We conducted an interview with our colleague Benjamin Wenk, who is absolutely irreplaceable at Coopers. Benjamin has been with Coopers since March 2017 and by now works as a Process & IT Consultant. In the interview he tells us what this role means and how he ended up there.
Benni, you are a trained insurance agent. What brought you to recruiting?
That's right, my specialties were pension funds and life insurance. Upon finishing my apprenticeship, I worked in this field for a while. All in all, however, the job was too monotonous for me. I was looking for more variety.
And you found that in recruiting?
Absolutely! Before joining Coopers, I was already working for a recruiting agency. Due to a restructuring, people were laid off; since I was one of the newcomers, this affected my job, too. Because I really liked the industry, I specifically looked for a job there.
Lucky us, because this is how you ended up in our team. In which role did you start at Coopers?
I feel very lucky, too! As a talent resourcer, I initially supported several consultants in talent acquisition. As the volume of our MSP accounts increased, I then joined Alessia's team after a little over a year.
In 2019 I was able to start my studies while keeping my job at Coopers, that's really cool. I reduced my workload to 60% and can now pursue both. Coopers is very flexible. For example, I get time off during exams or can work more during semester breaks. That's really great!
That's a great possibility, indeed. What is your major, Benni?
I'm studying business administration in the Bachelor's program at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden. Compared to full-time students, working at Coopers gives me the opportunity to apply a lot of theory into practice right away. And vice versa, it's also helpful to approach our learning materials with a practice-oriented mindset. You have a completely different perspective when you know and live both sides.
We already mentioned that you are working as a Process & IT Consultant by now, not in recruitment. Is that because of your studies or how did you end up in your current role?
It was more of a gradual process. I really enjoyed recruiting. But from the end of 2019 onwards, requests for internal projects started to pile up on my desk. That pile kept growing during 2020 while we changed our internal operating system. That was a project that filled most of my time at work.
But I enjoyed it! These projects and my studies correlated a lot, which was nice. I was able to implement my know-how directly to my job; two birds with one stone, brilliant. In the fall of 2020, Denise and Chris approached me with the proposal that I take care of internal IT and processes exclusively. That's how I became a Process & IT Consultant.
Very cool! What do you do in this role? Can you give us an example?
I am the first point of contact for internal issues regarding IT and the structure of our processes. So far, this has not been as centralized as we would have liked. Our teams often work agile and very independently, which quickly leads to different approaches.
For example, I had the chance to standardize our processes within the newly applied IT system, like for data storage. Coopers is still in a phase of growth, so it is essential that all employees always receive the same information and know where to find it. One of our top priorities is to pool the knowledge of our bright minds.
Alessia, Denise and Chris have recognized that this is what I'm really good at and have given me the space and opportunity to grow and develop in it. My new role offers exactly what I was originally looking for – variety! Many mornings, I don't know what to expect for the upcoming day. Some people do not like that but for me it's exactly the right thing, especially because it involves quite untypical things, too.
Like what, for example?
When we moved offices recently, colleagues and I got to organize a grill for our backyard. We also set up our table soccer and I have already taken the lawn mower out for a spin in the garden this summer. That simply adds variety to everyday work life.
Surely, it's not easy to manage all that with a 60% workload, is it? How do you stay organized?
That's right. I have become very efficient. I work very goal-oriented and don't waste any time.
How do you do that?
I find the Microsoft buckets very helpful as a planning tool. It's good to keep an overview of ongoing projects.
But I must admit, for quite a while I thought I should maintain a modern, digital to-do list. However, I've since learned that it's a mix that works best for me – a physical list on paper combined with digital tools. Carrying along that piece of paper, jotting something down and crossing items off that list manually somehow helps me a lot to stay focused.
I guess there are usually a lot of items on your list. What do you do to switch off, Benni?
That's right, in this role I'm mainly solving problems and putting out fires. That can be frustrating at times. To switch off and get some distance, I like to spend time in nature. A long weekend camping and lots of fishing, that's good for me.
That sounds wonderful. Benni, the interview is almost done and you're about to cross off another item on your list. But before I let you go, I have a few unconventional questions that are always used to conclude the "5 minutes with..." interviews. Ready?
Fire away!
Mac or PC?
Definitely PC, Apple is not my thing at all.
My favorite app is...
Windy and MeteoSwiss, both indispensable for fishing.
Whom should we follow on Instagram as well?
The @fcbasel1893 of course.
What three things would you take to a desert island?
Phew, I'm rather pragmatic, since I'd like to get off the island again. So, a lighter, a knife and a fishing net.
Do you have a secret a guilty pleasure?
Probably that I don't behave as well as I should in the football stadium from time to time.
Please finish this sentence: "I love working in my job because"..."
...something new comes up every day and that's incredibly fun.
Thank you, Benni, for your time and for the interview.
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