Ward V.

Infra consultant Water management
Happy to mentor
Happy to be contacted

About me

Ward V.
Archaeology
Cultural Heritage Management
Taught Postgraduate
Wentworth
2010
Netherlands

My employment

Infra consultant Water management
Aveco de Bondt
Netherlands
2009
£2300
£2700

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A day in the life of a Infra consultant Water management in the Netherlands

How I found out about the job

Already worked there

The recruitment process

I already worked at the office before I studied in York. The offered me a job when I came back to the Netherlands. I did try to find a job related to my studies - Cultural Heritage - but did not succeed.

My advice to students considering work

Network. Just get to know as many people as you can who you admire or whose job you would like to have. Ask them how they got there, if they like it, what they don't like about their job. There are a lot of ways to get to network. I personally would advise to do internships or just boldly call or email people directly and ask for an hour of their time. I did this a couple of times and I was never turned down and it helped me a lot.

If you want to live and work in the Netherlands you will have to speak Dutch. Although Dutch people speak good English, if you want to become friends with them, you'll need to speak Dutch. On a more professional level, if you want to have a good career, try to understand the way people communicate in the Netherlands. It is very direct. You have to be able to handle that, but also to be direct yourself. So, respect your boss, but do tell him what you think or want.

My advice about working in my industry

If you want to live and work in the Netherlands you will have to speak Dutch. Although Dutch people speak good English, if you want to become friends with them, you'll need to speak Dutch. On a more professional level, if you want to have a good career, try to understand the way people communicate in the Netherlands. It is very direct. You have to be able to handle that, but also to be direct yourself. So, respect your boss, but do tell him what you think or want.

What I do

I work as a consultant and give advice about how to deal with rainwater. This effectively means I design water discharge systems and make calculations to make it work.

Skills I use and how I developed them

I was hired because of my previous study in Water management. However, I am developing myself fast within the company and I think that has to do with my level of education. I did learn a great deal about how to deal with a question.

Degree skills:
What I learned doesn't have much to do with water problems. I do however feel I am much better now in asking the right questions. So, I guess I've developed the skills to break down a problem and think properly about it.

Extracurricular skills:
Although it is a bit rusty already, I did increase my level of English. This is very helpfull when you're Dutch.

What I like most

It's diverse - I get to work on relatively large projects and there is the prospect of working abroad on international projects.

What I like least

It has nothing to do with cultural heritage, history, religion or philosophy.

Next steps...

If you like the look of Ward’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Ward a message to find out more about their career journey.

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