Since Jacqueline Haarbrink started her own company @HRT and began working as an interim self-employed professional, she has cherished the desire to gather HR professionals with additional specializations around her. “After all, the HR chain is longer than just my own specialty, HR and IT,” she explains. By joining WeAreHR!, she found the solution she was looking for.

When you took the step to become a self-employed HR professional in 2020, WeAreHR! already existed. Why did you join ‘only now’?
“Good question! I have known WeAreHR! since its very beginning, through Hans van der Velden, co-founder and partner of WeAreHR!. Hans and I worked for the same client at the time, namely Rituals. At that moment, it was too early for me to join; I wanted to first experience what it’s like to work completely independently as an interim professional.”

And how is that?
“Fantastic! I get a lot of energy from my work. My focus is on the intersection of HR and IT. A role as HR-IT project manager suits me well. The type of system is secondary. I can handle all HR systems because the processes are similar. Over the past few years, my role has increasingly shifted from manager to project leader or a combination of both. The latter works very well in practice.”

Why does the combination of interim management and project management work so well?
“In an interim role, for example, as responsible for operations or payroll, you get to know an organization quickly. That knowledge is useful in a project leader role, for instance, during the implementation of a new E-HRM system. In that position, you need to be able to make connections quickly, and it helps if you already know the organization.”

That sounds like a broad scope; why then the need for collaboration with other HR specialists?
“The HR chain is much longer! Especially with larger assignments for international organizations, where I enjoy working, this provides a solution. You can easily involve other specialists in the assignment while remaining the main point of contact. I strongly believe that a good network is essential for success and is therefore worth investing in. My idea was to set up such a knowledge group myself.”

But…
“That never happened! My schedule is extremely full. Not only with work but also with a busy social life and sports. I enjoy diving and skiing. To keep my strength and fitness up, I train weekly with a personal trainer. Meanwhile, I have always kept in touch with Hans van der Velden. Now that I have fully experienced being self-employed, it is a good time to join and build a strong network with WeAreHR!, where we can share knowledge and experience.”

Finally, what is your first impression of the network?
“Very positive, although I haven’t met everyone yet. Being part of the various useful group chats within the network feels reassuring. I look forward to getting to know more voices, stories, and faces from the messages in the app.”

Written by: Hennie van de Kar-Vervooren