Electrical engineer Olaf drives all over the country

Olaf van der Hooft was educated as an electrical engineer, but his years of experience on the construction site have made him well versed in other disciplines. He tells us all about what he does at Ballast Nedam Materieel and what he likes about it.

When and why did you decide to join Ballast Nedam?

"That was in 2016. I had just finished my studies and was looking for a job. As I was walking through Almere, I noticed the sign on the window of an employment agency saying: 'Electricians wanted'. Hey, that's where I need to be, I thought. I walked in and decided to apply immediately. At the time I didn't even know it was Ballast Nedam, by the way."

When did you first hear about this?

"After the first interview at that employment agency, because at that time I still had to have an interview at Ballast Nedam Materieel. I immediately had a good feeling about it, although I was in doubt whether construction was for me. That's because I did an internship in construction and found it a bit boring. But back then I mainly worked with fixed installations, so it was very different from what I do now. My current job is anything but boring."

What makes your job so diverse?

"No construction site is the same. One day I'm on a small project in Brabant and two days later there are five or six of our team working on a huge construction site in Groningen. The preparation of such a big project can take a few weeks. It is also nice to meet new people everywhere and that every building site has different challenges. And recently I combined working outside with a position at our office in Almere. Thus: lots of variation!"

Tell us, what do you do in the office?

"Due to the retirement of a colleague, the role of assistant planner became vacant. That sounded like something for me. So now I work partly in the office and assist in planning construction projects. I also follow a training course on inspecting installations. I really enjoy learning new things all the time and being able to keep developing myself that way."

Where do you see yourself in a few years' time?

"I'll see what opportunities come my way. Because there are plenty of them at Ballast Nedam. The fact that there are so many career and development options is one of the main reasons why I enjoy working at Ballast Nedam Materieel. Besides the varied work and great colleagues, of course!"