Meet Jennifer Theijsmeijer, Talent Manager at Jopp. She and her colleagues can give your career a running start. How? By listening closely to your aspirations and needs.
“I’ve been a Talent Manager for almost a year and a half now. And I love it!” Jennifer beams. “For me, the most fun part of my job is helping candidates who don’t know yet what their ambitions are, but are super motivated. For them, I can really make a difference in figuring out what it is they want. Don’t get me wrong, I love candidates with very specific ambitions too. They usually are very motivated and it’s rewarding to guide them in the right direction.”
Either way, it always starts with a 20-minute intake call. Who is this person? What drives him or her? “A lot of my time goes into getting to know my candidates. Their dreams, ambitions, and even hobbies. It helps me find the right match with one of our partners. It’s also what makes us so different from your average recruitment agency: we are fully candidate focused.”
So what does a day in the life of a talent manager look like? “Pff, we do so many different things. From that first call with new candidates to interviewing people for a specific position or giving someone feedback on their prep assignment.”
A prep assignment? “Yes, instead of having people write motivational letters we give them a prep assignment with specific questions. Why do you want to work for this company? Why this position? What is it you want to learn? For candidates, it is a valuable moment of reflection. And for us a great way to get insight into someone’s motivation.”
The right position, check. Motivation, check. And then what? “We never send out a candidate to a partner without giving them feedback first on their prep assignment and their interview with us. We really prepare them for that first introduction with our partner.”
When a candidate gets hired, Jennifer’s job is done. “Well, for that moment it is. I hand all information over to our community POC’s (Point of Contact) who then continue to stay in touch with the Jopper in question. They handle all the administrative work like contracts and payments and do check-ins on a regular basis. So when a Jopper is ready for a new challenge, our community POC’s know. That’s when I can come back into the picture and help find something new.”
So why should motivated students want to become a Jopper? “Well, I see no reason why not? It’s super chill. You tell us what you want and we tell you what is and isn’t possible. You don’t have to go out there and find your own way. I wish an agency like Jopp existed when I was a student. It would have made my life so much easier! So I say: whether you’ve seen a vacancy you’re interested in or just want to chat about how to make your ambitions a reality, get in touch. You’ll always get something out of it, even if it’s just feedback. Calling Jopp is the best thing you can do for your career right now!”
Want to become a Jopper too? Check our vacancies here or apply for our talent pool!