We are known thanks to our professionals, the Finexters. Some have just started working for a month and others have years of work experience, but all are consultants and all are constantly developing their own, and each other's, skills. But who are these 'Finexters' and what exactly do they do as consultants? They can best tell us that themselves, of course. We spoke to senior consultant Marc Roest about his experiences.
Theperfect combination between hands-on and leading
Marc works at Finext in the Enterprise performance management (EPM) corner. Together with his team, he helps companies choose the right software solutions for their financial controls. In these projects, Marc is often the lead consultant. He pulls the cart and ensures that the enthusiasm of his teammates remains high. "I often visit the customer and talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the solution," he says. Even though Marc often takes the lead role and has a crucial role in the early stages of the project, he also still likes to be "hands on". Being an architect and really building the software is what Marc missed in his previous positions. Now at Finext he has been able to find the perfect combination between the two.
Marc starts his day with a stand-up, a short meeting with his project team. He also consults with the customer about the total picture that will eventually be delivered. He also watches along with his fellow consultants and monitors the quality of the work they deliver. When necessary he supports them with a solution. What makes Marc enthusiastic is that he also regularly works on the design of the solution and ensures that the technical part is monitored. All this for the best result and a satisfied customer.
Back at Finext for room for development
After working at Finext for seven years, Marc felt it was time for new things. Still, after seven years of working at other organizations, he is back at Finext. In the seven years before Marc returned to Finext, he made a fast career. Still, he missed the substantive work. "At other organizations, like Big 4, you mainly do sales and you really don't work on construction anymore, you're more of a boss then." Because of his management position and many responsibilities, Marc no longer had time to take training courses to develop himself within his field.
"At other organizations you mainly do sales and really don't work on construction anymore, you're more of a boss then."
Development is very important to Marc. His goal is to become the best consultant in his field. This development is also why he came back to Finext. Merely working towards a turnover target did not give Marc the satisfaction he wanted. He wanted to get back to the nitty-gritty and really get back to building the solution.
In construction, the architecture part, Marc also sees the most room for development for himself. When new functionality arises in the software, Marc dives right in. He often attends training courses to keep his knowledge up to date. He also organizes pizza sessions with his colleagues in which they explore the content of these new functions together. "Not only gaining knowledge through trainings, but also by reading manuals and playing with the software in a demo environment."
Exceeding customer expectations
At Finext, Marc has spent the past few years continuing to grow a team. A great achievement that he is proud of. "When you look at the growth of the team and the motivation of the people, it's super cool that we've accomplished that." Marc tells us that he and his team find it important to exceed customer expectations. "We don't all have to get stinking rich, if we just did a super fat project and the client is happy, then we're happy too." As such, Marc and his team don't have a 9 to 5 mentality. "If something doesn't go well, we just spend ten hours sweating it out together with the client. And if something does go well, we have a beer together with bitterballen to go with it."
"If something doesn't go well, we just spend ten hours sweating together with the customer. And if something does go well, we have a beer and bitterballs together."
Equalopportunities but showing initiative yourself
Marc tells us that Finext really is a company where everyone gets equal opportunities, as long as you take the initiative yourself. "You shouldn't expect someone to make a schedule for you every day and a list of goals." When you enter Finext, you have to do it yourself. A lot of networking and developing yourself is therefore very important. If you show yourself well, you also get involved faster in a project, for example. Marc explains that it is very flexible, whether you like the technology side more, selling or training. You can try everything and choose what suits you best. "You can develop yourself in breadth and depth but you have to take these opportunities yourself."
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