Feeling trusted, right from the beginning

When you’re operating within a fast-growing industry, you need to make use of efficiencies wherever you can find them. At Aalberts advanced mechatronics, one way we do this is by hiring people who love to take ownership of their work and enjoy having the freedom to be creative and make decisions. One of our colleagues who is thriving under this philosophy is Dennis Harderwijk, IT Security Specialist at Mogema. 

A totally different approach

Dennis only recently wrapped up his bachelor’s degree, but he’s already been with Mogema for five years. He first joined as an intern during his pre-vocational study in IT at the recommendation of a friend. One thing that immediately struck him was the freedom he was given. “At the company where I did my first internship, I felt like nothing was possible,” he explains. “My manager told me what to do and I just had to do it. Then I went to Mogema and straight away they gave me responsibility over several key IT systems and processes. It was a totally different approach. Being given that trust and real responsibility helped me learn a lot.” 

Making an impact

Dennis liked working at Mogema so much that he continued to work there part-time while he worked on his bachelor’s in IT. He not only helped people with day-to-day IT problems, but also supported a variety of projects aimed at modernizing the IT infrastructure at Mogema. For his final bachelor’s internship project, he decided to try something new: creating a disaster recovery plan, this time for the advanced mechatronics group. It was a welcome change of pace. “Working for the group was totally different and really fun,” he says. “I met IT managers from every company and they were all very interested in what I was doing. I felt like they really needed what I did and like my work was making an impact.” 

Not the stereotypical IT guys

One of Dennis’ favorite parts of his experience so far is the dynamic within his team. “My manager and the rest of our team know each other really well – we know exactly what we want, how we work, what we do,” he says. “We’re all team players and when we have problems, we work together to find a solution. We can be very serious when it’s needed, but we also have a lot of fun together. We are not the stereotypical IT guys sitting behind a computer and saying nothing, everyone is very social. I really like going to work!”

Excited to start a new chapter Now that his studies are finished, Dennis is excited to start a new chapter in his career at Mogema. His first project will focus on improving cybersecurity by developing a security framework and implementing it at Mogema, and eventually at the other companies within the advanced mechatronics group. “I’m really looking forward to the work I’m going to do,” he says. “I will get to lead projects, which is great, and security is a very interesting field. I hope I can help Mogema be totally protected against security threats and keep deepening my expertise.” 

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