Port of Opportunities

𝐐&𝐀 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 💻 😀 Every few weeks, we organize an online Q&A event, where newcomers in the Netherlands can ask our matchmakers any questions about navigating the Dutch job market. We alternate these Q&A's with online discussions about (re)creating professional identity. We've met a lot of people through these online events the last few months. We were able to answer a lot of their questions, but at the same time have also learned a lot from them. We gained #insight into what things exactly cause difficulty for newcomers when trying to fine a job here in the Netherlands. So, if you are or know someone who would love to join one of these sessions once, definitely keep an eye on our LinkedIn page! See you soon! 😉

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 📣 Another week, another review that we would love to share with you. This time, one of our career coaches was praised specifically. Paula, we're so happy to have you on the team. Teamwork makes the dream work 🌈 🌤 ✨ . As always, also a big thank you to all the candidates, companies and partners we get to work with here in the port and industry of Rotterdam. Without your persistence and continuous #support, we wouldn't be receiving these amazing reviews.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞! 🏢 Port of Opportunities moved to it's new office some time ago. We are now located in Schiedam and with an amazing view, because if you look through the front windows, you can see the ever-changing #PortOfRotterdam. With new ships everyday, this view will always be breathtaking. With a bigger space for our colleagues to work at and the office being designed to match our brand perfectly, we'd like to give you a quick tour through our office. Of course, you are more than welcome to visit us at Karel Doormanweg 9D, Schiedam! Together for your future!

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 📣 By doing our job, we help newcomers find their dream career within the port and industry of Rotterdam. Thereby we also assist this beautiful sector in finding the right people for the many current open vacancies. Of course, it is always really nice to see our hard work is paying off. We are not ones to toot our own horns, but some of the reviews we receive are too nice not to share! Reviews like these (online and in person) are the reason we are so #motivated to continue our work. We're thankful for all the candidates, companies and partners we get to work with here in the port and industry of Rotterdam. Without your persistence and continuous #support, we wouldn't be receiving these amazing reviews.

Some time ago, we matched our candidate Ossama Alghssin with the Gemeente Rotterdam. He’s been working here for some time now, so we had an interview with him and his supervisor to check in on how it’s going! Ossama, originally from Syria, came to the Netherlands four years ago and now lives in Wassenaar. Through PofO, he found a job at the Gemeente Rotterdam where he puts his passion for Civil Engineering to work in a perfect way! “It was #challenging to find a job at first, but with PofO’s support, I started as a Project Engineer at the Gemeente Rotterdam on January 8. I work in the Realisatie Buitenruimte Noord team, developing my skills with Autocad and other programs. My goal is to help complete the new residential area 'Park 16 Hoven.' Every day is a new challenge with opportunities to learn. I enjoy working in a friendly, supportive team, which makes the job fulfilling,” Ossama shares. Read the full interview with Ossama and Hugo on our website. Follow the link below in the comments for this and other showcases! 🖥 We asked Hugo, Ossama's supervisor for his opinions too. “Ever since working here, he proved to us that he is amazing working within our team. He adds a great atmosphere to our team and always asks critical questions, which shows that he takes the responsibility of his tasks seriously. He does this by writing all of his questions down on a notepad and when he wrote some down, he goes through them in one go with one of his colleagues. A real #efficient way of working!”. Hugo also shared his positive experience with PofO. “Our initial meeting with Max was productive, and we are committed to helping newcomers like Ossama integrate and grow in a supportive environment. We are delighted with Ossama and our collaboration with PofO!” Together for your future!

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 📣 By doing our job, we help newcomers find their dream career within the port and industry of Rotterdam. Thereby we also assist this beautiful sector in finding the right people for the many current open vacancies. Of course, it is always really nice to see our hard work is paying off. We are not ones to toot our own horns, but some of the reviews we receive are too nice not to share! Reviews like these (online and in person) are the reason we are so #motivated to continue our work. We're thankful for all the candidates, companies and partners we get to work with here in the port and industry of Rotterdam. Without your persistence and continuous #support we wouldn't be receiving these amazing reviews. Together for your future!

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫! Since a few weeks, we have a new addition to our team: Job Van der Wacht! He has joined us as the fifth Matchmaker at Port of Opportunities and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome him. His energy and enthusiasm has already made a positive impact and we are looking forward to seeing all the wonderful contributions he will bring to our team. Continue reading the short interview below to get to know Job better and learn about his journey at PofO! Before coming to PofO, Job had been on a search to find the perfect part-time job that would align with his career aspirations and personal interests. He dedicated a great amount of time to search for a role that fits him best: “I was really looking for the right opportunity for myself where I could develop my skillset and learn more about different subjects,” Job shared. His determination to find a position that would offer both professional growth and personal satisfaction was evident. During this search, Job reached out to Max with whom he had known for some time: “Because I’ve been knowing Max for some time, I asked him about his opinion and if he knew a fitting place for me,” Job explained. Max, recognizing Job’s potential and understanding his ambitions, suggested that he could consider joining PofO. “Max suggested that I could also come work for PofO and enhance my talents there. So, after talking about working for PofO, I was very excited to take that opportunity and start my career here!” Now that Job has settled into his role at PofO, he feels very positive about his new function and the impact he can make. “I’m currently studying HR Management and being able to do this work connects very well with my course,” he explained. The practical experience I’m gaining at PofO complements with my studies, allowing me to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world situations. I also find it very interesting to speak to people from all kinds of cultures and countries. This way, I can broaden my perspectives by hearing about theirs and this excites me a lot." Job also highlighted the importance of being part of a supportive and dynamic team. “Being able to do this work in such a great team empowers me too. They support me greatly, which helps me to learn more about the field that I’m now working in.” Outside of work, Job has a variety of interests and hobbies that keep him engaged and fulfilled. In his free time, he plays football and he has a passion for collecting vinyl records, a hobby that reflects his love for music. Job also loves going to concerts!

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨... ... visit one of our candidates! 👋 Last week, Paula Dijkstra visited Oleksandr at the company where he recently started working: Watertaxi Rotterdam. Of course, she has to do this in style and take one of the watertaxi’s in Rotterdam to visit the company. When she arrived at Watertaxi, Paula had a great conversation with Oleksandr about what his experiences have been like now that he works for Watertaxi. He shared nothing but positive thoughts and we are very happy to hear that he is having such a good time with his new career! 🚤 We don’t only do this for Oleksandr: we visit all of our candidates within some weeks after they have started at their new job. We find it important to talk with our newly placed candidates to really get to know more about their new experiences. It’s also because we want to assure them that we are always willing to help with anything, even after that we have found the right opportunity for them. 💙 Watch our video below to follow Paula on her trip to Watertaxi! Together for your future! #port #industry #rotterdam #watertaxi #portofopportunities

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐧 ✨ Vorige week donderdag ben ik samen met Tycho naar Utrecht gegaan voor het event Nieuwkomers & Werk 2024, georganiseerd door Refugee Talent Hub. Het was een inspirerende middag, waarin ik positief verrast werd door de indrukwekkende sprekers en de kracht van hun verhalen over nieuwkomers, integratie en dromen. Ik zou over alle sprekers wel iets kunnen vertellen, maar in het bijzonder was ik (ben ik eigenlijk nog steeds) onder de indruk van de afsluitende toespraak van Karien. Een echte eye-opener over het geven en bieden van gelijkwaardige kansen middels het weggeven van kratjes en eventueel zelfs het omzagen van een schutting. Want, wie geef jij morgen een kratje en welke schutting zou jij omzagen ❓ Het was geweldig om met zoveel gelijkgestemden samen te zijn en te praten over een onderwerp dat ons allemaal aan het hart gaat. Op naar volgend jaar! Sprekers bedankt! Nizar El Manouzi, Wilma Roozenboom, Rob Knigge, Patrick Warmerdam, Stijn Otten, Arnon Grunberg, Frank Candel, Karien van Gennip

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥! 👏 Vorige week donderdag ben ik samen met Paula Dijkstra naar Utrecht gegaan om in het hoofdkantoor van Rabobank het event Nieuwkomers & Werk 2024 bij te wonen, gehost door Refugee Talent Hub. Tijdens dit event waren er meerdere gastsprekers die elk hun verhaal vertelden over nieuwkomers en integratie m.b.t. met het thema van deze dag: #dromen. Met Nizar El Manouzi als presentator was de was de kick-off over dromen, ambities en wat de huidige tijd van ons vraagt die door Wilma Roozenboom gegeven werd erg interessant. Om door te gaan op het onderwerp “dromen”, spraken Rob Knigge, Patrick Warmerdam en Stijn Otten - van Beest over wat hun dromen zijn en wat zij graag willen bereiken in hun markten m.b.t. het aannemen van nieuwkomers. Zo steldde Rob dat “door vluchtelingen te verwelkomen en hen banen te bieden, verrijken wij onze eigen maatschappij, bedrijven en onzelf als individu”. En ik deel deze mening ook volledig: doordat er meer mensen uit andere landen en culturen komen die elk hun eigen perspectieven op onderwerpen bieden, creëren we de mogelijkheid om als samenleving ons te ontwikkelen en gezamenlijk te bouwen aan een betere toekomst. Zo werken we samen naar een nieuwe start. De volgende spreker was Arnon Grunberg. Als schrijver en essayist vertelde hij een prachtig verhaal met een zin die mij enorm geraakt heeft: “Zolang wij niet onsterfelijk zijn, is elke oplossing tijdelijk”. Geen enkele oplossing zal voor altijd zijn. De oplossing zelf zijn, zal wellicht niet snel gebeuren. Maar we kunnen wél bijdragen aan een deel van een oplossing en hiermee verder werken om anderen te helpen. Ook waren er drie nieuwkomers die op het podium elk hun ervaring deelde over de integratie, problemen die zij hebben gehad (of hebben) nu zij in een compleet ander land wonen, etc. Het was erg aanmoedigend om te zien hoe zij elk hun verhaal deelde, omdat zij elk werken aan een nieuw hoofdstuk in hun leven om zo de volgende top te bereiken. Als kers op de taart sloot Karien van Gennip, minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, de dag af met een zeer inspirerende en overtuigende toespraak. Ze daagde ons allen uit om anderen de hulp te bieden waar zij dit nodig hebben, hindernissen te verwijderen en grenzen te verleggen. Ze sprak volledig vanuit het hart en haar verhaal over over integratie was erg stimulerend en vooral een goede afsluiter. Ik ben blij dat ik mee heb mogen gaan naar dit event. Het was erg fijn om met zo veel gelijk denkenden in een zaal te zijn en te praten over een gezamenlijk onderwerp.