Trainee
Working in different departments, perhaps even in London
"After obtaining my Masters in Economics, I spent a year on the board of the Financial Study Association Amsterdam (FSA). After that, I was keen to gain work experience in a large corporate. Through various contacts, I eventually got onto ABN AMRO’s Financing Solutions traineeship. I started eighteen months ago."
Trying out different departments
"As a trainee, you work in a single department for up to six months. That way, you gain experience in many different places. I decide for myself which departments to work in. As a result, everyone shapes his or her own traineeship. I’m now with Loan Markets, one of the departments within Financing Solutions. I deal with the sales side of Corporate Banking, ABN AMRO’s business unit for large corporates."
“It focuses on companies with a turnover in excess of 250 million euros. Within Financing Solutions, we advise these clients on which debt products fit within their capital structure, based on their long-term outlook. We may, for example, issue them loans. This is especially important at the moment, since due to the COVID-19 crisis many companies have needed extra capital. In many instances, we’ve effectively been fire-fighting. All of which was highly challenging for me as a trainee, as I was given a lot of responsibility right from the start."
Mountain biking and (online) drinks
"Developing yourself professionally is obviously important, but personal growth is also a key part of the traineeship. For example, every three months we have a training course at Nyenrode Business University, during which we work on our soft skills. I’ve already done sessions on decision-making and leadership. We’re also assigned a coach there, with whom we have quarterly progress meetings. As well as discussing work, we also talk about personal aspects."
"And as trainees, we have a lot of contact with each other. Which is great, because we share many interests. For instance, we regularly have fun outings, such as online drinks, a cocktail workshop and going out for meals. On one occasion, we all went mountain biking together. I really feel at home at ABN AMRO, and quickly found that I fit in well in the company. There’s an open culture, and everyone’s very informal."
More diversity in the workplace
"As well as doing my traineeship, I’m also in a recruitment group. Together with two other trainees, we assess incoming applications for internships. ABN AMRO is keen to see more diversity in its teams, so that's something we pay attention to during the selection. Unfortunately, we’re not yet seeing it fully reflected in the applications, but like everything else, it takes time."
"I’ve certainly noticed, though, that ABN AMRO is increasingly concerned with making a positive social impact. Sustainability is currently a hot topic, and that's also directly reflected in my work. For instance, we help our customers think about how they can gradually become more sustainable and do business responsibly. We also look at how ABN AMRO can contribute to this. For example, we sometimes give discounts on loans to companies that meet their sustainability targets."
Dreaming about the future
"I’d love to continue working in Financing Solutions, as I really enjoy it here. As part of the traineeship, you can spend between four and six months working abroad for ABN AMRO. Oslo, Paris, Frankfurt... I’d really like to go to London. After all, it’s the world's leading financial city. Spending some time living in a big metropolis for a while - wow.”
