Journalist Thomas Braun has been writing blogs for JobOn for several years. He interviews people who have found a great new job or changed careers and documents their stories. He also talks to employers about their experiences at the Workplace Visit Day. This time, he’s looking back on this annual event himself, as he was one of the more than 200 companies that organized an open house at their workplace and welcomed five enthusiastic women.
Accessible
Pieter Vermeer, founder of JobOn, reached out to me a few weeks ago via LinkedIn about the Workplace Visit Day, during which employers open their doors to people who want to take a look around their company with no strings attached. You could call it an accessible way to apply for a job, but it doesn’t have to lead to a job. Everything is allowed; nothing is required. “Thomas,” Pieter wrote, “why don’t you participate? I think people would find it pretty interesting to know what it’s like to write forPlayboy.” I hadn’t thought of the idea myself, because, well, I’m a one-man operation—I do everything myself, hiring at most a typist to transcribe my interview recordings—so I don’t have any job openings anyway. According to Pieter, that wasn’t a problem. “You have an interesting profession; you write for theFDandNieuwe Revu, don’t you? People are bound to reach out to you.”
Five applications
That prediction came true. No fewer than five applicants. Donna was the first to arrive at my impressive workplace—a nice woman with Italian heritage. Donna was eager to find a permanent job at a publishing house. She already takes on freelance translation jobs from Italian to Dutch but also has a part-time job on the side, because financial uncertainty prevents her from working full-time as a freelancer. I connected her with a sports book publisher, since that publisher also releases books about Italian athletes. And I told her she should post her work on LinkedIn—not to say, “Look how good I am,” but simply to share her work so people can see what she’s capable of. Her eyes lit up, and during our conversation, she spontaneously asked why I was wearing a sweater with the letters “ITALIA” on it. I told her how much I love that country and that I’d even run into the star soccer player and ladies’ man Paolo Maldini there. Now her enthusiasm knew no bounds. Beaming—and full of envy—she left the building.
From Ukraine
After Donna came Lesia. She sat down across from me and immediately said,“I am so happy!” I asked why, since we hadn’t exchanged a single word yet. She explained that she was from Ukraine, where she had worked as a journalist, but that so far, the only jobs available to her on the Dutch job market had been as a dishwasher and an apple picker. For her, visiting me was a first, important step toward realizing her dream: to become a journalist here, too. I advised her to send good story ideas to magazines. When she handed me her detailed resume, I told her honestly, “There’s no point in sending your resume to editorial offices—they don’t even look at them. Good ideas—that’s what matters.” She then told a moving story about an acquaintance who had lost an arm on the front lines during the war with Russia. She said she could interview him sometime. “Those are great ideas!” I exclaimed. She beamed from ear to ear—what gratitude I suddenly saw reflected back at me. A day later, she shared her encounter with“a famous journalist”on Facebook, and dozens of likes and wonderful, encouraging comments appeared under her post.
Back to Russia
Not long after, it was Alina’s turn. She wants a job in marketing, and marketing is an area I’m quite knowledgeable about—which is also essential if you want to keep landing assignments as a freelance writer. “I have to find a job within eight months,” she said, “otherwise I’ll have to go back to Russia.” She, too, had a moving story. A friend of hers had transferred 30 euros to an organization in Ukraine that helps sick stray animals. “And now she has to serve nine years in prison,” she said. Throughout the conversation, Alina kept her beautiful smile, which never left her face. I really hope she finds a job here.
Come up with ideas
After Alina, Mirjam entered the building. A 56-year-old woman who would love to write more articles for the regional newspaper, but so far hadn’t gotten any further than a few short reports on the local shuffleboard club’s matches. “Come up with some ideas,” I said once again. “Suppose you know Gordon’s friend and he’s opening a new business in your neighborhood—suggest writing a story about it.” Mirjam: “Gordon doesn’t have a friend anymore.” Oh well, I laughed, then write something about Rob de Nijs if you happen to know someone in his neighborhood. “Rob de Nijs is no longer alive.” At least she was up to date on the facts.
Turning Your Hobby Into a Career
Finally, I had a meeting with Nienke. She works at a large IT company but would love to turn her hobbies (writing and photography) into her career. She’d recently been dealing with serious health issues, and she’s also in a return-to-work program that doesn’t look very promising, but she’s doing better now and wants to cautiously take a step toward a career in journalism. I spoke with her for an hour via Teams. At the end, she said, “Wow, this really gets me so excited!” It gave me goosebumps.
Pieter, thanks for the nudge. The Workplace Visit Day was a great experience for me. And for the ladies, too—they made that perfectly clear to me. I’m already looking forward to next year.
Save the Date: National Workplace Visit Day 2026
National Job Seeker Day is the day when job seekers and employers across the Netherlands come together! Hundreds of employers open their doors to speak with interested individuals during a no-obligation (online) networking session or open house. Meet talented professionals on November 18, 2026!
