This year we celebrate our anniversary with 10 years of building brands. A milestone that inspires us to reflect on our past, appreciate our present and take a sneak peek into our future at Vibe Group.
At Vibe Group, it’s inspiring to see that over the years, all types of people with all types of backgrounds have been capable to become successful. Their common ground is focus, drive and resilience. Mike Spijker (30) was one of the first drivers of the Belgian success story of Vibe Group. In 2016, he started as the fourth employee in Antwerp, taking the lead in building databases and networks in what was then the first international office of Vibe Group. Now, four years later, Mike is a Consultant for the niche brand Visser & Van Baars, and still as enthusiastic about his job as the day he started it.
During his career, Mike felt that his passion was in sales. “I previously worked as a Marketing and Communication Officer at an NGO, and in that position I discovered that I am a good persuader, and I am strong in conveying a story.”
The puzzle piece “recruitment” then fell back into place thanks to his girlfriend Sophie, who is now his fiancé. “She worked in staffing and her story inspired me. In the staffing world (recruitment) you don’t just sell a product, you really help people with their career. My motto has since been: “When people are satisfied, I am satisfied.”
Interviews with a number of recruitment agencies soon followed, but it was only in his conversation with Daniël Visser and Bernd van Baars that Mike had an instant click. This was mainly due to the core values within Vibe Group’s DNA. “The staffing industry sometimes has a negative connotation,” says Mike. “The view is often that recruiters only send CVs to hiring managers, and they’ve done their jobs, but at Vibe Group it is clear that quality is paramount. I quickly noticed this during all the education and training I received and the brands on vertical approach, because we want to find the best solution for both the company and a job seeker thanks to our expertise in the IT market. ”
“However, it was not always fun and games during my first months at Vibe Group,” Mike continues. “After all, I had to start from scratch. The first months were calling, calling, and calling again to expand those databases. I often got the door slammed in my face. ” However, on August 9, 2016, Mike had placed his very first candidate. “I will never forget that day. It gave me such a boost to finally experience success after a hard labour. It was the kickstart I needed, because then success after success followed and it has not stopped. ” Mike is now one of the best performers within Vibe Group and has been promoted to Lead Consultant.
Mike’s advice for budding consultants? Never give up and give it your all. Every single day. “I have certainly had my challenges as a starting consultant. Not always everything goes smoothly, but there is so much to learn from setbacks. A good training path for a consultant is 2 to 3 years, so give yourself that time to gain knowledge and become an expert. Because it definitely pays off! I still feel very proud that I was able to help build the Belgian story of Vibe Group: from a very small team of 4 people without a real office space to a company of approximately 40 employees and 2 offices in Antwerp and Brussels. ”
What are Mike’s ambitions as a Lead Consultant at the moment? “Within Vibe Group you can choose to focus more on business development, research or people management. I have always wanted to lead a team. I am currently very satisfied with guiding my teammates and seeing them grow in their careers. ”
This was Mike’s success story.. What will be yours? Check your possibilities on a career at Vibe Group!
Work at Vibe is knowing a lot about a little
Become a specialist within your IT field. On our Working at Vibe page you can find out how we do our work and how we make sure all our new colleagues grow just as fast as our company.
