24-11-2022
Quintop is an Utrecht-based consultancy firm focusing on HR consultancy, project management and interim HR services. The three new hires are following Quintop’s High Potentials Programme, a course that trains them in areas such as HR, project management, agile working, and organisational change, preparing them for a full-fledged HR consultancy role.
Now all three of them started at Quintop, but each for their own reasons. They tell why they chose the Utrecht-based consultancy and the work field of HR.
Learning from colleagues
Tijmen kicks off: “I want to learn more about HR and its implementation at organisations. Consultancy is a good way of doing so. I can experience the various possibilities and learn in practice what the important role of HR can be in an organisation.
During his thesis, Tijmen gained a lot of knowledge about HR. For instance, he wrote a recommendation for a mental health organisation. He also gained experience as a corporate recruiter at a technical consultancy firm. “I learned a lot there about what the recruitment profession entails and how a consultancy organisation operates,” he says.
About his choice for Quintop, Tijmen says: “I like the fact that Quintop is a somewhat smaller organisation, where I can learn a lot from colleagues and where there is room for fun things besides work. There is also a lot of attention to your personal development, which is very important for me – especially at the beginning of my career – so that I can develop myself in different areas.”
He is very much looking forward to the High Potentials Programme, he points out. “Absolutely. Especially to the combination of learning by carrying out an assignment and at the same time attending various training courses together with other trainees, which will ensure that I can become an HR professional in a short time.”
Human behaviour and the underlying drivers
For Joyce, the HR consulting profession sparked her interest because she is interested “in human behaviour and its underlying drivers”, she explains. “In addition, the role as a Junior Consultant gives me the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at different organisations and (further) explore various HR-related topics.”
When asked why exactly she chose the Utrecht-based HR consultancy, Joyce replies, “Because the company pursues a clear vision and people-oriented approach. The informal atmosphere, the open culture and the attention paid to the personal and professional development of starters in the High Potential Programme were the deciding factors in choosing Quintop.”
She brings relevant practical experience to the agency, which she gained in roles as an HR assistant, freelance project officer and a freelancer in hospitality and sales. In addition, she acquired “a broad theoretical understanding related to strategy and policy, organisational behaviour and communication” during her master’s degree.
“I learned to apply insights from psychology, business administration, communication science and sociology, among others, in finding solutions to (potential) problems within and between organisations,” Joyce explains.
She is looking forward to the training courses she will attend at Quintop around consultancy management and HR trends. “Because I am under the assumption that I can immediately put this knowledge into practice at my first assignment.” In addition, she is looking forward to getting to know the other trainees even better during these training sessions and jointly ending the week with drinks.
Best of both worlds
Nathalie was triggered by the subject Strategic Human Resource Management during her previous bachelor’s degree in Organisation Science. She therefore decided to do an HR internship (at Etos), where she gained experience in various projects around learning and development, well-being and absenteeism.
It turned out to be the right decision for Nathalie, who continued her path with a master’s degree in strategic HRM. “This covered issues around leadership, diversity, motivation and well-being. Both organisational and employee interests were considered here.” In addition to her studies, Nathalie gained a year’s experience as president of a Faculty Association.
As a Junior HR consultant, she is now plunging into challenging HR consultancy issues at Quintop. “Consultancy appeals to me because it is very diverse. You see numerous organisations, but the assignments are also very diverse. So you gain a lot of substantive knowledge on the one hand and a lot of organisational knowledge on the other by looking at best practices everywhere and learning from them.”
What made Nathalie choose Quintop? “I got a warm feeling with the organisation – a small but tight group of colleagues where everyone is willing to help and thus learn from each other. On the other hand, Quintop’s client base consists mainly of top multinationals, which means you also get to know a lot about business operations in large organisations. In short, the best of both worlds.”
Nathalie looks forward to the programme in the coming period: “The frequent training sessions make this traineeship very valuable. In addition, very relevant and interesting topics are covered, such as stakeholder management, project management and time management.”
“Two training courses I am specifically looking forward to are reorganisations and personal branding,” she concludes. “In addition, I found it very valuable to take the personality test ‘’Your Personality Assets’’ because it enriches your self-knowledge.”
