A word from
our colleagues
Interview with Twan de Raad
“There is a lot of growth potential here.”
Supervisor Twan de Raad (27) feels comfortable at Solutional. In 2018 he started at Solutional with his graduation internship. After his internship, Twan continued to work at Solutional. “I always wanted to work for a big corporate company, but in the end this is too bureaucratic for me. I consciously started looking for a smaller company for my internship”.
His need for challenges and development were the main reasons why Twan started working at Solutional. “During my study Business Economics at the The Hague University of Applied Science, I was looking for a place where I could learn a lot during my internship. I had a great time from day one. I quickly knew that I wanted to continue working here”.
Twan continues to talk about his position. “In my work I am mainly concerned with the preparation of qualitative reports and annual reports. Excel is the basis for this.” It is also important that you have good analytical skills.
Steep learning curve
Twan immediately got serious work from the beginning, which learned him a lot. “As an intern, you also work on the larger and more complex projects. My Excel skills were at a high level in no time.”
“You really learn a lot here and that happens at a fast pace. But you do get the time to master the material.”
Twan continues to talk about his studies. “After obtaining my Bachelor degree, I obtained my Master degree in Accounting & Control. The study was funded by Solutional. Sometimes you follow the same classes as other colleagues. You can help each other with the study. There is a lot of growth potential here.”
Growth and development
Twan is proud of the development he has made during his time at Solutional.“When I look at where I am now compared to three years ago, I have made very nice steps.”
At Solutional you can express your ambitions and realize them. “You determine your own learning curve. You get a budget that you can use for trainings.”
Short lines
“How do we treat each other? At Solutional, the lines are short, so it’s easy to speak with everyone. You can easily ask each other for help, including the management.”
“Many young people work here, we don’t all sit in the office like accountants in suits, the manage-ment is approachable and you will notice all that during your first job interview. There is a very informal atmosphere. We all work hard together and as colleagues, we are always there for each other. In addition, we do many fun things together, such as playing football, having drinks and fun trips such as to Barcelona and Iceland. We get along very well, inside and outside the office”.
“At Solutional, you are really stimulated to develop yourself and to continue studying.”
Reporting Manager Bart van der Weijden (30) helps multiple clients with financial reports that comply with the most recent laws and regulations. “Achieving something together is worth more than alone.”
Bart has been working at Solutional since 2015. He started with an internship, then he also com-pleted his graduation internship at Solutional and after that he immediately started working at Solu-tional. “Solutional was recommended by teachers through the The Hague University of Applied Science. During the first job interview with Marco, I felt a click immediately. If I feel comfortable some-where, it is good for me and I’d like to stay part of it.”
Bart has shown perseverance during his studies. “I finished my Master degree in Accountancy & Control. You are really stimulated here to develop yourself and to continue your studies. That is quite tough, but everyone is doing it and that is very motivating.”
Growth and development
At Solutional, everyone gets the opportunity to develop themselves. “You start in a junior position and because of your experience and knowledge you will grow into a senior position. The moment I finished my master degree, I was able to focus on my work for 100%, which is why I can be involved at projects from the beginning till the end. That has really taken me far.”
Bart tells more about the skills you need as a Reporting Manager. “You need analytical skills because you need to understand the qualitative context of the numbers. If something is not correct in a report, you will figure it out until you can fix it. In a junior position you focus on controlling the numbers, the laws and regulations comes after that.”
“I also give training courses to colleagues about specific subjects according to Financial Reporting. It is a win-win situation, because it helps me and my colleagues too. We’ve developed an internal training program of three years. Whitin this program you’ll learn, among other things, the basic knowledge of Financial Reporting and the operation of financial instruments and the associated risks. We also constantly try to improve our Excel and Word skills, so that the work can be done more efficiently.”
Important knowledge, since Bart converts his knowledge into financial reports from high standards of the client. “Clients hire us because they don’t have certain knowledge. Quality comes first at Solutional. That’s why we regularly talk with our clients to ask what we can do to improve our services. This way you really become a sparring partner for your client.”
“We are getting more and more different projects from multiple clients. Within Solutional, you have the change to choose in which reports or service line you want to specialize further.”
An unique group of friends
How I would describe the culture at Solutional? Very informal! You can always ask colleagues and the management for help. We can always count on each other. But on the other side there is also a professional atmosphere.
“I really can get along with my colleagues. We also speak with each other outside the office. I’ve met one of my best friends at Solutional. The way we treat each other is very unique, it’s like a group of friends.”
Will you make a difference?
