“That's what I've always done: asking for help”

For over 25 years, we have been connecting organizations with the best marketing, communication and content professionals. We find suitable assignments or positions for junior, medior and senior professionals. In Spot On, we would like to introduce them to you. This time, Spot On: Anouchka Kleijnen, Communications Advisor (ai) at the Province of North Holland.

“Themes where a lot is going on, with a lot of fuss and a lot of opinions. That's when the adrenaline starts flowing.”

Graduated historian Anouchka Kleijnen accidentally ended up in the communications field after her studies. Via Babbage she worked at the Province of North Holland. After more than thirty years in the field, she still enjoys it. Anouchka: “It is a kind of infusion with a gradual supply of endorphins.”

“In the late eighties, the study of Communication as we know it today did not yet exist. You could take the subject of mass communication at Political Science, which was mainly done by men who then got PR functions in the government. I studied history myself, because I love good stories. In high school, I had a history teacher who could tell such captivating stories. He told a lot about antiquity, wonderful scenes, I was completely absorbed in that. I thought: how nice it would be if you could listen breathlessly to those kinds of stories your whole life. Unfortunately, I also had to put bread on the table,” laughs Anouchka.

Chance

“After studying history, I first worked at Stichting '40-'45. In fact, I started writing for magazines there in addition to my documentation work. Then I started working at the Municipality of Spijkenisse and, among other things, I made annual reports. By chance, an interim colleague said during a reorganization of the municipality: 'I'll place you in the Communications department.' A few years later, I started at the Municipality of Rotterdam and obtained my communication diplomas C and D at SRM and Van der Hilst. Typical of my generation to get involved in the profession in that way.”

Via via

“About fifteen years ago I registered with Babbage and had a pleasant conversation at the office. At that time without any follow-up, because at that time I always got work through intermediaries. For example, I would meet a former colleague in the vegetable department who was still looking for colleagues. That's how it went. I worked in the sustainable energy sector for a long time and rolled from one project to the next. About ten years ago, the government introduced framework contracts and it became more formal. From that time on, I had to report to a recruitment agency for every assignment.”

Adrenaline

“I worked via Babbage as a Senior Communications Advisor and Spokesperson for a deputy at the Province of North Holland. In the area of ​​spatial planning, housing and asylum. In the late nineties I worked at the municipality of Rotterdam for three large construction sites. At that time a lot of construction was going on and we had large communication budgets. If you wanted to put stickers on a tram, you did it. What I saw recently in spatial planning is so different. It is mainly about double use of space. So many claims are being made on public space. Just like the asylum crisis, it is a huge issue. And that is what I like: themes where a lot is going on, with a lot of fuss and many opinions. That gets the adrenaline flowing.”

Interests

“For me, the trick at the province was to communicate provincial policy effectively. Journalists never just ask: 'Deputy, what do you think?' They talk to village councils and shopkeepers and counterpose the province's story. You have to take many interests into account: people want to live, cherish nature, recreate. When I worked at the Court in Rotterdam, we always hoped that in conflicts between citizens and government, people would ultimately say: 'I was taken seriously. I was not proven right, but I can live with it.' People want a clear story, to know how the trade-offs are made. I find that important in my work.”

Ask for help

“At the court I learned that it is never about the packaging, always about the content. That way I learned something with every assignment. An important event in my career was the Schiedammerpark murder. In 2000 a girl was murdered and the wrong person was convicted. At the time I was Head of Communications at the Judiciary in Rotterdam. Because of that miscarriage of justice the judge went public, in Pauw & Witteman. That was a break with the trend. Judges did not go public in those days. I thought then: this is too big for me. I called in a former journalist to help me. I have always continued to do that: ask for help, get people involved.”

Miniatures

“Actually, I am still learning every day and I often feel proud. I am not a milestone person. It is a kind of infusion with a gradual supply of endorphins. When I negotiate with a journalist and they adjust the text, I say to myself: well done! I also have that feeling when I give someone tips about a PowerPoint and see them later in practice. I almost get sentimental, but it is precisely the small things that do it. Maybe it has to do with my history studies: I know that small events can have major consequences. It is also a yardstick: if I am proud regularly, I am apparently still enjoying myself.”

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