Passionate about consulting?

You've come to the right place!

In our company, we put the well-being of our employees and their families first. To achieve this, we have developed a range of offers and measures: We offer flexible working hours, including part-time work, to support a healthy work-life balance. Parental leave is not a problem for us, but rather an important part of our corporate culture. We also offer the option of a sabbatical - a longer career break. Regardless of whether you are looking for further training, self-realization or simply want to experience something new.

We also understand that your work life should not always be tied to one place. That's why we offer the opportunity to work from home - or anywhere else with an internet connection. With us, you have the freedom to live where you feel most comfortable. In short: we prioritize our employees, placing them at the heart of our work, because your motivation and commitment is our success.

Our colleague reports:

Johannes Kobbeloer studied economics and has been with us since 2016.

Life out of a suitcase - what is it like to be on tour four days a week?

On the first trip, it was honestly terrible. I had forgotten half my things, packed the wrong shoes and all my shirts were wrinkled. By the tenth trip, I was pretty good. Everything was there, even the sports gear! Four days a week with a client creates focus. You not only spend time with the client, but also in the immediate surroundings - country, city, district. You are fully attuned to the client situation and are hardly distracted by other things. And as stupid as it sounds: Little private life leads to very effective working days. Very ambitious colleagues go running together before work. I've learned to value my own home even more.

Do colleagues also become real friends?

Simple answer: Yes! But not only friendships, but even relationships and entire families can develop. Okay, the latter is rather rare, but there is already a Kerkhoff baby!

You spend a lot of time with your colleagues: in the car, on the plane, at the client, in the hotel... Some days are long, and you sit together for many hours in a cramped project office at the client's premises. All in all, you spend most of the week with your colleagues. Good teamwork is essential here! And of course, besides all the work, you also need to have fun - and that only works with other people. Going out together at the weekend or on days off is also often on the agenda. Especially in private gatherings, you get to know each other better and differently than in a business environment. This creates friendships that go beyond working life.

How do you manage to score points with customers on site, even if you are part of the (sometimes unwanted) team of consultants?

Convince professionally and communicate at eye level! Many of our customers are already working intensively on issues relating to purchasing, supply chain management and production.

Now we consultants come along and are supposed to point out optimization possibilities.

The people involved often get the wrong impression that we want to uncover supposed errors. This can lead to tensions. Sensitivity is required here! Communication at eye level requires mutual professional recognition. Being a consultant at Kerkhoff doesn't mean that we dictate the client on how to do things in a new or different way. We have the advantage over our customers that we have successfully completed numerous projects in a wide range of industries. Our customers, in turn, know their products and their industry inside out. The aim is to create a situation in which all processes can be openly analyzed, and improvements can be thought about together. Together is the key word here. We are not strategy theorists, but we enjoy finding new, better ways together with our customers. With this understanding, we are able to convince at every level of the hierarchy, even if our client is usually the top level of the company.

Which phases are particularly stressful?

Our projects are usually divided into two parts: the analysis phase and the implementation phase. The analysis phase means pure stress - usually two to four weeks non-stop at the client's premises. Recording, evaluating and analyzing figures, data and facts, conducting interviews and getting to know the customer and their unique situation and challenges in the shortest possible time. All findings and recommendations for action are then summarized in a final presentation and presented to our client. The aim, of course, is to subsequently launch a collaborative project with our client.

What happens on an Office Day?

Throughout the week, you work on different projects, depending on your role. So you see your project team, but not the rest of your colleagues. Monday to Thursday, the office corridors are usually eerily empty. The back-office colleagues and a few consultants are there.

Friday is different: there is often life in the building, some teams are there together. Traffic jam at the coffee machine, brief small talk. How was the week? How are things going with the clients? It's noticeable to all colleagues how good it is to exchange ideas beyond the project teams. Who can help? Where can I get some advice? No email or video call can replace a face-to-face meeting from time to time. In addition, internal events often take place on Fridays - training sessions, team meetings and general information events.

What is it like to work for a consulting specialist?

Great! (Is that enough of an answer?) Consulting specialist means: a high-quality working environment, a lot of expertise within our own ranks, renowned, well-known clients and long, sustainable projects. But consulting specialist also means: high expectations from all sides.

Do you have any tips for new colleagues?

Always seek contact with colleagues in other teams and don't use the option of working from home too often, especially if you are not yet so well networked at the beginning. Otherwise, be open, don't say "no", i.e. don't be dismissive of new things and topics, be courageous and dare to do something, approach colleagues on your own initiative, ask questions and then go for it!