During the summer months, we see a few enthusiastic, young people in the BENEO offices. So, I was curious to have a chat with them and find out how their student work is going. What tasks do they have? And are they enjoying their summer with us? I found 4 lovely job students who were willing to spill the beans.
Nena and Dina are working in sales administration, while Bregt and Roeland support mainly the market intelligence team. Let’s find out what they say!
Could you describe your typical day as a student worker at BENEO?
Nena: My day in the sales administration team is varied. I start by processing sample requests via DHL. I also help colleagues with their tasks, and I arrange trips for them. This involves booking flights, hotels, … Finally, I also support upcoming events. Every day is different and offers new experiences and opportunity to grow.
Roeland: After arriving at the office at 8:30 a.m., I start with checking my mailbox and calendar for the day. Then I review the work of the previous day. Around 10:30 a.m. I have a meeting with my supervisor to follow up my progress and potentially discuss new assignments. In the afternoon, I work independently on these assignments. I leave the office around 5 p.m.
Bregt: I usually arrive at the office around 8:30 a.m. and grab a coffee and water. Then, I check my mailbox and MS Teams/the chat for urgent requests. I usually have a short meeting in the morning to update my responsible/supervisor on my tasks. After that, I focus on the more challenging parts of an assignment until lunch, my favourite part of the day! If the weather’s good, I eat lunch outside with colleagues, enjoying my self-prepped meal. I resume work around 1:30 p.m., tackling the more straightforward tasks. Depending on the day’s schedule, I might have another meeting. I leave the office between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
What has been your favourite project or task you’ve worked on, and why?
Bregt: My favourite project was last year when I worked on a three-part project consisting of customer & competition mapping and market & trend analysis. I enjoyed working on a rather large project, where I could decide my own approach and methodology to tackle this assignment. I was able to visit BENEO’s plant in the Netherlands as well as meet a lot of new people over there. Since this project had a lot of different parts and angles, compiling and summarizing the knowledge into one clear and comprehensive presentation was a challenging, yet rewarding task!
Nena: My favourite tasks are anything PowerPoint-related. I enjoy getting to create new ideas. It is nice to be able to use my own creativity and inspiration.
What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding? And what aspect was the most challenging?
Roeland: I found it very rewarding that the work I delivered was of actual use for many colleagues across various departments. They were very grateful. An aspect which is challenging is that some assignments were rather urgent. Hence prioritization is important.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about our company or industry?
Dina: Working in sales administration, you see a lot about transportation and how these things are handled. You see the trucks or containers driving around outside, but then to learn about it, puts it into another perspective. I have learned a lot about the work and planning that goes into it.
Bregt: The most fascinating thing that I have learned about BENEO is how present the company is in our lives. Seeing all the manufacturers we sell our ingredients to, getting to know some of the products these customers use our ingredients for, made me realize that I have been buying without even knowing they were (partially) produced by BENEO. Since realizing this, I now look at ingredients lists more often, trying to spot some of the BENEO ingredients!
What skills have you developed while working here?
Bregt: Starting off with the hard skills, I learned a lot about Excel, Power Query, Power BI and efficiently working with the several databases I have had access to. Skills that I believe will be very helpful in my future career. The soft skills I gathered are project management, verbal and writing communication, adaptability, and critical thinking amongst several others.
If you could describe your work experience here in three words, what would they be and why?
Nena: Educational, supportive and committed. At BENEO, I have learned many varied things. The support from colleagues allows me to improve my skills. It is a very nice feeling to know that your colleagues help you and make you feel involved.
Bregt: Open, goal-oriented and fun. The BENEO culture is quite open, allowing me to talk with anyone on the same level as opposed to reporting on a hierarchical level. Everything has a certain goal and there is no time wasted without knowing why I was doing something. And we worked with a smile. Sure, I did have moments I wasn’t 100% focused on the job, but I did have fun, worked hard when needed and overall enjoyed my time at BENEO a lot!
What motivated you to apply for a student worker position with us?
Dina: I have a rather close connection, which is my mom who works here. This is my second time that I do my student job here, so I did not really hesitate to work here again.
Bregt: For me it was a similar situation. My mother, Els Kestens, is Quality & Customer Support Manager – Functional Fibres at BENEO and told me about the summer vacancies.
Roeland: I’m friends with Bregt, who told me about his experience here. He told me that he was doing interesting market research for the sales division. This appealed to me as many other student jobs are very administrative and don’t allow you use your skills you developed during your studies.
Nena: For school, we had to find an internship for our final year. I thought it would be fun to do my internship at BENEO. When I got an interview for my internship, I was also offered a summer job preparing me for my internship.
How was the connection with colleagues and other job students? Did you feel welcomed and well supported?
Nena: I have a good relationship with the other colleagues, it’s very nice that you are involved in the company. I felt welcome here from the start. I get a lot of support from the colleagues I know I can go to them with questions and doubts. When I worked here, there were no other job students to connect with unfortunately.
Dina: Really good, the team that I work in has always been very kind and supportive to me. It is really easy to ask questions, because they are very helpful.
Bregt: The other colleagues welcomed me with open arms, since the first day I visited all the desks in Tienen, so everyone was familiar with my face immediately. During lunch breaks I got to know a lot of the colleagues more in-depth, talking about our lives within and outside work!
Would you recommend doing your student job at BENEO to your friends and why?
Roeland: Certainly! During my time in the MiCi team (BENEO’s team for market research and consumer insights), I got the opportunity to learn a lot about the company, its products and the markets it is active in. The colleagues were incredibly fun and friendly.
Dina: I definitely would, it could be a job that they never did before, which I think is a great experience. The environment is also nice, thanks to the lovely people.
What advice would you give to new student workers starting their job here?
Bregt: Dare to ask! I remember my first day at BENEO when I was too stubborn to ask questions about “obvious” or “simple” things, so I had to solve them myself and usually took way more time than needed. The colleagues are always there to help and guide you.
Roeland: Try to figure out what your capabilities are or what value you can add for the team. This allows the team to fully use your potential and give some assignments which align with your skills and interests. Also, communication is very important to discuss expectations and ask for help.
Dina: I would say, try not to stress out, because it is a lot of information all at once, and it is totally understandable that you do not get it right from the start. But everybody is very helpful, so you do not have to worry.
Nena: Effective communication is crucial, so do not hesitate to ask questions if something is unclear—the team is there to support you. Organizing your work is equally important, especially when dealing with diverse tasks and overlapping deadlines; you should prioritize what needs to be done first. If you are unsure about something, seek help and feedback from your colleagues—they are happy to assist, and asking questions is a great way to improve your skills. Finally, ensure that you complete all tasks on time, as meeting deadlines is key to maintaining a positive image.
Thank you for this nice view on your life at BENEO! It was great to know more about how you guys experience your time with us. We’re glad to have had you as part of our team and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. And who knows, maybe we see you again in the future!
Do you also want to gain experience as a student employee at BENEO? Then take a look at our career portal for vacancies.