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The right fit is a combination of soft and hard skills
IT Solution & Enterprise Architect Ben feels right at home among the containers, cranes, and freight bulk. A classic case of the right man in the right place. He was placed at PSA in the Port of Antwerp by Tergos and is now working on the most challenging projects. Such as the transformation of the existing container terminal K869 (right bank) with, among other things, fully automatic stacking cranes.
Reinforcement
IT Solution & Enterprise Architect Ben feels right at home among the containers, cranes, and freight bulk. A classic case of the right man in the right place. He was placed at PSA in the Port of Antwerp by Tergos and is now working on the most challenging projects. Such as the transformation of the existing container terminal K869 (right bank) with, among other things, fully automatic stacking cranes.
Well- prepared
At that time, Ben was working for another company. However, he had just been informed that his assignment was coming to an end. And then things moved quickly. He was called by Diaz, had a meeting with the hiring manager at PSA, and the deal was sealed in the shortest possible time. Ben knew exactly what he was saying ‘yes’ to. Not only did he have many friends in the industry and therefore knew the background and the problems. He also knew who he would be working for, and who he was going to replace. Through the LinkedIn profile of his predecessor, he could see exactly which skills were needed for this challenge. And he was immediately enthusiastic.
The experience of
Freelancer Ben
"At Tergos, the level of quality is higher than many other recruitment organisations. They have a human approach, which makes collaboration very pleasant."
The experience of
Freelancer Ben
"The right fit is always a combination of hard skills and soft skills; it's not enough to just look at a CV and a profile."
A tangible automation project
At PSA, Ben works with a team on the automation of a container terminal. Part of the chain is being automated, which will increase capacity enormously. Where containers are now stacked in stacks of 3 to 4 containers high, this will go to 6 layers in the new situation. The goal is to handle 2 to 3 times as many containers in the same time span.
The terminal is being built in three waves. In the meantime, old and new must continue to function within the same environment. Without disruption to the daily operation. It's a unique work environment; on a vacant plot of land, the employees see the renewed terminal gradually taking shape.
The human touch makes the difference
Ben is a telecommunications engineer and has been a freelancer for 11 years after several permanent positions. He once switched to project-based work because many interesting opportunities presented themselves. Since then, he has developed into an experienced freelancer. He has a lot of experience with recruitment consultants: "At Tergos, the quality level is higher than at many other recruitment organisations. They have a human approach, which makes the collaboration very pleasant."
"For example, they also keep in touch after placement. And they occasionally organise events, to which freelancers are invited. The community you then become part of makes working with each other very pleasant." Tergos ensures with every placement that the match on paper is right between client and profile, but also that the candidate really fits into the organisation.”
As a freelancer, you are the CEO of your own business
Within his field, Ben is also specialised in Transformation Management. He sees himself as a business analyst in IT. "The difficult thing about working with consultants is that they tend to pull all the work towards themselves. This way, you do not get the organisation on board with changes. It therefore requires a specific approach to also get the client's employees to work with enthusiasm." With the clear vision that Ben has on freelancing, he is also happy to help others make the step. "I call myself a digital sherpa, I am open to showing others the way." He knows by now, for example, that you really have to understand the business well to know where you fit.
Added value for yourself and your client
The right fit is always a combination of hard skills and soft skills; it's not enough to just look at a CV and a profile. But you also should not lose sight of your own development: "As a freelancer, you are essentially continuously balancing the role of an interim employee of another company (the client) and that of CEO of your own company. You must ensure that what you offer adds value to the client's organisation. But it is just as important that what you do and achieve at your client adds value for you and your freelance existence."