Alexandra Rus is a content marketing specialist at Randstad in Romania. She participated in our VSO mentoring program, describing it as a win-win for both her and her mentee, Hilda - an entrepreneur sustainable beauty blogger with aspirations to grow her business and build her brand.
‘With a background in supporting NGOs in Romania and other European countries, I joined the Randstad VSO mentoring program and knew it would be a win-win mentor / mentee collaboration. Beyond the professional benefits, we have formed a strong friendship and lifelong bond connecting our countries: Kenya and Romania,’ says Alexandra.
To immerse ourselves in each other's cultures, Hilda taught me how to wrap a head tie according to Kenyan customs and traditions, and shared insights into her specific culinary, cultural and linguistic heritage.
‘The sessions were extremely practical. We created templates to help me stay organized, which I really appreciate and use everyday. I learnt how to write a professional CV, plan content, set goals and eventually, through continuous guidance, I made my own branding playbook. An achievement I’m especially proud of,’ says Hilda.
The things I've gained far outweigh all the effort put into this volunteering program. I've learned to listen more, to take on new challenges, to contribute by helping someone who really needs it and, ultimately, made a dear friend.
‘successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others, while unsuccessful people are always asking: what's in it for me?’
Our way of working was backed up by concrete actions as we've created exercises for each and every subject addressed. As a consequence, Hilda is developing a brand strategy for her website, has created articles tailored to her target audience and is conducting market research to understand what her customers want.
our partnership with vso
Randstad is VSO's global employability partner, supporting their work to help disadvantaged young people gain access to the labor market, acquire employable skills and develop personally via soft skills. This supports our mission to positively shape a more #humanforward world of work.