May 27, 2025 |
9 min
A great start to my career at a fun company
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Laughter fills the air during the photo shoot around the foosball table on the second floor of Nederlandse Loterij’s Rijswijk office. It seems to perfectly capture the atmosphere these four young professionals are experiencing in their first or second “real” job. Three current trainees and one former trainee share their stories. Ruben de Bruin, Tessa Jongbloed, Inez van Pamelen, and Kasper Koers are each on their own journey through a two-year traineeship.
Ruben: “Some board members from my student association attended an in-house day for potential trainees hosted by Nederlandse Loterij. I couldn’t go, but when they came back, they told me this company would be a perfect fit for me, and they were right.”
Kasper: “After finishing my studies, I retrained as a developer. I worked for two years before realizing testing suited me better than development. Plus, the company I was at didn’t really fit me. So I started looking for an organization that did. When I arrived at Nederlandse Loterij, I could immediately feel that the company breathes sports. It felt like the right match.”
Inez: “During my Psychology bachelor’s, I discovered my interest in how external stimuli affect the brain and influence behavior. I started a master’s in Clinical Neuropsychology, but it wasn’t the right fit, so I stopped and worked at a market research agency for nine months. Then I completed a master’s in Neuroeconomics. Right after that, I started at Nederlandse Loterij, so I had already gained a bit of work experience.”
Tessa: “I started looking into job openings because someone I knew was already working at Nederlandse Loterij. On the careers site, I saw they were also offering traineeships, and that’s how the ball started rolling.”
At Nederlandse Loterij, IT and marketing traineeships last two years and span two to four different teams, with projects tailored to each trainee’s ambitions and talents. Marketing trainees work in areas like CRM, Campaign, Database Marketing, and Social. IT trainees take on roles in various domains, from front-end for game websites to complex back-end systems. Each trainee is assigned a buddy and a coach and participates in peer coaching sessions.
Inez: “I’m currently working with the CRM Base team for Lucky Day and scratch cards. I focus on customer satisfaction and support various projects. Next, I’d love to gain experience with the team that explores how to increase leads and conversions with the same number of online visitors. That ties into my behavioral research background.”
Kasper: “I’m the only IT trainee among the four of us. I started with the team that manages the front and back end of TOTO Casino. Now, I work with the Portal team as a software tester. This team handles everything to do with player profiles, like registering new users and processing prize payouts. I still want to learn a lot and hope to eventually join as a full-time tester.”
Tessa: “In my first year, I explored social and campaign marketing for Lucky Day and scratch cards. I observed the creation of a new brand campaign and optimized a repeat campaign myself. Now, I’m expanding my social media knowledge at TOTO and working on the online domain for Winnitt. This is my first experience in performance marketing. After this, I’ll have worked across all marketing areas.”
Ruben: “I’ve completed my traineeship, I was part of the first cohort. I’m now employed as a Database Marketer. Before that, I worked with TOTO’s CRM team. As a CRM marketer, you’re a central figure, collaborating with departments like Studio, Email Marketing, Legal, Responsible Gaming, and Database Marketing to run promotions and campaigns. That’s when I realized I was really into data and chose to focus on database marketing for the second part of my traineeship. I’m still closely connected to the CRM team, but now from the other side.”
Ruben: “That you just have to go for it! I’ve learned to be proactive and take responsibility. As a trainee, you get good guidance, but no one holds your hand through everything. You’re expected to take initiative and step out of your comfort zone sometimes and that’s where the real learning happens. Everyone stumbles at some point, I did too, but that’s part of the process and super valuable.”
Tessa: “Stakeholder management! It’s so important to involve the right colleagues or external partners at the right time. At first, I really had to get used to that. Now, I’m familiar with the processes and I’m getting better at knowing who to approach and when.”
Tessa: “The traineeship includes a buddy system, and each trainee has a manager. You get a new buddy with each rotation, but your manager stays the same throughout. It’s really helpful to discuss challenges openly with your buddy or manager—you learn and grow faster that way”
Inez: “I see my buddy almost every day, which helps me learn the ropes of the organization and understand the processes. I meet with my manager monthly and have a coaching session every two to three months. Together with my coach, we set development goals early on, like figuring out which area suits me best and how I can apply my neuroeconomics background in my work.”
Kasper: “It’s a great opportunity to kickstart my career at a fun company. Nederlandse Loterij really takes care of its employees, offers room for growth, and organizes fun events too.”
Ruben: “Who else can say their job took them to the Olympic Games and the European Football Championship? I can! There’s a great balance between fun, personal growth, and pursuing your ambitions. I really enjoy the informal atmosphere here.”
Tessa: “I completely agree. It’s great to know that there are opportunities to grow or move sideways within the organization. It means you can take on new challenges without leaving the company.”
Inez: “In the beginning, small things can feel overwhelming. Breaking them down into smaller steps and writing to-do lists really helps. And don’t be afraid to ask questions!”
Ruben: “Never stop exploring. Keep challenging yourself to learn new things. That’s how you discover what you’re good at, what suits you, and what energizes you.”
Kasper: “Push your boundaries. Try to take on tasks that stretch your current skill set. You’ll have the space to grow here, and that’s how you learn the most. And don’t hesitate to ask for help—that’s what I’ve done, and I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made.”
All the unique talents of our colleagues come together in various teams. In this way, we work together on a happy, healthy and sporty Netherlands. Want to know who’s on your team?
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