Moving to a new country comes with exciting opportunities — but also with challenges, especially when it comes to building a career and finding a sense of belonging. For Naomi, joining JobOn became a turning point. In this blog, she shares how volunteering as an event manager helped her develop valuable skills, grow her confidence, and expand her network in the Netherlands.

Naomi moved from Germany to the Netherlands in 2021 to pursue her second Master’s degree. “Utrecht University had a course that was really suitable for my interests – Conflict Studies and Human Rights.” After graduating last year, she started looking for jobs in international NGOs across the Netherlands. That journey, however, hasn’t been without its challenges.

“I’ve been struggling with feeling at home here since the very beginning,” Naomi shares. “I believe this has to do with the language barrier – the reasons not to learn Dutch outweigh the arguments to learn Dutch in my case, so I’ve been sticking with English. However, I always meet open and friendly Dutchies who are welcoming to expats like me.”

Finding JobOn

While looking for opportunities, Naomi came across JobOn through the platform Amstelveenvoorelkaar. “I applied instantly to the Talent Program,” she says. “I loved that it offers me a space to organize events according to my interests, and that Adelina gave us a smooth pathway into the world of event management instead of being completely left to our own devices.”

Stepping into the role of event manager

Naomi has now organized four events through JobOn. “I met many great event managers and speakers, and was surprised at the general willingness to do volunteering work among people who have busy lives themselves. It was relatively easy to find speakers, and the locations we have agreements with were all super accessible and well-equipped. All participants showed up with a great sense of enthusiasm, motivation and interest.”

Skills and confidence

Through the program, Naomi has developed a range of skills. “I’ve been refining my organisation skills and people skills. I learned from the speakers' experiences too, and broadened my set of marketing skills by distributing brochures and posts online as well as doing more targeted advertisement of the events.”

The experience has also impacted her confidence. “I’m proud to have represented JobOn at four events so far and to have bonded with the different speakers and participants over quite personal topics around job search. It has given me confidence to see that they trusted my ability to manage the events, handle any issues that arose, and build up a safe space within the room on that day.”

She also learned how to balance her own involvement with giving space to speakers: “I have gotten a better grasp of how much to include myself in the preparation work, and how much to leave to the speaker themselves.”

Advice for newcomers

For others who are new to the Netherlands and looking for career opportunities, Naomi has a few tips: “I would recommend going to subject-relevant events such as talks, panel discussions etc., and staying for the reception and drinks afterwards. You meet plenty of people from your field at such events! And of course, it's incredibly helpful to attend workshops from JobOn — they are really worth it.”