Lily van Eeden & her expertise in research

Blog Lily van Eeden, Knowledge & Solution Specialist

After my bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I completed a master’s degree in Economics and Consumer Psychology at Leiden University. When I finished my studies, I wanted to work as a market researcher on the agency side. Working for many different brands instead of just one was something that really appealed to me. I started at a large agency where I worked for 2.5 years. I liked my first job and learned a lot, but I lacked control over the process and my work because many sub-tasks were done. This caused delays and less flexibility. I found that I would much rather be responsible from A-Z for both the content and the process. If you then decide to go the extra mile for the client, you are not dependent on others. It made me look for a new job, and in December 2020, I started working at DVJ Insights as a Research Expert.

A fast-growing organisation in times of crisis

„I didn’t know DVJ at first but was approached by a colleague on LinkedIn once before. I thought, who knows? Maybe I’ll get in touch with them in the future. When I got that feeling of wanting to get a new job, I went out looking for opportunities. The international character of DVJ Insights appealed to me, and I like that everything is done ‘in-house’. Like many others at that time, I wanted to switch jobs in the middle of a pandemic and therefore, was unsure about making such a move. Seeing that DVJ Insights had won an FD Gazelle Award for being one of the fastest-growing organisations in the Netherlands for the third consecutive year, reassured me. It is always exciting to make that switch, but I found that DVJ is a match made in heaven for me, and I have not regretted that decision once!

Proud DVJ’er

DVJ’ers work hard, are ambitious, and always go the extra mile. I’m proud to be a DVJ’er! We listen to clients, engage in conversation, and always strive to deliver the highest quality. Raising the bar comes naturally to us, which regularly surprises our clients.

The intensive cooperation with clients makes the work exciting, as we enter into a long-term partnership. I started at DVJ as a Research Expert for a couple of years. As a Research Expert, you are fully responsible for the research, analysis, and recommendations of your projects. By working together with a consultant, you create added value and synergy together. It is up to you to take charge, plan, prioritise your work and manage expectations. I like having that kind of responsibility, and it makes me feel accomplished at the end of the working day.

Journey to Knowledge & Solutions

As a Research Expert, I was already very interested in training other researchers and optimizing our processes and solutions. Because I had shown I was well capable of doing this, I got the opportunity to formalize this role in a new team.  What sets aside DVJ is its ability to adapt quickly to not only customer and market dynamics, but also the talents of our employees, who have the opportunity to express their ideas, which are welcomed and, if suitable to the company’s needs, are often realised.

Project support, training, and solution development

My new role, a Knowledge and Solutions Expert sounds quite fancy. My daily work basically revolves around three key areas. First, I focus on providing so-called “strategic support” to researchers. It means that for more complex projects I coach a researcher from the start to the end. Secondly, I focus on giving onboarding training and group training. I provide training about a wide variety of topics, such as programming, project management or our campaign evaluation solution. And lastly, I’m constantly involved in making small and big changes to our different research solutions.

I am so happy to see that researchers are more confident because they have the right knowledge.

They can work quickly and do not have to go through long processes. I like that our solutions always innovate and therefore always meet customer needs. Work smart, not hard! 😉

What do I want to pass on to future colleagues?

Haha, who wouldn’t want to work at DVJ?  We are a fast-growing, but very flexible company. We are always looking for ambitious colleagues who want to learn and grow every day and progress in their careers. So, are you looking for a versatile job, where you can develop your talents? Then get in touch with us via the career website. And if you want to speak to me personally, feel free to send me an invitation via LinkedIn. I look forward to meeting you!