Vibe Group experiences Mike Spijker

It's great to see that over the years, all kinds of people with diverse backgrounds have become successful at Vibe Group. Their common traits: focus, determination and resilience. 

Mike Spijker (30) was one of the pioneers behind Vibe Group's success in Belgium. In 2016, he started as the fourth employee in Antwerp and took the lead in building databases and networks in what was then Vibe Group's first international office. Now, in 2021, Mike is a consultant for the Vibe Group brand Visser & Van Baars, and he is as excited about his job as the day he started. 

During his career, Mike discovered his passion for sales. "I previously worked as a Marketing and Communications Officer at an NGO, and in that role I discovered that I am good at persuasion and strong at telling a story."

The "recruitment" puzzle piece then fell into place thanks to his girlfriend Sophie. "She worked in the staffing industry and her story inspired me. In the world of recruitment you don't just sell a product, you really help people with their careers. My motto since then has been: If people are happy, I'm happy." 

Several interviews with various recruitment agencies followed. He only felt the click during his meeting with Daniël Visser and Bernd van Baars. This was mainly because of Vibe Group's core values. "The recruitment industry sometimes has a negative connotation," says Mike. "It is often thought that recruiters just send CVs to hiring managers and then think they have done their job. But at Vibe Group, quality is clearly paramount. I quickly noticed this during all my education and training, and in the way we work within the four Vibe Group brands. We want to find best match for both organisations and job seekers. And thanks to our expertise in specific IT areas, we can do this." 

"But not everything was rosy during my first months at Vibe Group. I had to start completely from scratch. The first months consisted of calling, calling and calling again to expand those databases. Often the door was slammed in my face." But on 9 August 2016, Mike placed his very first candidate. "I will never forget that day. It gave me such a boost to finally experience success after all that hard work. It was the kickstart I needed, because after that one success after another followed and it hasn't stopped." Mike is now one of the top performers within Vibe Group, was promoted to Lead Consultant in 2021 and is currently Senior Team Manager. 

Never give up. And give everything you have. Every single day. "As a beginning sales consultant, I have definitely had my challenges. Not everything goes smoothly, but there is so much to learn from setbacks. The average training time to become a good sales consultant is 2-3 years, so allow yourself that time to gain knowledge and become an expert. Because it absolutely pays off! I am still very proud to have been able to contribute to Vibe Group's Belgian success story: from a small team of 4 people with no real office, to an organisation with around 40 employees and 2 offices in Antwerp and Brussels." 

"Within Vibe Group, you can choose to focus more on business development, research or managing people. I've always wanted to manage a team. At the moment, I am very satisfied with mentoring my teammates and seeing them grow in their careers."