My flying start as a Content Manager at Crossphase
Author: Rick Pieterse
Content Manager at Crossphase
Published on 29 August 2019
1 May 2019, Leiden, my first day at Crossphase. With a mixture of curiosity and healthy tension, I ring the bell at Flevoweg 9. One of my new colleagues gives me a warm welcome and guides me to the flex desk that has been reserved for me. When I arrive there, a brand new laptop and a backpack are waiting for me. A little while later, someone hands me an NS-business card. Not a bad start! But I don’t have a lot of time to admire my new kit because my onboarding is about to begin.
During my onboarding, I am introduced to the different departments and to the Crossphase’s way-of-working. I am also introduced to my new buddy, René. If I run into any problems during your first three months at Crossphase, this buddy, a direct colleague, is there to help me out. Right after my introduction with René, I have a meeting with Maaike, my talent manager. Maaike is my career coach at Crossphase, so to speak. Based on my profile and my ambitions, she finds assignments that will fit me. She tells me I will join the CMaas (Content Management as a Service) team during my first weeks. As a member of this team, I will work on maintaining and optimising clients’ websites from the Crossphase office under the guidance of experienced Content Managers.
The next day I get to dig in and get started. I don’t have to jump into the deep end of the pool, though. The CMaaS team quickly teaches me the basics of Content Management. I immediately get to help a lot of different clients, and I get to work in a broad range of Content Management systems. I also discover that my colleagues don’t just have a lot of Content Management expertise; They also have a great sense of humour. They are even susceptible to my particular brand of terrible puns. Work hard, play hard–that’s the Crossphase creed. Besides the immense piles of work that they move, the organisation also offers a lot of fun activities such as glow golf, barbecues, game nights, weekly bootcamps and socialisers, allowing you to get acquainted with your colleagues in no-time.
After I’ve followed several trainings though the Crossphase Academy and I’ve worked at Crossphase HQ for six weeks, Talent Manager Maaike asks me if I am interested in working for a client on location. Randstad is looking for someone who can help them with migrating the Yacht-website to a new design. After Maaike has updated me on all the ins and outs of the project, I’m convinced: this is something I really want to do! This project will give me the opportunity to develop further as a Content Manager at an organisation that is digitally minded. Not long after, I tell them I would love to tackle this challenge and I receive word that I get to go to Randstad for an introductory interview.
The introductory interview with Randstad goes well, and several days later, I can start at Randstad! It’s exciting to go to your first client, especially when you’re still training to become a Content Manager, but thanks to the guidance and to the clear briefing at Crossphase, I know what to expect. Working at a client means you’ll get to have a look behind the scenes at various companies within a short timeframe, allowing you to develop your skill set rapidly. You don’t just expand your knowledge about Content Management; you also get to develop soft skills such as communication and collaboration. One of the most important parts of the project at Randstad is that I have to coordinate between the different stakeholders (Marketing, Digital and Development) to make their migration run smoothly and efficiently. This makes today’s assignment not only challenging but also very diverse.
Three months after my first day, I can confidently say that my choice to work at Crossphase has been the right one! During my first three months as a Content Manager, I have learned a lot. My colleagues at the CMaaS team helped me to get acquainted with the world of Content Management systems, allowing me to do a challenging project at Randstad independently! I am curious to see what the future has in store for me, though at Crossphase you mostly decide your own path. Crossphase encourages you to think about the development that you would like to go through, both as a professional and as a person. You formulate your own goals and develop into a content professional that belongs at the top of your discipline. Within this path, Crossphase doesn’t just help you you attain our learning goals through the Academy, they also give you a growth coach who will help you facilitate your growth.
So…. Are you looking for a job in which personal growth and professional development are central to what you do? Are you curious, outgoing, and ambitious? Send me a message, and I’ll tell you all about Crossphase, what it is like to work there, and about the openings we currently have. Who knows, you may end up being one of my coworkers soon!
You can also find a Dutch version of this article on LinkedIn.
