When Ellen Van Gaever arrived at TriFinance in 2018, she at once felt in her element. “Because of the unique company culture and people-oriented approach, I can use my talents to the full,” says Ellen. “When I got the opportunity to start as a Consultant at TriHD last year, it was a dream come true!”
Out of the starting blocks
Ellen started working as a recruiter in January 2018. “The decision to join TriFinance was me opting for people-oriented values and a positive company culture,” she explains. And that assessment quickly proved to be correct. “I was given the opportunity to work on several stimulating internal projects, tailored to my strengths and in which I could fully express my creativity.”
Exciting tasks as a recruiter
As a recruiter, Ellen had a dual role. “First, I was jointly responsible for recruiting TriFinance consultants. And then I also helped to recruit new talent for clients. In both roles, I was allowed to put forward ideas that would fine-tune internal processes. For example, I helped develop a total reward approach: instead of focusing solely on gross remuneration during selection interviews with candidates, we now discuss TriFinance’s total remuneration package. I drew up a salary proposal that features remuneration, a career coach, technical mentor, training and networking.”
Teamwork and knowledge sharing
Ellen obviously could not complete this exciting set of tasks on her own. “I worked together with fantastic colleagues to achieve this. Sharing our own strengths and expertise yields great results. Teamwork and knowledge sharing are key at TriFinance. This approach takes existing and new projects to the next level every time.”
Ready for a new internal challenge
Despite her fulfilling tasks as a recruiter, Ellen started feeling restless by the end of 2020. It was time to step up a gear professionally. “Following some enlightening conversations with my Business Unit Leader Hanne and my Career Coach Marjan, I started thinking more and more about new internal challenges. Both Hanne and Marjan held up a mirror to me. Stepping out of my comfort zone, saying farewell to my familiar team, and daring to make the leap: that’s what it was all about! For that reason, I decided to take my chances as an HD consultant.”
At TriFinance and TriHD, you are constantly challenged to harness your own strengths and talents.
On board the HD pilot project
When TriFinance launched the HD pilot project, Ellen immediately signed up as a candidate. “I felt it was time to achieve my dream, using the past three years of recruitment, mentoring and instructive internal projects as my knowledge-and-experience ‘backpack’.” As a brand new HD consultant, Ellen could immediately choose from three interesting client projects. “It was ideal to be able to decide for myself which scope and client environment suited me best. I really wanted to delve into ‘soft’ topics, such as recruitment, learning and development, or the onboarding of new employees.”
Kick-off as HD Consultant
The big day arrived in August 2021! Ellen started as an HD Consultant at the Antwerp chemical distributor Manuchar. She rolled up her sleeves for a six-month project, initially focusing on recruitment. “From the outset, I could put my previously acquired knowledge to full use, to the immense satisfaction of my new colleagues. Based on the one-thing-more principle, I swiftly took the initiative to expand my core tasks, advising on possible process improvements. I spoke to management about this, and they were extremely enthusiastic about my proactive approach.”
The result? Ellen was given free rein to start up and help steer several new projects at Manuchar, including the onboarding process for new employees. “As an external consultant, I found this process was sometimes too fragmented and that internal communication could use a boost. I acted as a facilitator and inspirer to get everyone on the same page. I helped create support for streamlining the onboarding process at Manuchar. Both the company and new employees will undoubtedly reap the benefits from this in the long run. I’m immensely proud that I was able to help put my shoulder to the wheel on this from TriHD!”
Based on the one-thing-more principle, I want to continuously provide clients with creative ideas to optimise internal processes within Human Development.
