Boomerang Interview with Florine Doornberg
Written by: Els Oosthoek, September 2025
They left, grew, and came back: these are the stories of our boomerangs.
Florine Doornberg began her career in 2021 at Rvdb as part of the Recruitment Traineeship, where she gained experience on various assignments over the course of nearly three years. During that time, she completed the development program and earned her certification as a TMA professional.
After that, she and her boyfriend decided to embark on a big adventure: living in Mexico City for a year. “Finding a job there turned out to be difficult for me, too: almost everything is conducted in Spanish, and my Spanish wasn’t fluent enough yet. Still, I learned an awful lot there. You don’t just learn about a different culture, but also a lot about yourself.”
Her time in Mexico broadened her perspective. “The culture there is warm, and people are genuinely interested in who you are. Since HR is my field, I was especially curious about the work culture there. Well, I can tell you: we really have it great in the Netherlands, haha. In Mexico, there’s a much stronger hierarchy: Dutch people are more direct and speak their minds more readily. You don’t just give feedback to your boss there. The employment conditions are different, too: you start with six vacation days, and if you’re sick, you need a doctor’s note. On top of that, people often stay with the same employer for a long time, because switching jobs can be disadvantageous. You see a lot less job-hopping there.”
Meanwhile, Florine stayed in touch with Milou from Rvdb. From Mexico, she began exploring the possibility of returning. “An extensive initial interview wasn’t really necessary—we already knew each other. So I moved right into the second interview: the case study interview. When I heard about the role of People & Sales Consultant at Rvdb, my heart started racing. It immediately felt like an opportunity that got me excited. And since I live in Rotterdam, the fact that an office had since opened there made it even better. Everything felt like a warm welcome, exactly as I remembered Rvdb.”
Back at Rvdb in 2025, Florine took on her new role: People & Sales Consultant. “I’ve been in this position for over two months now, and I’m realizing just how much I can learn all over again. That’s exactly what I’ve always loved about interim work: constantly adding to your learning curve. My role is now more commercial—though, of course, as a recruiter, you’re also selling your organization. What I’m discovering is that there are many ways to approach sales, including a way that suits me. My strength lies in the substance: I know how rewarding it is to work for Rvdb and how valuable we are as an organization. With that approach, I don’t have to be a hard-nosed sales hound to be successful.”
The decision to return therefore feels logical. “Without Mexico, I probably wouldn’t have made the move to a commercial role. Now it feels like an opportunity to really do something different and reinvent myself. Rvdb is a solid foundation for me from which I can continue to grow. And to be honest: I was just happy to be back.”
