A job at bpost as a young graduate? You keep all your options open, get a taste of everything and pick the pathway that suits you best. Because bpost gives young people – with or without work experience – the opportunity to develop their personal interests into an exciting job.

Floor Vankevelaer studied bioengineering at KU Leuven. She got to know bpost at a careers fair organised by the university. “Up till then I’d never thought of bpost as a particularly innovative company,” she says. “At the same time it’s a very people-oriented environment. The employee really is at the centre of things here. That combination appealed to me immediately.”

Floor started work as a project manager at Customer Care, where she worked on improving how bpost bank interacts with customers. “I was a trainee, on my first job, but I was working on a concrete project and I was given quite a lot of responsibility straight off,” she says. “That’s what bpost does very clearly: you are given opportunities here, but you have to take them yourself.”

Working on transformation

Eighteen months down the line, Floor is at the HR department, where she’s assisting the new trainee pathways. One of those new trainees is Anaïs Willems. She joined bpost in September with a degree in commercial engineering from ULB. “I already had a long relationship with the company,” she explains. I worked at bpost in the holidays, as postwoman and as a counter clerk, among other things. It was always a positive experience, so it was an obvious step to apply for a job at bpost after graduation.”

Anaïs loves the challenging environment bpost offers. “The company is in the midst of a transformation,” she says. “People are sending fewer letters, but more parcels. That has a huge impact on operations at bpost behind the scenes. It’s really interesting to experience that from close by and work on it.” It also throws up a whole load of opportunities. “There are more than five hundred different jobs at bpost.” “There’s always something to fit your personal interests.” 

Freedom and responsibilities

Anaïs has started on a two-year trainee pathway, during which she will work on three projects, each one for eight months at a different department and another context. “The pathway kicked off with a talent scan,” she explains. “That’s a session that gives you a clear understanding of your interests, strengths and less good sides.” That’s followed by a two-week onboarding period. “As part of that process I got to know every facet of bpost. As a trainee the contacts you have with colleagues give you a good idea of what bpost does. That insight obviously comes in handy on concrete projects during your traineeship and the various jobs you do as a trainee.”

“It was very important for me to be able to start in a job that gives me freedom and responsibilities,” says Anaïs. “I decide my own working hours and how I get my work done. It’s essential for me to find the right balance between work and leisure time.” The traineeship means starters don’t have to choose a specific job straight away. They are introduced to various fields, which means they have a much better idea which job suits them at the end of the process. bpost also brings the starters together regularly to give them the chance to get to know each other and help each other. “Young bpost organises network events,” says Floor. “We bring people together to talk about topical issues, like innovation and sustainability, giving them the opportunity to share their experiences at bpost at the same time.”

Extra training

Diversity is not an empty word at bpost. It’s a company of employees with lots of different diplomas and lots of different backgrounds. “First and foremost we look at the person, not at the diploma,” says Floor. “At the same time, we offer a lot of opportunities for further development and training while you’re working. A traineeship is the best way to find out for yourself which way you want to take your career at bpost.”