Your career can take many turns

When Coraline Hees graduated with a Master in International Management from Ichec, she had no clear idea of where her career would take her. She applied for roles in marketing, finance, and other areas, trying to figure out what might suit her. Then, following a conversation with a family friend, she took a step back and asked herself 2 important questions: what did she actually enjoy doing, and what was she good at?

That moment of reflection led her to recruitment. The human side of the job immediately appealed to her: helping professionals take the next step in their careers, building relationships, and working closely with both candidates and clients. Within weeks, she found her answer.

In January 2012, Coraline joined Robert Walters as a Recruitment Consultant. The 360° nature of the role suited her well: she could combine her interest in people with a commercial mindset, while gaining a broad understanding of the labour market. Over the following years, her career developed naturally, with each new role bringing greater responsibility. She became Senior Recruitment Consultant in 2014, Teamleader in 2016 and Manager in 2018.

“Becoming a Manager was a big step. As a Teamleader, I already had experience supporting colleagues, but becoming a Manager brought a different level of responsibility and gave me a much broader view of the business.” 

After almost ten years at Robert Walters, life presented her with a very different opportunity. In 2021, Coraline moved to Johannesburg with her family when her husband took on an international assignment. For the first time, her own career took a back seat. “It was a bit of a mixed feeling. I had built a great career over those ten years and knew there was still room to grow. But at the same time, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I could take a step back, spend time with my family and myself, and experience a completely different environment.”

What could have simply been a pause in her career turned into a period of personal growth. Living in South Africa exposed Coraline to people from different backgrounds and cultures, and to completely different ways of looking at life. It also pushed her beyond her comfort zone. “I became more patient and open-minded. When I look back at the Manager I was before, I know I would approach things differently today. Even though I wasn’t working, I was still learning and developing in so many other ways.”

When Coraline returned to Belgium in September 2023, she knew she wanted her next career move to build on everything she had experienced so far. A conversation about her future at Robert Walters opened the door to a new opportunity: joining the Interim Management division as a Senior Consultant.

It was a change of direction, but not a fresh start. Coraline brought ten years of experience with her, from her knowledge of the finance and accounting market to the relationships she had built and her understanding of the business. At the same time, the new role allowed her to work with more senior profiles and look at the market from a different angle. 

“You don’t start from scratch when you move to another division within Robert Walters. You take your experience with you. You already know the clients, candidates, the market, and internal systems. Of course, there’s a learning curve, but you have a solid base to build from.”

The move also gave Coraline the chance to learn from a new team and a new manager, with different perspectives and areas of expertise. At the same time, she could bring insights and best practices from her previous team. For her, that exchange is one of the real advantages of moving internally: you keep what you have learned, while opening yourself up to something new.

Returning to Robert Walters was a conscious choice. She could have joined another organisation, but the company’s values and culture still felt right. Her return also reinforced something she had come to understand about her own career: there is more than one way to grow.

Earlier in her career, Coraline associated career success with progressing within the same team. Today, she looks at it differently. “I don’t have a specific end goal today. I simply want to be successful at what I do. I don’t necessarily need to become a Manager or Director. If an interesting opportunity comes my way, I’ll see where it takes me.” 

For Coraline, a career doesn’t need to be mapped out in advance. It can evolve as your ambitions change, as new opportunities arise and as life itself takes a different direction.

Her own journey reflects that perfectly: from Recruitment Consultant to Manager, from taking a career break abroad to returning to Robert Walters in a completely new role.  

And that is perhaps what makes a career at Robert Walters so interesting. You can build expertise, take on new responsibilities, explore a different part of the business, or simply take a different path when the time feels right. You don’t have to know exactly where you want to be ten years from now.

And who knows, another international adventure may be on the horizon. Through her husband’s international career as a finance professional, another opportunity abroad may come their way, something Coraline is very much looking forward to. Because your career can evolve with you. Sometimes, it simply follows your life.

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