Helping to build solid employer branding, a training culture and a recruitment policy at Mediahuis, a leading media organisation. As HD Consultant at TriHD, Martine Groenen did not let this exceptional opportunity slip away. “In scarcely a year, I’ve already acquired a wealth of new expertise and skills. I’m immensely grateful to Mediahuis and TriHD for giving me this opportunity.”
Growth and self-development
“Hire for attitude, train for skills.” An increasing number of companies and organisations are recruiting new talent based on attitude and mindset rather than knowledge and skills. The HR department at Mediahuis, an international media organisation of cross-media brands, is also rolling out the red carpet for new employees keen to roll up their sleeves and work on stimulating projects in a digital first environment and permanently invest in their personal growth and self-development.
Nathalie Vercammen, HR Talent Manager at Mediahuis, explains: “Grounded in our powerful employer branding, we invest heavily in a professionally designed recruitment and onboarding process for new colleagues. We also give our existing employees the necessary tools to seize all possible professional opportunities internally. We strongly encourage internal mobility with both vertical and horizontal career prospects.”
The Academy as a showpiece
“For the purpose of these challenging internal tasks, we have developed a strong HR department at Mediahuis,” Nathalie points out. “And our Learning & Development team does its utmost to maintain the right set of employee competencies and skills. A few years ago, we named this team a real in-house university: The Academy. When we recruited Martine as L&D officer in May 2021, it quickly became clear that we had struck gold.”
“I wasn’t the first consultant whom Mediahuis hired,” says Martine. “The company has been a loyal client of TriFinance for years. But when I received the invitation to join the L&D team, it was the first time that Nathalie and her colleagues had called on our HD expertise. All the more reason for me – as I always do – to give it my all!”
In scarcely a year at Mediahuis, I’ve learnt a great deal in terms of HR expertise and personal skills.
Varied and challenging set of tasks
From the outset of her consultancy assignment, Martine stepped on the accelerator. “Learning & Development was a brand new field for me. But fantastic colleagues willing to share their knowledge with me meant I could quickly settle into various projects. I was closely involved in the onboarding process of new colleagues, for example, which resulted in the roll-out of an onboarding app. I also had the opportunity to help outline long-term training initiatives and international knowledge-sharing programmes. And we focused much attention on creating a hybrid working environment for Mediahuis employees, a topic that is highly relevant today. Lastly, as an HD consultant, I was able to help expand a strong employer branding campaign by managing Mediahuis’ social media channels. So it was a jam-packed agenda, but enormously fascinating and inspiring at the same time!”
Taking each other to the next level
Martine is full of praise for the environment in which she was able to work. “I see lots of similarities between Mediahuis and TriHD,” she says. “Both organisations have a refreshing dynamic, a focus on training and development, and a people-oriented approach that prioritises new skills. Even though I was an external consultant to Nathalie’s team, I never felt like an outsider. I was immediately included in the group, actively involved in meetings and internal events, and could share my ideas and comments freely. Hats off to Mediahuis!”
Nathalie adds: “While we really appreciate this lovely compliment, this is also down to Martine herself. She excels in quickly getting to grips with files, adapting to ever-changing working conditions, and communicating constructively with colleagues. If you combine this with great versatility and a talent both for teamwork and for doing things independently, you have a colleague who makes a difference!”
Versatile, self-reliant, strong communication skills and a born team player: Martine scores top marks on each of these points!
Starting as an internal recruiter
Martine has been working as an internal recruiter at Mediahuis since February this year. And she also feels like she is in her element in this role. “Before I started working at TriHD, I worked as a recruiter for four years. That experience has come in very handy to me now. Once again, I’m pulling out all the stops to place all the best talent at Mediahuis in the most suitable internal positions. After all, retaining talented and committed employees today is vital for a company to grow in a sustainable and future-proof manner. And to complete the circle: ‘we hire for attitude and train for skills’. I’ve learnt to inspire others, to keep learning, and to keep growing.”
