Margo van Schaik: the power of a two-sided conversation Since August 2021 Margo van Schaik has been working for the Engineering analysis team in Linköping as a Structural Analysis Engineer. When Margo was almost done with her master thesis project at Siemens Energy, her manager appreciated the work she had been doing and offered her a position at the company. “The manager at Siemens Energy brought me into contact with multiple consultancy firms in Linköping and Stockholm, it was really interesting to talk to each of them and see what made them different” Margo says. “The process at Etteplan felt very natural, they were excited to meet me, hear about my background and what I liked about the field of engineering.” It really felt like a two-way conversation. During the tour of Etteplan, some colleagues explained what they were working on, and I remember getting very enthusiastic, specifically about the workshop. During the interview, the manager explained that everybody within Etteplan is encouraged to share knowledge and ask questions, regardless of someone’s experience or job title. “This was the deciding factor for me to choose Etteplan”. Margo really enjoys her current assignment, “The colleagues are very nice and I get to work on advanced problems”. Margo shares that as a consultant on-site you may feel distant from your direct colleagues, especially during the pandemic, but Etteplan has made it a priority for Etteplanians to get together when possible. “When going out for food or games I have really been able to bond with my colleagues”. Margo finds it interesting to hear what her co-workers are working on and thinks it’s valuable to keep sharing experiences within the Etteplan team. Margo has lived in Sweden for about two and a half years now and is enjoying the start of her career. “For certain occasions, I really want to travel back to the Netherlands though”, Margo says. Soon she is going back to attend her cousin’s wedding and to see her friends and family. Of her nine-day trip, she will work remotely for four of them. “It means a lot to me that my managers are so supportive and flexible,” Margo smiles.
