel: You can feel the enthusiasm here. Everyone working on new ideas is very motivated. Colleagues share their struggles and also ask me, for example, how I see it and what I would do.
Alice: What strikes me is that all our colleagues are really friendly. They really include us in the team, even though we’re trainees and temporary. And the Kate team members have invited me for a team building day around Christmas with a Secret Santa, even though by then I will have moved on to another team.
I also really appreciate managers making time for a feedback session. They too want to know how I'm getting on working in the Kate team. Perhaps all the more so because I’m the very first trainee on that team. And this makes it easier for me to ask for feedback too.
Do you always work at the office or do you work from home sometimes?
Michiel: Everyone can work from home if they wish, but I prefer to work at the office. I'm more productive there. What's more, you never know who you might meet and chat to during the day and what that contact may lead to. If I worked from home, I would miss those opportunities.
Alice: I usually work in the office too, but sometimes I switch between the various offices in Leuven to sit and work together with certain people. I like having that freedom. But, we do have team days when all colleagues in my team sit together. That's one day a week for many teams, but two for us.
Michiel: Sometimes when I'm in Brussels I go and sit with some IT colleagues. They had their onboarding here in Leuven, but are now working in Brussels. They posted on Yammer that they wanted some help organising something for the Group Inspiration Day. And so I helped with that.
What exactly does your mentor do for you?
Michiel: Actually our mentor, learning partner Sabine Dury, mainly keeps the overview. She designed the traineeship. She also makes sure we get to know the right people and get involved in initiatives.
But everyone can be a mentor. At the moment, I'm getting lots of support from the Kate product manager, I bounce my ideas around with her. But I can ask any colleague if I want to know more about a particular topic. That doesn't necessarily have to be my mentor.
Alice: When I joined the Kate team, the idea was that one colleague would supervise me, and she is really my contact person. Even for trivial matters. But yes, other colleagues help us too, not just our mentor.
Do you have any tips for recent graduates?
Alice: When I graduated, I felt under pressure to choose the ‘right’ job. But, just as many other students, I didn't have a clear idea of exactly what I wanted to do. This made me uncertain and I began to overthink things.
Then a friend gave be some really good advice: “You'll only know whether a job is a good match for you if you give it a chance. And if it's not right, then you’ll still have gained some valuable experience. You'll get to know yourself better, discover what gives you energy and what doesn't. You'll find out whether you prefer working in a team or independently and whether or not you want an analytical role.”
This helped me get in the right mindset: take the leap, just to discover what you want. That's what I'm doing now with this traineeship.
Michiel: It's very important to be inquisitive, flexible and eager to learn. During your first work experience, you’ll mainly learn what it means to work for a company.
Another good tip is: ‘don't be afraid’. If people give you responsibility, they’re obviously convinced that you can handle it. Of course, don’t overestimate yourself, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself either. Experienced colleagues appreciate the fresh approach young people have.
