Exceptional times, exceptional people: Robin van Berkel
Discover how Strand is stepping up during these challenging times.
Robin's story
"Who doesn't like candy", laughs Robin van Berkel, the new Planner at Astra Sweets. Working for a company with a nice product made this job extra attractive. Robin has been working at the candy manufacturer for 3 weeks now and has already found his way. "It all feels a bit different. Normally you get to know a lot of new people in a short period of time. As a lot of people still work from home, many workplaces remain empty, which is a pity."
Challenging times
"I've been working freelance for 6 years now. Shorter periods with different employers, that offers me a lot of variety and I like that. Strand Associates already knew me from previous assignments. Suddenly I was available because my new employer, a manufacturer of aircraft parts, had cancelled my assignment due to the corona crisis."Strand Associates was able to make a quick match between my profile and the Astra Sweets vacancy. The selection procedure went very smoothly because Strand Associates already knew my expertise very well."
"After a few telephone conversations there was a face-to-face interview. A personal conversation still gives a better picture of the person you are going to work with."
"It's a challenging time to work as a planner”, says Robin.
Learn more about our Exceptional Times, Exceptional People campaign
Astra Sweets accepted the challenge!
"As a planner normally you work on the basis of data from the past, but now you have to respond to a current, actual consumer demand. For example, packaging of 3kg suddenly has to be adapted to consumer packaging. It’s difficult to anticipate. The crystal ball is very blurry at the moment. But I see it as a nice challenge!”
Read how Astra Sweets showed resilience during Covid and hired Robin by clicking here.
