Connections that Count - MAEUR's Speed Dating Event 2024

The 2024 edition of the highly anticipated MAEUR Speed Dating event took place between the 5th of March and the 6th of March! The first day, which featured two exciting workshops, was devoted to preparing participants for the upcoming recruitment event. Two engaging guest speakers were invited to discuss various topics, from selling yourself to fine-tuning your CV and interview skills! On the second day, it was time for the real speed dates with the various companies.

On the first day, the first speaker, Ken Heijkoop from TOPdesk, presented valuable insights into how participants can effectively sell themselves to recruiters. Starting with elevator pitches, Ken thoroughly outlined what makes one successful; keeping it short, believing in yourself and your abilities, and ending your pitch with a question to continue the conversation. He continued by providing a complete pitch framework, each aspect of it intending to improve the quality and engagement of your speech. The workshop concluded with a round of Q&A, where advice for the Speed Dating event was discussed. After this workshop, a one-hour lunch break was held. Additionally, participants were able to take professional LinkedIn pictures with a highly experienced photographer. 

The second workshop, held by Lizzy van der Vlegel from HelloPrint, was all about improving your CV and interview skills! She started with some important forewarnings, mentioning that companies vastly differ, that recruitment is not always fair, and to never take rejections personally. Following this, Lizzy delved into what makes a good CV. She touched upon the importance of visually appealing design, her preference for photographs, and the value of having a personal statement. To further deepen her insights, she discussed some CVs that were submitted by the Speed Dating participants themselves! The second half of the workshop was all about interview skills. Lizzy provided a slide with a collection of typical interview questions and discussed how to tackle difficult ones. The workshop also concluded with a Q&A, discussing remaining questions from the audience. The day concluded successfully, with participants feeling prepared to take on the interviews to come! 

On the second sunny day from the first floor of the Hilton hotel, participants and company representatives had a beautiful view of Hofplein. At 9 AM, they all slowly started to arrive, getting checked in and receiving their name badges. 13 companies in total were present, ranging from start-ups like Turff to big names like Mondelez, Danone and Henkel. There was really something for everyone in the field of marketing, opportunities in B2B marketing with Spotonvision & Helloprint, digital marketing traineeships with SchaalX and strategic marketing consultancy with House of Marketing and Creative Clicks. In 10-minute speed rounds, participants and companies could get to know each other. A big gong signified the end of a round, time went by fast, so at the end of the day participants could continue their conversation during drinks. We asked a student, named Ajla, about her thoughts: 

“I LOVED the event! The Speed Dating event committee did an amazing job organizing it. Everything ran smoothly, and I had a great time. Additionally, I got to go on speed dates with companies I wasn't familiar with previously, so it was a great way to meet new companies. All in all, I made connections that count!”

After a long day everyone went home with a big smile on their face, just like Ajla.