Lawrens Hales about his first project as young graduate

Lawrens is Project Consultant at the Blue Chip Boutique Transition & Support (T&S) Antwerp/Hasselt. He is working on a project, his first, at VF Europe, part of the global American multinational active in the clothing sector with brands such as Kipling, Vans, and Napapijri. "I am working at the Shared Service Center of VF Europe in Bornem (near Antwerp) where I am a member of the 'financial system team' and I work with programs such as SAP and ARCO. If problems arise with, for example bookkeeping, expenses, and billing programs - I'm mainly involved with the latter - we figure out how to solve these issues and avoid them in the future. We write procedures, so that later when similar problems occur, the shortcoming can be fixed immediately."

TriFinance, a person-oriented organization

"No two days are the same and I have contacts with many people in multiple countries. I'm surprised that I'm given so much freedom right away. My project is very solution-oriented and in addition to learning to work with certain programs, I gain a lot of knowledge about how to work with people. Communicating well, clearly and quickly, for example, is very important. I saw the opportunity this project offered me and grabbed it with both hands."

Lawrens - a dogged table tennis player who likes to read and travel - has been working for TriFinance since February 2020. Why did he choose our international networking organization? "It is a person-oriented organization that recognizes who you are and helps you develop your potential. While you decide how to forge your career. That focus on the person struck me from the first job interview and gave me a good feeling. I had also applied elsewhere and there, things were more formal."

Support of experienced mentors

The Project Consultant is very pleased that at TriFinance mentors help less experienced colleagues with their assignment. Furthermore, Lawrens attended the training sessions in Account Payable (AP). "My team at VF Europe is slightly above the AP flow. We don't book invoices. I get a lot out of the help and insights of my mentor. For example, when I don't see a solution to an issue he suggests a possible answer. He also makes me look at my work from a different angle."

Starting your professional career during the corona crisis must be tedious, right? Lawrens thinks it hasn't been too bad. "I went to the Shared Service Center for two weeks and then the lockdown came, but working from home went well. Partly thanks to Céline (Business Manager Céline Woltman T&S Antwerp/Hasselt) who I could always turn to. A healthy dose of self-reliance and a good line of communication with the customer also helped."