The marketing students of the Karel de Grote Hogeschool end their final year with a four-month internship. Michaël Engelen looks back on his internship at YellowGround, an Xplore Group company.
As a marketing student, I went for some of the more obvious options first. I had some interviews at marketing and advertising agencies. I also applied for a marketing position at a bank and for an internship as a brand manager at a catering company. Although those companies know exactly how to attract eager students for an internship, they could not really convince me. To me, their approach was too generic, not personal enough. I figured those companies would push me too much into the role of a trainee, keeping me from making the most of the internship.
After two months of considering these obvious options, I decided to take a different approach and see if I could land an internship at an IT company. I am far from being an IT guy myself, but I was curious to know what a future-oriented industry has to offer to a young and motivated marketer.
My first contact with Xplore Group took place at the Corda Campus in Hasselt. I was impressed right away. The young, competent, and enthusiastic team made me feel very welcome indeed. This was the exact opposite of the cliché image – you know, a dull IT company full of nerds. I didn’t hesitate any longer and agreed to sign up for a sales internship at YellowGround, a start-up company at Xplore Group that specializes in MDM and PIM services.
The internship seemed like a rollercoaster ride, as it was full of challenges and offered a wide variety of responsibilities. I was free to choose my tasks in advance, allowing me to pick those I would learn the most from. At Xplore Group, it is important that a trainee becomes part of the team. According to the company vision, that is only possible if you are 100% satisfied with what you do. In the end, the internship was perfectly tailored to my needs, with many possibilities and responsibilities: a win-win situation for both myself and Xplore Group.
From the first day I joined the team, I was accepted as a colleague with a valuable opinion and not just as a trainee. The internship was a huge challenge, but it also gave me a lot of satisfaction. I can not help but recommend Xplore Group as the ideal company for an internship to anyone who would like to join a motivated team and learn a lot through a tailor-made program. A big thanks to Xplore Group!
Author: Michaël Engelen, 22 oct 2018
