Ahmed Zaki on His First Months at Vicoma

Ahmed Zaki has been part of the Vicoma family since May 1, 2022, and works as a Mechanical Engineer at our office in Groningen. We spoke with Ahmed about his work and his experiences after his first few months. Ahmed is currently busy learning Dutch, so we conducted this interview in English for now.

Can you tell us a little more about your role at Vicoma?

“At first, it wasn’t entirely clear exactly which position I had been invited to fill. We discussed many different roles, projects, and software used at Vicoma. It all sounded very interesting, but not yet very specific, since there were several possibilities. I started at the company and visited various departments. The more time I spent at the company, the better I understood how important it is to work on multidisciplinary projects. That way, you can make a more valuable contribution to an engineering and consulting firm, because you’re always able to help drive growth through projects. I see that our consultancy is increasingly moving toward having colleagues who can perform a variety of tasks rather than being confined to a single, limited role. That’s a good thing, because it keeps the work interesting.

The great thing about my job is that it’s very diverse. One moment you’re doing a strength calculation for pipes, and the next you’re designing a skid. I’ve noticed that we can now take on projects we used to have to turn down due to a lack of capacity, simply because I’m here. I enjoy building a network in the Netherlands and working on-site, because that’s leading to more and more projects.”

What can you tell us about your first few months at Vicoma?

“I think the most important thing is that Vicoma gives you interesting and challenging projects, which allow you to broaden your horizons. The company culture, my colleagues, and the opportunities to learn and grow are things I really appreciate at Vicoma. The company is supportive, and the engineers are highly skilled. I’d also like to mention the Next-Gen initiative, for Vicoma employees up to age 35. These are the people who will shape the company’s future. We share experiences, discuss ideas, and develop them further. It’s great to share these ideas with management as well, so that action can be taken to foster further development and growth. In addition, we’re able to stay in regular contact with colleagues from different locations. It’s also nice that we have informal outings and events within NextGen, where we get to know each other better.”

What was your first impression of Vicoma?

“I went in for my first interview with Menno van der Vaart, Mechanical Department Manager, and Rutger Aalders, Regional Director. It was a very pleasant conversation. It was originally scheduled to last an hour, but we ended up talking for well over an hour and a half. We really enjoyed the conversation. They told me a lot about Vicoma, the projects, and how they work. Of course, I also shared a lot about myself. We hit it off right away. Immediately after the interview, I thought: I’d really love to work at a company with managers like these. I could sense their flexibility and the informal atmosphere, but also that there’s a serious work environment with a clear vision for the future. It was like: “Let’s just get to work!” That combination really appealed to me. That first interview made me eager to have a second one and to talk to various engineers and managers to confirm my first impression. The best part was: everyone made me feel welcome and at ease right away.”

After reading this article about Ahmed’s experiences, are you excited to learn more about the opportunities to work at Vicoma? If so, check out our job openings and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest developments.