Intern Talk – Bart Vervondel

At Tobania, we are passionate about providing people with the opportunity to grow and improve themselves. Including Young Potentials and students, who are about to start their professional journey. Divided over different business units and departments, they are taught the ins and outs of the professional workplace. And they are eager to share their first experiences with you! Featured in this edition: Bart Vervondel, Intern at our Corporate HR team and business unit Quality and Support.

Can you briefly introduce yourself, Bart?

My name is Bart Vervondel. I am 23 years old and study Human Resource Management at the Haute Ecole of Francisco Ferrer in Brussels.

I like basketball, reading books and movies, which is my favourite thing in the world. I am a very curious person so many different things interest me.

In which unit did you work and what was your role exactly?

Most of the time during my internship (3 days a week) I worked in the BU Quality and Support, where I conducted recruitment and had the chance to find some new Tobians for the company.

And for the rest (2 days a week) I worked in the Corporate HR team, where I got the chance to work on different projects, such as improving the recruitment process, the onboarding sessions and the job fairs. I also did a part of the recruitment here.

What did your usual workday look like?

All the days were quite different. When I was in the Quality & Support business unit, I spent most of the time sourcing and calling potential candidates. But I also worked on various small tasks to make things more convenient for the team.

During my days with the Corporate HR team, I also did some recruiting, but most of the time I was working on projects, trying to find ways to improve the actual way of working.

I really liked the balance of tasks when I was working for both teams. It allowed me to choose which were the priorities and then I would act according to what needed to be done first.

What was the most memorable moment/project during your Tobania stay?

It is hard to choose just one, but if I had to, I would definitely say that the most memorable one was the Open Bar that Tobania hosted in Strombeek-Bever. It was great to see so many people working for the same company reunited in one place. All having fun and getting to know each other.

Could you rely on a mentor during your internship?

My mentor when I worked at the Q&S unit was Evelien Peeters, who won the TOB Recruiter Award. She is a very nice person, so I was in good hands! I could ask her anything. If I had any questions and if I needed any help, she was always there to assist me.

When I worked with Corporate HR, I could totally rely on Jenna and Zeger, which was totally similar. They were always there when I needed help or when I had a question.

I really enjoyed working with all these great people, as we also had a lot of fun together.

What learning tools did you get from us in order to grow?

I had access to some Learning Labs on LinkedIn Learning, which is really cool, but unfortunately, I didn’t use it much. Still, I think being part of the company was the best learning tool I could possibly have had.

How would you describe our Tobian community in three words?

Open – Trust – Respect – Team – Fun – …

I would also like to tell other interns to be confident in what they are doing and not to downplay what they are accomplishing. Every input is valuable.

Got any tips for others who are just about to start their internship?

If you have any questions, or if you are stuck on something, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You will always find someone who can answer your questions, offer some advice or a little help. I would also like to tell other interns to be confident in what they are doing and not to downplay what they are accomplishing. Every input is valuable.