It's great that I can now also be a kind of mentor for Max.

Referring someone you know and receiving €2,000 for it sounds like a win-win situation. For Petra Habets, a risk controller at APG, it became a reality. Her godson, Max Ortmans, now works as her direct colleague within the Risk Hub. "I think it's fantastic that I could get him excited about it. And to be honest, he's doing an amazing job."

Max completed his Master’s in Sustainable Finance at Maastricht University in early 2024 and already had his sights set on APG. "Both my parents used to work here, and Petra – my mom's best friend – of course, too. Their stories always made me curious about what it's like to work here. During my studies, I looked into APG traineeships, but there wasn't a spot available for me. Still, I was interested in APG"
Then, suddenly, there was this one job opening: Risk Controller. Max: "They asked for experience, which I didn't really have yet. I had taken a Risk course during my studies, but I thought: this might be a bit too ambitious." Luckily, he had Petra by his side.

That little push
"Petra said, 'You can always give it a try, right?' That gave me a push," Max says. "She had even already told her manager Pascal that I would be applying."
Petra adds, "I've known Max his whole life, even advised him on his study choices. So I just knew: he can do this. And I thought it was great that Pascal wanted to give him that chance, even though Max didn't have any work experience yet. Giving young talent a chance – that's something I really associate with APG."

Tough interview
Max was invited for an interview, and it was anything but a formality. "The first interview was a nice introduction. But in the second interview, I was really grilled on content. Fortunately, I could answer the questions well. And then I got the call that I was hired – that really felt like a victory."
Max has now been working at APG for over eight months. "I'm really enjoying it. I even started with a fun team day before my first official workday, which was a great way to start. What I especially like is that I work on different tasks within the team. No day is the same."

Mentor
Petra smiles, "It's very special to work with Max daily now. In fact, he even regularly supports me in my own work! He's just doing really well. And I think it's great that I can also be a kind of mentor for him in this way."
Petra is also clear about the referral bonus: "The €2,000 was, of course, a nice extra, but the most important thing is that I could refer someone I knew would fit in here. And it has really become a success story."

"Just say it"
Petra hopes more colleagues will take the referral program seriously. “It's so valuable to refer people you know well. You know what you're getting, and you also want to help someone if you're so enthusiastic about your work. So: do you know someone who would fit in at APG? Just say it. You help someone move forward, and APG really benefits from it too.”