At Calco, there are many trainees with diverse backgrounds and educational paths. What unites us is our affinity for IT, our desire to delve deeper into it, and the hope of landing at a great company where we can learn a lot. I was fortunate to achieve this when Calco connected me with ING, where I’m now working with great pleasure. I’d like to give you a glimpse of my first year and what I’ve experienced.
First Months
I started in mid-May as a Project Management Officer at ING. I worked under the IT lead of ING’s technology department. She had also conducted my interview and assured me that during the first few months, I should primarily focus on getting to know the company. I, however, had a different perspective. Surely, I could already add value in the first few weeks, right? But my IT lead was correct: during those first months, I needed to observe closely, attend meetings as a “fly on the wall,” and get to know many new colleagues. This made starting at ING both exciting and challenging. Aside from not fully understanding what the projects were about, I was also bombarded with jargon and dozens of abbreviations I had never encountered before.
It took some getting used to! But thankfully, there were many colleagues I could turn to with questions or for extra information.
Tasks
But what exactly do you do as a Project Management Officer? This varies at every company, and perhaps even within ING. My primary role was helping the IT lead bring structure to her ITALs (IT Area Leads) in their work. Additionally, I had the freedom to seek out my own projects and contribute where I could. This, for me, was the biggest difference between Calco and ING. At Calco, I knew exactly what was expected of me and where to find the work. At ING, there is a vast amount of work that can be done, but it’s not always explicitly outlined. So, I had to take the initiative to talk to colleagues about where the most significant opportunities lay and how I could assist. As a result, I became the point of contact for several events, created some SharePoint pages, and even put together a year-end video for the entire department by collecting information, photos, and videos.
Not Quite in My Element
Although all of this was incredibly educational, I still felt like I was missing a bit of an IT challenge. I raised this issue in conversations with my field manager from Calco and my IT lead at ING. Together, we decided that I would have discussions with various IT teams within ING to find a position where I could fully thrive. And it worked! Through networking within ING, I knew exactly whom to approach for information.
A New Challenge at ING
Earlier in my story, I mentioned that I helped create several SharePoint pages. One of them was for the OneSearch team, a search engine for ING employees. They were looking for a Customer Journey Expert, a role that acts as a bridge between developers and customers. This role greatly appealed to me! Together with Calco and ING, we found a great solution that allowed me to further develop in this role. A small disclaimer: all my fellow trainees are perfectly matched with the roles they were assigned. Initially I thought the PMO position would be a good fit for me! I’m glad I took on the PMO role, as it helped me discover what I truly enjoy.
Since April this year, I’ve been in my new role and team, and I’m excited to take on my new responsibilities with renewed energy. I’m incredibly grateful to Calco and ING and am looking forward to further developing myself!