Nino Hogervorst

The daily kick-off is an energising moment

He was an intern in ING’s Recruitment Marketing department in 2016, and that’s when ‘his heart turned orange’. After graduating with a degree in communication from The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Nino Hogervorst gravitated back towards ING. He is now working as a Branch Advisor in his home town of The Hague.

“I had such a great internship at ING, it exceeded all my expectations. I loved the relaxed atmosphere and the fantastic people, plus I also learned a huge amount during my time at ING. I couldn’t have wished for a better placement. I discovered that they were happy with me too when they asked me if I wanted to stay on for longer. I agreed, until my classes started again.”

“I didn’t automatically expect to end up back at ING for my first ‘real’ job, although the financial sector continued to appeal to me. For my graduation assignment, I did a research project at the Nationale Nederlanden training institute. I knew I didn’t want to go into a pure communication role straight out of university, but what did I want? When I saw the vacancy for a branch advisor, it sparked my interest immediately. I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance due to my lack of financial background, but I hoped that my communication skills and hospitality experience might give me an edge. And now here I am, working as an advisor at one of the country’s busiest branches in the heart of The Hague. Being such a busy branch we see all kinds of customers, ranging from Japanese exchange students who have no idea how to go about opening an account to wealthy clients who want an in-depth discussion with a personal banker.”

“There are 12 of us working here: advisors, personal bankers and a mortgage advisor. We run the branch together and ensure that we achieve our targets. Every two weeks we have a squad meeting, during which we discuss the team goals and personal goals, plus we have a daily kick-off in our group app which also serves as a brief energising moment. I suggested an idea for the squad meeting right at the start: that people should try to share some of their own personal expertise every time, so that the other colleagues can learn from them and we can continuously improve together. The idea was well received and actioned right away. It’s nice that things like that are possible.”

“Our customers dictate how my working week shapes up; I spend at least 80% of my time helping them. That can vary from showing them how to bank online to referring them for a personal banking appointment. People can arrange almost everything themselves online nowadays, but customers still like having personal contact. Sometimes you’re involved in very basic tasks, but it becomes more interesting when you can help people with more things than just the matter they came in for. I always try to broaden the scope of my conversations whenever I get the chance, and that often uncovers other needs apart from the customer’s initial query. And even if they don’t have a concrete question, at least we’ve had a pleasant and genuine chat. I get a tremendous boost from the social side of my work, but likewise from ‘scoring’! It’s that combination of the commercial and social aspects, plus the diversity of so many different customers, that makes this work so much fun.”

About Nino

Nino is a real ‘urban guy’; he loves being in the city and watching the world go by from a pavement café, but he also enjoys beaches and travel. He is happiest when spending time with his friends and family. He studied communication at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and worked his way through school and university with various part-time jobs in bars and restaurants. In parallel with his work he is now studying for his WFT exams, which are compulsory in order to be allowed to advise customers on financial matters.

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