‘Ideal’ intern Majid: “I now know for sure that I want to work for a bank someday”

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  • ABN AMRO Foundation

When he was in primary school, Majid (who’s now 18) was told that his mother was seriously ill. It became harder and harder for him to concentrate at school. Luckily she got better, but even then his motivation was lacking. His sister kept him on the right track – in secondary school he did his very best and even did a trial internship at ABN AMRO. Now he’s taking a course to become a junior account manager. His plans for later? “Ideally, I'd like to work at a bank.”

“I’m the youngest in my family, with three brothers and two sisters. My brothers didn’t care much for school and went straight to work after secondary school. When my mum got sick, I stopped trying my best in class too. My sister noticed this and set a strict rule: homework first, fun stuff later. Thanks to her, I gradually got my motivation back.”

Job interview training given by volunteers

He needs this motivation: his big dream is to work for a bank. “You need a degree for that, but even that’s not quite enough.” For example, you also need to know what it’s like to apply for a job. How do you make a good CV, what do you wear to a job interview, and what arethe best questions to ask? We received training on this from JINC in secondary school, eighteen months ago.” That was a valuable experience for Majid. “I got a lot of positive feedback and everyone was impressed with how I expressed myself and the questions I asked.”

JINC is an organisation that helps young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to get a good start on the labour market. One of the ways they do this is with these training sessions, in which students can practice job interviews with professionals. Majid was assigned to Sander van Dijk, senior innovation consultant at ABN AMRO. He had first signed up as a JINC volunteer through the ABN AMRO Foundation. Majid’s professionalism and enthusiasm made a huge impression on him. “He did so well that I thought, ‘This is a textbook job application!’”

Super-internship

Sander decided to help Majid. He arranged a trial internship for him at ABN AMRO. Majid tells us: “Usually you do an internship at a family business or the bakery around the corner. Not at one of the biggest banks in the Netherlands. I saw what is involved in the work of aconsultant and I knew for sure: I want to work at a place like that one day. That’s why I’m doing a course at vocational school to become a junior account manager.”

Majid is currently looking hard for a new internship for his studies. He’s noticed that, because of Covid-19, there are few spots available. “Of course it’s a drag that I have to take my classesonline and can’t go to the gym. But this internship is even more important to me. I hope to find a spot soon. And preferably at a bank again, of course.” Sander is happy to explain why Majid is the ideal intern: “He’s driven and he’s got ambition. He’s really sociable and I’d like to give him a good start to his career. How cool would it be if we could find him a new internship through this interview? I’d say, please get in touch with Majid via his LinkedIn page!”

Working and doing business

And what are Majid’s plans for after he graduates? “I’m going to keep on learning. I want to study at a school of applied sciences and then get a job. And I also want to become an entrepreneur, because I’ve got that in my bones. People are buying more and more online,which is why I've been doing drop shipping lately. I order products for people from a wholesaler, which they then get at home. That’s how I earn money. Ideally I’d like to combine entrepreneurship with a job at a bank. I’m sure my family is proud of the plans I have for my future.”