Increasing skills and networks exponentially
TMC Employeneur Baris Cetin was taking a well-deserved vacation when he received some unexpected news: the project he was working on had just been terminated. ‘I trusted TMC to help me find another assignment,’ he says, looking back. ‘The only difficulty was, summer had just begun. All the hiring managers of the companies I had in mind were on vacation.’ Through TMC’s VIP programme, Baris managed to make the most of his time in between projects: ‘In a sense, you could call the sudden termination a blessing in disguise.’
Baris has almost twenty years of experience in Mechanical and Industrial engineering. At the end of 2017, he moved from Turkey (his home country) to the Netherlands. A few weeks after his arrival, he got in touch with TMC. And within a couple of weeks, TMC had found Baris a project, where he took up the role of Senior Project Quality Leader. But when, after a promising start, the project was cancelled, he had to look for a new assignment.
‘I really noticed how TMC tried to make this transition period as easy - and as valuable - for me as possible.'
Baris’ management team alerted him to the VIP programme and its weekly meetings, attended by all kinds of Employeneurs in between assignments. ‘Every meeting covered another topic related to finding new projects. Employeneurs from different cells held workshops and talked about how to update your CV, for instance, or how to prepare for interviews - I learned some useful lessons about body language.’
As well as offering the Employeneurs tips and tricks and food for thought, the meetings had another crucial benefit: ‘I really noticed how TMC tried to make this transition period as easy - and as valuable - for me as possible. The programme taught me: you are not alone in this; we are supporting you; we’re trying to equip you with a broad variety of tools and methods, all of which are not just useful at the moment, but for your entire career.’
In the meantime, Baris had several interviews: ‘Sixteen in eight weeks - quite a lot really, considering we were still in the summer period. TMC made some helpful suggestions, and encouraged me to visit as many different companies and make as many new contacts as I could. My network has increased exponentially, and I have a much broader view of the job market in The Netherlands.’
‘I’ve learned so much during the last few months, I really wanted to extend that knowledge.'
Throughout the VIP program, Baris never felt pressurized into taking up a project that didn’t excite him. ‘You need to be happy - otherwise, don’t start the assignment. That’s another thing the programme taught me. Your project has to be right.’
In the end, all of Baris’ and TMC’s combined efforts paid off. Last month, he started as Quality Supplier Manager at ASML - an assignment he’s very excited about. Thanks to the VIP Program, Baris also took up another role: ‘I’ve learned so much during the last few months, I really wanted to extend that knowledge. What better way to do so than becoming a career adviser myself, supporting other Employeneurs and giving something back?’