Beau de Jong (22) joined NN for her graduation project in February this year. But she isn’t new to NN. “I study business administration at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and did my third-year internship at NN’s Internship Desk last year. I really liked the work and also did some research.”

Varied work and responsibilities
Why choose an HR role? “I did a course on HR and wanted to learn more. Because of all the different aspects, which are best learned in practice, I was looking for an HR internship.” At NN, Beau was trusted with lots of different tasks, such as attending events, recruiting and screening students, and posting jobs online. 

Student perception
Her third-year research was also an eye-opener. “NN is still relatively unknown among students. And insurance and pensions might not really appeal to most students, with the exception perhaps of econometrics students. But NN is quite different, with a lot of young people and an entirely different approach. Once students come to our office, their opinion changes completely.

“So I researched how students perceive us and how we can improve that. I concluded that we could focus on a united campus recruitment approach.” Beau also learned that there was plenty more scope for research and her Internship Desk supervisor was happy to have her back. 

Increased visibility means increased demand
“NN is increasingly creating visibility at universities. I too take part in university recruitment events. But we also show members of student associations around. The other side of the coin, however, is, that NN doesn’t yet have that many internship posts. “We don’t have a fixed number, it’s more a matter of supply and demand, based on one-off projects for which managers recruit interns. So my research focuses on how we can structurally increase the number of internship posts. Not just for graduation projects, but also for third-year internships, in meaningful support roles.” 

For her research Beau speaks with a lot of managers. “My research goal is to develop recommendations on how we can achieve a growing number of internship posts. And convince managers of the added value of interns.”

Aligning ambitions with meaningful work
After her bachelor’s degree, Beau would like to pursue her master’s degree, preferably while working part-time in an HR role at NN. “What I like is alternating between HR responsibilities and events. I have a background in marketing, so I like that combination. 
“The great thing about working at NN is the informal atmosphere. Everyone’s extremely supportive and friendly, and they treat you as a valuable colleague. As an intern you get to do meaningful work and have your own responsibilities."

“I really like achieving as much as possible. At NN I’m given the opportunity to develop professionally. And you connect with lots of different people in a really great and growing environment, in which the value of students is appreciated.”