Mariska Schell (44) has been an MSP Consultant Contracting at Staffing MS (part of HR-tech service provider HeadFirst Group) for four months. "Here you get the chance to show what you can do. Motivation and the will to learn is very important in this. Every computer system is different, but you can make it your own. There is also no focus on where you come from, but on who you are and whether you fit into the team." We were curious to hear how she experienced the first period, so we sat down with her.

What is your background?

"Before that I did mostly administrative work, including at a fitness center, and before that I worked at a crematorium. These were very different companies, but at both I had administrative duties, such as planning cremations and taking care of official business. So I was familiar with administrative work, but each company has its own systems that you have to relearn how to work with."

How did the first period go?

"The onboarding took place in Hoofddorp. Here we were explained about the customers and the computer systems. It was very instructive and I also got to know colleagues you don't often meet in person, so I really enjoyed that. I did spend a morning with them before I started to see exactly what the work entailed. It may have seemed overwhelming at first, so many clients and then a brief explanation. But you learn as you go, especially with answering phones you learn pretty quickly!"

Can you tell something about your work?

"I make sure the files are complete that the consultants have created for the assignments. In my case, these are clients within the healthcare sector, so I have to make sure the BIG registrations and CoC registrations are in. In addition, health certificates are also requested by several clients. I check which state vaccination programs they have gone through and which they have not. So the files are a bit more extensive than other clients. If it's not complete, then I contact either the customer or the supplier, depending on who my contact person is. And then I ask them to provide the required documents. Maybe you recognize it yourself, where is your vaccination booklet? It's a fun challenge to get everything complete!"

What makes your work so much fun?

"I really like my colleagues and enjoy working in the office. The sociability and being able to easily walk up to each other make it fun. It can sometimes be busy on the phone, but you regularly have different tasks to do. That makes it varied and fun. Time really flies by. You also get to comment on the process, sometimes they specifically ask for a response, then you can put up a post-it. That way you can participate in improving the processes."

Can you tell something about the colleagues?

"We have a very diverse group of colleagues, of different ages, backgrounds and nationalities. That makes it very fun and diverse. It's also approachable, which I like. There is room for jokes and we don't all have to wear tight suits. That might be different at some companies. Of course we have to be neat here too, but there is more freedom. It is also important that we are there for each other and help each other whenever possible. Right now I'm not planning to work from home yet, because I actually like being in the office better. I still want to learn so much and it's nice to be able to ask questions and stay informed about what's going on. Besides, we just got a fairly new group, so I actually enjoy being in the office."