TiasNimbas

Career Services for Master Students at TiasNimbas

For the majority of TiasNimbas Business School’s full-time students (in both the MBA and MA/MSc programme), building relevant academic knowledge and enhancing personal and professional competences go hand-in-hand with increasing their broadening career options. Therefore, TiasNimbas has developed an intensive programme of activities to fully equip its full-time students with the knowledge and tools to successfully (re-) enter the job market after graduation.

Before beginning the academic programme, students gain a better insight into their talents, industry-preferences and job-related competences by using the CareerLeader programme. Developed by Harvard University, CareerLeader has found entrance in many of the leading business schools worldwide. At TiasNimbas the results of CareerLeader are utilised in a series of personal coaching sessions conducted by selected coaches from the Hay Group.

In the first part of the academic year, the coaching focuses on personal development and coping with the effects of transition. The January Career Week (see below) marks the start of an enhanced focus on preparing students for their careers after graduation. Then the emphasis of the personal coaching shifts to further developing job-related competencies and linking individuals’ preferences and strengths with industry profiles.

We go on to offering the possibility to interact with companies on several occasions:

·         At the Career Expo; organised by the Technical University of Eindhoven (23 February)

·         At the Economic Business Week; organised by the University of Tilburg (12-22 April) 

·         At the on-campus career day in Utrecht (May)

The January Career Week programme is built on four pillars:

1.     Understanding the context of the Dutch job market; i.e. labour market regulations and the current status of the Dutch job market. This part is especially relevant for Non-EU students, as The Netherlands offers interesting opportunities after graduation: graduates can benefit from a 'search visa', and further explore job opportunities for an entire year! 

2.     Understanding HR practices and understanding how to work with recruiters and head hunters. In a competitive job markets it is critical to understand how corporate recruiters, HR-officers and head hunters operate, and have profound insights in their decision-making processes. In a series of workshops, our students obtain ‘first-hand’ information and are made aware of the ‘do and don’ts’ when applying for a position. 

3.     Building relevant competencies for the job market i.e. CV-writing, interviewing and salary negotiation. How can you make your CV stand-out?; How can you make your track-record and personality shine?
In small teams, professional coaches closely guide students in giving their CVs an edge. Students get the opportunity to practise their interviews skills and get thorough feedback on their performance. Finally, we discuss salary negotiations: how to ensure you do not under- or over-sell yourself. 

4.     Bringing all pieces together in the ‘battle for a dream job simulation’. Guided by several HR directors from leading (inter)national organisations, students apply and compete for three positions in industry.

After gaining insights in all aspects of the job application process, and after having had the opportunity to practice some vital skills, the ‘battle of the dream job’ brings students as close to reality as one can get. After selecting candidates for job interviews based on CV and cover letter, the preferred candidates are thoroughly interviewed by leading HR professionals. Interviews are being analysed afterwards, and extensive feedback on students' performance is provided.

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Full-Time International Master (MSc/MA) Career Services

MSc Alumna Mecky Heitha Receives Award for Contributions to Bank of Namibia

Time flies indeed! I’m amazed that it has been 3 years already since I was studying at TiasNimbas in Utrecht. Memories of the sleepless nights that I spent preparing for upcoming classes, studying for exams, doing assignments and sometimes criss-crossing between home and the TiasNimbas building to meet my study group to do our assignments, not to mention the scourge of culture shock are still fresh in my mind.

Sleepless Nights Were Not in Vain

The schedule was quite hectic and at times I wondered if I could pull it through to the end. Little did I realise then that this was strengthening my ability to work under pressure whilst also instilling a culture of hard work in me. Being a Senior Financial Analyst working for a banking regulatory authority requires a multitude of skills (both soft and hard) to effectively deliver on the job. I’m very thankful to TiasNimbas for imparting valuable skills and competencies to me.

Our instructors at TiasNimbas always encouraged us to "think outside the box". Practicing this has been a rewarding experience for me both in my personal as well as professional career. I received a Governor’s overall award for outstanding performance for 2008, in recognition for excellent individual contribution toward the attainment of Bank of Namibia’s strategic objectives. This is definitely not the end, as I’m set to achieve greater things in my career. The TiasNimbas spirit shall prevail!

Russian MSc Alumna Begins International Career at Rabobank in Germany

Yuliya Sotnich shared her experiences as a student on our blog last year and has written again about her current life after TiasNimbas. Yuliya shares:

'Globalisation has many faces and many outflows, some people blame it, some people praise it. One can have many attitudes towards this process, but for sure it has brought a new breed of people. These are people who are rightfully called ‘modern nomads’, and in fact they are. These people cross continents, live in diverse cultures, work in different countries and just enjoy multiple lifestyles.

In my case I feel quite justified to say that for me master studies at TiasNimbas served as a starting point for the international career. At present I work in the German country unit of the leasing daughter of Rabobank, De Lage Landen. The profile of my work fully corresponds to my learning field, since I am employed as an International Management Trainee at the Finance Department. On a daily basis I look at our P&L statements, balance sheet, ratios and profit margins…and remember about my classes during studies.

I can tell you that the relevance of what I studied to my work is 100%.

How did I come to Germany? During the career day organised by TiasNimbas I was invited for an interview with HR personnel of DLL, who offered me to take part in their selection event. The whole selection process was by no means easy: out of initial 200 participants only seven at the end got a job offer. I was offered to go to Germany, which by itself was quite a challenge, since my working language is German, that I studied before only three years in Russia.

In any case what I would like to say is that I am really grateful to TiasNimbas for all the efforts and constant support. At the end I believe that everything in life could be changed and could be achieved. Just follow your dream. As modern nomads do.'  

Alumnus Implements Margin Management in Shanghai

My name is Kristiaan Dierckx and I followed the advice from TiasNimbas Careers Services to start early when applying for jobs. During the one year Full-Time MSc in Financial Management, I visited and interviewed with a broad array of companies to get a better feel for what kind of organisation I would like to work in.

Finding this out was not an easy process, but in hindsight I consider myself lucky that I had so many choices. When the global financial crisis fully erupted at the end of August 2008, I had already narrowed my search down to two very interesting job offers.

I finally decided to start my career off as Margin Manager with Akzo Nobel Specialty Plastics. It was mainly the job content and the opportunity to work in an international environment that made me decide in favour of Akzo.

After my first two weeks in Belgium, I was already sent to our various factory sites in China, to kick-off and coordinate an elaborate cost savings plan. After Chinese New Year I will be relocated to Shanghai to work at the implementation of the margin management programme at our different factories. Living and working in China will allow me to make use of my Chinese language skills and my knowledge of the Chinese Culture but it will also be a lot of fun.

The best thing I like about the job is that, although margin management may seem to be something you do from behind a PC screen, I actually spend most of my time in the field talking to people from our different departments all over the world. This provides me with a lot of interesting on-the-job training opportunities as I get to know the company and learn its business.

The MSc in Financial Management at TiasNimbas prepared me to tackle a lot of the issues I deal with now professionally. During our Advanced Financial Management course, I learned that complex financial modelling is in no way a substitute for common sense. Sometimes its better to keep it simple. Margin Management at our division consists of improving the transparency of our costing systems, OWC and pricing strategies. 

Akzo Nobel has very flat hierarchical structure and colleagues and superiors are very approachable. I like the fact that the people in the company have a very down-to-earth mentality. We never engage in long excruciating PowerPoint presentations to get some vague abstract point across.
 

Right Smack in the Middle of History: Credit Crisis

My name is Jamsheed Choudry. After receiving my MSc from TiasNimbas in December 2007, I first joined Intel International BV as an EMEA Financial Analyst. My responsibilities included monthly spend & head count analysis & management reporting and inventory control. I also helped to set up and oversee a monthly headcount management meeting with 10 cost center managers across the EMEA region and a monthly third party contract validation process. While I gained valuable experience, with opportunities to travel to Phoenix and Prague, I also knew I wanted to work for a bank. So in June 2008, I made the jump to Fortis Bank NV (NL) where I joined the International Finance Associate Traineeship. In this programme I rotate to a new part of the company every three or four months over the course of one and a half years. My first rotation, commercial banking, gave me insight into the various services offered by the bank to their different types of clients. It allowed me to see first hand why, or for whom, I’ll be doing all of the finance work.

In September, I moved to a Fortis separation team at the ABN Amro HQ. There I worked on the ramp down of the shared assets balance sheets for the consortium partners (RBS, Santander & Fortis), which had to be brought down to zero. I also worked on the cost allocation and cost unwinding for Fortis.

To have had the opportunity to participate in the separation of a bank of this magnitude, the biggest banking acquisition in the world, was just incredible. I've read about mergers & acquisitions in the news and I learned about the process in the TiasNimbas course (in Mainz), but actually experiencing what occurs on the inside was simply an experience of a lifetime! Then, after several weeks of uncertainty and constant rumours, it all came to an abrupt and shocking halt on the early evening of 3 October 2008 when the Dutch Government announced they had purchased Fortis Bank NV (NL) along with its stake in ABN Amro through RFS Holding BV.

Who would have thought in almost a year after graduating from the TiasNimbas Master Programme in Financial Management that I would be experiencing the credit crisis, that has gripped this globalized world, first hand? But TiasNimbas has not only prepared me with the financial knowledge that I needed to get my career going, it has also prepared me to a certain extent for the changes that I have recently experienced with Fortis.

Both the P&O and M&A lectures prepared me for the emotions that go with the shock of seeing the company that I work for being broken up; the denial and anger of not being able to go on an international rotation as originally planned; the slight depression of seeing colleagues/friends turning into competitors over a weekend; and finally acceptance, and looking at the potential new opportunities that change can bring. As some doors close new ones open.

This has led to my new assignment in performance management (finance analysis) for Fortis Commercial Banking NL and working on another assignment in Fortis Merchant Banking (Global Markets and Global Securities Financing Group). This will see me splitting my weeks for the next three or four months between Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Additionally, I recently became the new Finance Associates representative for the Fortis International Associates Programmes Networking Platform.

Finally, while rumours continue to flow on everything, from what our new name might be, to whether ABN Amro and Fortis will integrate or whether we’ll be sold to another bank, I have to say that while I have mixed feelings on the recent developments, being on the inside of all of this is a learning experience in its self.

Peruvian MSc Alumnus Starts Career at Sara Lee's International Headquarters in Utrecht

On 31 October and 1 November 2008, TiasNimbas attended the Nobiles Career Fair in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This fair was for bachelor students about to complete their degree who are looking for the next step in their career: job, traineeship or master degree.

I enjoyed speaking to many people who would like to continue their education with a master degree before starting to work. The financial crisis is influencing many to study for one more year before joining the work force.

One of our alumni, Bratislav Zivadinovic, joined us at our stand at the fair. Bratzso, as he prefers to be called, is originally from Peru. He graduated from our MSc in Financial Management programme in December 2007. After graduation he was hired by Sara Lee as a business analyst to work at the international headquarters here in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Bratzo enjoys his international career and is happy that he has started it in The Netherlands.

People really liked to speak with Bratzso at the fair, not only because he could share his recent experiences as a student, but also because he gave insight into the career perspectives after completing our master programme.

I Will Be Working with Different Cultures Towards a Common Goal in Sao Paulo

My name is Sieuwke van Slooten. After handing in my thesis at the beginning of September 2007, I only had 3 weeks left before I was thrown into the world of working people. Besides the odd part-time job that I had during my student time, I was a complete working rookie. Through a recruitment agency, I came in contact with Ormit who at that time were looking for people for the Rabobank International IT & Operations Traineeship. During my interview at Ormit, they did have some worries as I had just finished the MA in International Business and Marketing Management and thus did not have much experience in terms of IT. However, adjusting to many different situations is a skill that I further developed at TiasNimbas and this enabled me to convince them that I was the right person for the job.

Working at Rabobank International through Ormit for a year, I now know for sure that many of the skills, both in terms of knowledge as well as interpersonal ones, that I developed at TiasNimbas have come in useful – most of them without consciously applying them – skills that I acquired and further developed both during classes as well as during the many social and other activities that I organised and participated in.

Especially working with many different cultures towards a common goal is a very useful skill, as I am currently working in New York and will move to Sao Paulo soon to work there. This means that adjusting to new situations/people/cities easily is important.

Also in my role as a Business Analyst/Project Manager (depending on the assignment) many different skills are required no matter what country you are working in. Furthermore, I noticed that through TiasNimbas, I also had gained a good knowledge of who I am and what I can achieve.

There will be a lot of learning moments throughout my working life, but TiasNimbas has given me a good foundation from which I can only grow (and already am growing) further to become the professional and person that I want to be.

TiasNimbas is Connected to the Business World

TiasNimbas Business School is connected to the business world in several ways.

In addition to the business contacts we can provide our master students through our Career Services, we also have a specific division at TiasNimbas that is devoted to creating tailor-made programmes for companies. In fact, this year TiasNimbas Business School was ranked No. 1 in the Benelux and 36th in the world for our Company Specific Programmes in the Financial Times Rankings.

Can a Non-European Find a Job in The Netherlands after the TiasNimbas Master?

Many Master candidates living outside of Europe ask me if it is possible to find a job in The Netherlands after they have completed the Master programme.

At TiasNimbas we have connections to recruitment companies who coach our students in finding what direction they want to pursue and what kinds of companies are suitable to their career ambitions. One of the recruitment companies, Adams Recruitment, has connections to many international companies in The Netherlands and helps our foreign students with their job search. Our Career Officer, Anne Rust, can provide you with more information on our Career Services.

Further, the Dutch government has recently implemented a new rule that allows foreignors, who come to The Netherlands for study, to extend their residence permit for a year in order to find employment. I am very pleased with this new rule, and so are the current foreign students, as they have more time to find a job they want in the fields of marketing and finance.

Graduate Joins Fast-Growing Software Start-Up as Marketing Manager

Laura Zijlstra started working as the new OTYS Marketing Manager immediately after handing in her thesis project. Now, OTYS Recruiting Technology is one of the biggest Dutch suppliers of recruitment software and is quickly becoming a well-known recruitment knowledge centre.

As Laura was finishing her studies in December 2007, OTYS was setting up its first marketing department. She says, “They invited me (to interview) because of my international background and the specific marketing experience/knowledge I had acquired at TiasNimbas.” Before she entered the Full-Time MA in International Business and Marketing Management, Laura worked as a consultant for “Manpower”. During her studies, she pursued her international interests through an elective at the Guanghua Summer School in China.

OTYS has since opened an office in Minneapolis and London while the office in The Netherlands has grown to the strength of 15 Dutch employees with 15 software developers based in Prague.

Laura says, “My first months have been both challenging and stimulating with projects ranging from complete corporate image rebranding and a client event for 400 customers.”