As a recent graduate, Charlotte chose the Young Hub Program at TriFinance

Who is Charlotte?

I live in West-Flanders, have a passion for numbers and am a true family person. I recently picked up kickboxing, but I also love the peace and quiet that puzzling gives me. To unwind after work, I frequently take walks to clear my mind and relax.

Can you tell a bit more about your studies?

I completed a Master's degree in Commercial Engineering at KU Leuven. Since I was not eager to take my first steps in the workplace during the pandemic, I studied Business Communication for another year. But my true passion lies in numerical and analytical work.

Why did you choose TriFinance over other consulting firms?

As a recent graduate, I was looking for a consulting job to explore different career paths in the business world. As a consultant, you get the opportunity to get to know various industries, businesses and finance roles in a short time span. This enables me to better understand my strengths and preferences, as well as the job market.

When I first came in contact with TriFinance at a job fair, I had a strong gut feeling that grew stronger with each interview. It was vital for me to return to West-Flanders and find a job here after finishing my studies. I didn't want to spend hours in traffic every day on my way to the client.

Other consulting firms indicated having a limited number of regional project opportunities. TriFinance, on the other hand, has a local focus, with offices in Ghent, Roeselare, and Hasselt, as well as Brussels and Antwerp. This was a major factor in my choice.

TriFinance's philosophy also attracted me: being in the driver’s seat of your own career. This not only came across during the introductory interviews. Before joining TriFinance, I got the chance to call one of the consultants already working at the company. This person confirmed that the company actually lives up to this philosophy. Now that I'm working here, I can only confirm.

As a recent graduate, you start at TriFinance in the Young Hub Program. What is this experience like for you?

You start with a Young Hub week. For me, unfortunately, this was still under COVID-19 conditions, with most of the training and activities being organized online. Now, the Young Hubs can fortunately get to know each other face to face again during the Young Hub weeks.

I believe it’s a real added value to start your first job together with other recent finance graduates and build strong relationships with your fellow consultants from the beginning.

After the Young Hub week, the program offers quarterly training sessions. For example, on the basics of Finance & Administration and Excel, but also on consulting skills. Many of these can be applied immediately to your project, while others allow you to learn things that were less addressed on your projects so far.

What does your growth path look like?

In my first project at a company that produces interior decoration, I was given the opportunity to support the business controller & sales controller in their daily tasks. A new world opened up for me. I did not know beforehand that there was such a thing as sales controlling. It was an atypical project for a starter - usually you start with more operational accounting tasks - but I learned a lot and gained a lot of confidence.

This has made me want to move further in the direction of controlling, but first I want to get a better basic understanding of bookkeeping. I communicated this ambition to the TriFinance BaseCamp team, and as a result, we agreed that my next mission would be in operational bookkeeping at a transportation company. This involved tasks such as booking invoices and preparing financial statements, which allowed me to gain a better understanding of the processes preceding controlling.

In my current role at a food company, I am able to apply my bookkeeping skills while also helping in setting-up different reports.

What is typical for you about working at TriFinance?

I believe the follow-up and guidance offered by TriFinance is quite unique. As a consultant, you are not alone at the customers’. Regular meetings between the customer, Business Manager and yourself ensure a smooth project for all parties, and adjustments can be made if necessary. I also value the mentorship provided on each project. If you get stuck, have questions or just want to tune in, you can consult with your mentor. For example, I recently made a plan with my mentor on how to get started with setting-up the reporting at my client.

How do you grow your ambition at TriFinance?

I would describe myself as ambitious in the sense that I do not easily feel that I have reached my goal. I believe there is always an opportunity to learn, to discover new things. My job at TriFinance suits me perfectly: I am challenged to discover something new every time. At the start of a new project this can be challenging, but it is also a lot of fun.

The guidance from TriFinance allows me to determine my career direction and choose my next project together with the BaseCamp Team. In addition, the training programs also allow me to grow. Now in the Young Hub program, but after that there are still a lot of possibilities. The Controlling Academy could be my next step: a three-year program that will allow me to develop myself further as a controller.

What would you tell your younger self about ambition if you could?

Practice is not the same as theory, so don't assume you know everything simply because you graduated. Also, try to get a good idea of all possible directions first, so you can figure out what works best for you.

What would your advice be to a student or recent graduate?

Consider carefully what you value in a potential workplace. It is OK to be true to yourself and your expectations. For me, it was the working region and knowing that I will have plenty of opportunity to take training courses.