Jana Van Wanzeele: “It’s all about taking every opportunity to learn and upskill along the way”

A small step from a keen interest in human behavior to a career in HR

How would you describe yourself?
I am a motivated, empathic person with a passion for traveling and exploring new destinations. If I were fortunate enough to win the lottery, I would definitely travel around the world.

My favorite season is summer. A perfect summer evening for me: enjoying the sunset on the beach with a glass of rosé wine and pizza!

How does your career path look like so far?
I was always drawn to working with people and had a keen interest in understanding human behavior and interpersonal interactions. During my studies, I sharpened my field of interest. This eventually led me to a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the clear ambition to build a career in HR, more specifically ‘hard’ HR.

I started my career at a payroll office, which gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge about social legislation, payroll, compensation and benefits... After three years, I felt it was time for something new and wanted to explore internal payroll and compensation & benefits in different organizations and industries. That’s why I became a consultant at TriHD. My first project certainly lives up to that expectation.

A clear ambition to broaden professional horizons

What was your ambition before joining TriHD?
Before joining TriHD, I knew I wanted to broaden my horizons, but didn’t really know which direction to take. From that perspective, a job as TriHD Consultant is perfect for me as it gives me the opportunity to explore different roles in a variety of environments. It allows me to gain a lot of experience and learn a lot in a short period of time. In that way, I can discover in which context or HR domain I function best.

What is your current ambition?
I want to grow as a consultant and expand my skills and knowledge about social legislation, payroll and compensation & benefits.

What does 'grow your ambition' mean to you?
To me, it’s all about taking every opportunity to learn and upskill along the way. Challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone.

I’m also convinced that it’s important to set your own goals and regularly reflect on your progress and career path. From this perspective, I not only feel a strong match with the TriHD philosophy, but I also feel truly supported by the knowledge sharing within the TriHD network and the guidance by the internal BaseCamp team.

What is your ultimate ambition?
In the long run I would like to learn more about soft HR topics, in order to have a broad foundation to grow into an HR generalist.

Learnings along the way

If you could give advice to your younger self about ambition, what would that advice be in one sentence?
It is OK to not yet have a specific idea of what your ultimate ambition is. It is a process during which you gradually figure out what you want and do not want in life, both professionally and personally.

What advice would you give to a recent graduate / (new) colleague who wants to grow their ambition?

• Set achievable goals.
• Reflect regularly on your achievements and ambitions.
• Openly communicate when you feel you are no longer making progress and when it is time for change

If you could convince someone to become your new colleague at TriHD in one sentence (or two), what would that sentence be?
It’s in the name itself: Human Development and not ‘Resources’. You will have the opportunity to contribute to an organization where you as an employee and your development come first.