Virtual stands at Delftse Bedrijvendagen

The Delftse Bedrijvendagen has been one of the largest annual events on campus since 1996. It brings students and companies together for internships, jobs and thesis subjects. While the Aula was always the setting before the covid pandemic, the event is now held in a hybrid setting. How does it work? Delta interviewed President Vlei Blommers (student Applied Physics) and Commissioner of Promotional Affairsr Ties Hollander (student Aerospace Engineering).

The Delftse Bedrijvendagen will be held in stages from the beginning of February to the beginning of May. Why is this?
Blommers explains that “See the Delftse Bedrijvendagen as a path that students follow to find an internship, thesis subject or job. They have both contact with companies and learn specific skills. We will start the DDB with job application training so that students can learn how the application procedure works, what kinds of questions they may get and how they can answer them. They can also have their CVs checked. After that is the biggest event, the orientation days. During this event, more than 150 companies will present themselves to TU Delft students. The students can learn about a range of different companies and sectors. If they are interested in a particular company, they can join the third event: the coffee meetings. They can learn more about the company at these informal one-to-one sessions. The closing event of the DDB is the in-house days in which the students literally go to a company to get a feel for it for themselves.”

The corona restrictions meant that the Delftse Bedrijvendagen last year were held online. How are you organising it this year?
“Given the current restrictions, the job application training, coffee meetings and in-house days will be physical,” answers Hollander. “The orientation days, in which about 3,000 students usually take part, will be held online again. Luckily a platform was designed for it last year giving companies a virtual stand. The attendees can obtain information and a brochure and see a film of the companies. There is also the option to chat or video call. Because you cannot walk along the stands, there is a ‘network carrousel’ now. This links you to a different recruiter every five minutes so that you come into contact with various companies in an accessible way.”

What was it like for you to organise an event in a time in which the rules are continuously changing?
“It was tricky,” says Blommers, “as when we started in September the outlook was positive. At that point even the orientation days could be physical. But when the infection rate started rising again, we quickly thought about different scenarios. As it takes a lot of time to organise such a big event and you cannot decide at the last minute to hold it either online or physically, we ultimately opted for online orientation days.”

^{The The board of De Delftse Bedrijvendagen with Ties Hollander (back) and Vlei Blommers (front). (Photo: The Delftse Bedrijvendagen)}

How can you ensure that students’ preparations for an internship or job are not jeopardised during a pandemic? 
“The most important thing is for them to stay in contact, with companies too,” explains Blommers. “And that is not easy so it is very important that we hold DDB yet again. People need internships and jobs even during a pandemic. We encourage students to take part so that they come into contact with their fellow students (during the job application training) and companies. The network carrousel is useful for this. Even if you only talk to someone for five minutes, each point of contact is valuable.”
Hollander agrees. “You have the chance to meet more than 150 companies and start-ups at DDB. It really is a unique opportunity for TU Delft students to orientate themselves thoroughly in a career after their studies.”

• The Delftse Bedrijvendagen will be held in stages from 8 February to the beginning of May 2022. The highlight is a three day virtual career event. Sign up for the Delftse Bedrijvendagen before 16 February on the website