"Teamwork is especially important to me. At Implico, we always jump in for one another when someone needs a helping hand."
You’re one of the younger employees at Implico, but you’ve been with the company a long time. How did that happen?
When I was finished with the classroom part of my vocational qualification, I applied for a marketing internship. I was approved for a three-month internship. Later this was extended to six months, which was good because I needed a six-month internship for my vocational qualification anyway. The six months quickly turned into a year.
Then I decided to study business administration, but I wanted to keep working at Implico. I was offered a position as a student assistant. During the first two semesters, I realized that working at Implico was much more enjoyable than my classes, and I felt a lot more comfortable in the office than at the university. My boss, the responsible managing director and the head of HR then offered me the chance to train as a marketing communications specialist. I finished the training in 2015 and have been permanently employed ever since.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
We don’t really have typical workdays in marketing very often. We have to be very flexible because plans often change and ad-hoc tasks pop up. Of course there are the everyday activities like answering e-mails, making to-do lists, working through various jobs or talking with colleagues about different issues. Teamwork is especially important to me. At Implico, we always jump in for one another when someone needs a helping hand.
What are your specific responsibilities?
PR and intranet editing, event organization, marketing controlling, website maintenance, running social media accounts and dealing with trademark protection. In recent years I’ve focused on event management and marketing controlling. I like the mixture of creative, spontaneous activities and the classic task of recording and analyzing data.
What do you like about the company?
The flexible working times, the collegial atmosphere and Implico’s social attitude. For example, the company organizes health days and offers places in a nearby daycare center. And there’s always someone available to talk to when you need it.
What do you see in your future?
I could imagine that, even a year from now, we might be working very differently to how we work today. In marketing in particular, processes, responsibilities and technologies are continually changing, and this fast pace has a major influence on our job. We’re always facing new issues we’ve never dealt with before. I think my future at Implico will continue to be very exciting, challenging and enjoyable.
"Implico has great offers its dual students: from a laptop you can use in class to a public transportation pass to bonus payments for good performance."
What was it like when you joined?
It was the best-organized introduction to a company that I’ve ever experienced. I was picked up in the morning, everything was explained to me, my workstation was already set up. At noon the team took me to lunch, and the team leader spent the whole day with me.
What have you learned so far?
The first thing I learned was that other management styles can work too. Everyone is very informal, there’s a lot of freedom to make decisions and a flat hierarchy. I’d never experienced that before, but it works.
What do you like about the company?
Implico has great offers its dual students: from a laptop you can use in class to a public transportation pass to bonus payments for good performance. And free water, coffee and tea for the employees also isn’t something you find everywhere. I like that Implico pushed for a city bike station right in front of the building – it only takes me 13 minutes to get to work.
That I was asked my opinion right from the first day, and that I was accepted incredibly quickly. A lot of people read the new employee profiles on the intranet and talked to me about it.
What do you see in your future?I want to finish my studies here, and I’d be delighted if I was offered a job here afterward. I hope that my good impression holds, and that Implico is the type of employer I would be happy to come work for every morning.
"We work in an interesting field here, and there’s lot of variety in the different departments and activities."
You started at Implico as a trainee, but then you opted for a dual studies course. How did that come about?
When I joined Implico in 2014, there was no dual studies position available, so I started training as an IT specialist. But I didn’t feel challenged enough in vocational school. When I found out that you could study at Implico, I asked the manager responsible for my department whether I could switch. I had already been at the company for nearly two months. But Implico made the switch possible, and after I was accepted by the university I could get started right away, so I didn’t lose any time.
What do you like about Implico?
We work in an interesting field here, and there’s lot of variety in the different departments and activities.
The relationship between the employees is great. It’s just nice to work here. Everyone is friendly and helpful, and they interact on an equal footing. The fact that we’re all very informal here makes it a lot easier. I’ve been here for four years now, and I’ve never experienced a fight or any real problems between the employees.
What has been your best experience so far?Once when we were on site with a customer, it was my co-worker’s birthday. Our contacts at the customer’s company knew this and had arranged breakfast. Over the years you get to know and appreciate one another – that was really lovely to see.
"Hey there, as Head of HR at Implico, I will be happy to receive your mail – and maybe even welcome you to an interview soon after."
"Hi, I am David. If you'd like to learn more about dual studies at Implico, I'm the one to talk to."
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