ING is the perfect place to explore the world
“One day, I’m working on flyers for young talents. The next day, I’m diving into campaign analytics, conducting surveys, doing research. That’s perfect because I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again.” Meet Divya, employer branding intern. A story about guts, inclusion and aiming big.
Where HR meets marketing
“I studied marketing so my internship really had to be about marketing. At the same time, I have always been interested in HR. So when I came across this internship employer branding at ING, I just applied. I hoped it would combine the best of both worlds. And it did. Better yet, we’ve just extended the period for another two and a half months.”
Banks are not boring
“I never thought that working at a bank would be an option for me. Especially since I don’t speak Dutch or French fluently. But when I was at this baby shower in the Netherlands, I met someone from ING Global who spoke to me about the international character. I started looking into ING and came across this employer branding internship.”
We all fit in
“I was a bit nervous when I started. Will they understand me? Will I be able to connect? Will I fit in? The answer to those questions is absolutely! Even in Corona times. People switch to English without a problem. And I felt everyone is welcome no matter what your background is. That was very important to me. I grew up in Malaysia where there is a lot of discrimination towards Malaysians of Indian descent.”
Do what you love
“Working at ING is not just about the job, but it’s also about your growth and your wellbeing. They want to make sure you are doing the things you love. And when you want to do something else, just ask. The open culture really allows for that. And that’s great because I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again.”
Explore the world
“I would definitely recommend ING to my friends. People often have the wrong idea about banks. It’s actually a very dynamic environment with a strong family feel. Where they let you be yourself. Where people are open to your ideas and your questions. I really belong here. I can really see myself working here for a long time and still explore the world at the same time.”
My three key learnings
“One, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Again and again. It won’t make you sound stupid at all, on the contrary. Two, don’t be afraid to give and ask for feedback. It will help us all improve on things. And three, don’t be afraid to aim big. It doesn’t matter what you know or don’t know, it’s what you show you can do.”
… don’t be afraid to ask questions. Again and again. It won’t make you sound stupid at all, on the contrary.
About Divya
- Divya came to Belgium to celebrate new years in 2016 and decided to stay
- She’s the founder of the Corporate Women Association, a student organization of KU Leuven
- Competed twice in the cross-country South East Asia Netball tournament
- She can play a few musical instruments but enjoys playing drums the most
- Divya was raised trilingual (English, Tamil & Malay), is conversational in Spanish as well as French and is learning Dutch