Joeri Verasdonck: “There are lots of career options, but what’s best for you?”

You came to ETH for your doctorate but before that you studied chemistry in the Netherlands. Why did you decide to switch to ETH?

That’s right, I studied at the universities of Leiden and Delft, where I got a Bachelors’ degree in molecular science and technology followed by a Masters’ in chemistry. I really enjoyed the courses and knew that I wanted to get further into this field. I was particularly interested in research into nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
At the time, I ideally wanted to stay in Europe so I wasn’t too far away from friends and family. This was when I found a vacancy at ETH involving research into my field of interest. ETH has an excellent reputation and is a leading research institute for nuclear magnetic resonance. It was all looking fantastic for me so it didn’t waste much time in applying for the position. After completing my Masters’ degree programme, I came to ETH and I’ve never regretted it once.

What have you got out of your studies?

I’ve always been a very curious person, hungry for knowledge and someone who wants to understand the world around them. So studying natural sciences was an obvious choice. Today, I know much more even if I no longer need the lion’s share of this detailed knowledge. But because of my scientific background, I am able to quickly understand new correlations and transfer my knowledge into new areas. You never stop learning. I’ve still got a great thirst for knowledge and I closely follow what’s happening in the worlds of science, finance or right now the corona crisis.

How did you get your job at Sensirion?

After my doctorate at ETH, I started looking for a job. I didn't want to remain at the university, instead preferring a job in a dynamic and innovative company. I had found that I really liked Zurich so wanted to stay in the area.
I saw an ad for a job at Sensirion and it appealed to me. Of course, anyone studying at ETH will be familiar with the name Sensirion as it’s a former spin-off from ETH and always attends the ETH job fair. I got an interview straight away and it quickly became clear that I would enjoy working here. Staff working close together and a good team spirit are very important at Sensirion and this was something that came across in my interview. Because we liked one another and my qualifications were right for the job, my career was launched as a Field Application Engineer. After two years, I moved into product management.
I really like the company culture. Sensirion puts on lots of social events, like beers after work on a Friday, the Sensi Weekend and joint ski trips. You really feel that relations between staff are very important to the company. The hierarchy is flat and we are on first name terms with one another.

You are a product manager at Sensirion. What does your job entail?

As product manager, you could say that I’m a bridge between two groups – the market and the development team. I often attend customer meetings, be they in the office, on the phone, at the customer’s premises or at trade fairs. On the one hand, I need to understand what the customer or the market needs and on the other hand, what products we can supply and develop.

What skills are crucial for this job?

We produce sensors for lots of different areas. To understand our products, you need to have an understanding of technology to be able to analyse which areas they can be used in. But you don’t just need technical knowledge, good intuition is also key. Customers usually don’t describe their problem in a way which makes a solution obvious. You need to have a genuine interest in the customer and people to understand what they really need, which makes the job an ongoing challenge. Ultimately you need both technical knowledge and intuition to find the right products to solve their problems.
Another challenge is the international aspect of the job. I can communicate with ease in German, English and Dutch. But with Chinese customers, for example, we have colleagues in the local branches who assist with linguistic issues but also help with cultural customs and regional networks.
Spending six months in China for Sensirion certainly helped me gain a better understanding of the culture. But despite that, sometimes is nicer or even essential to have colleagues on the ground who help you overcome certain challenges.

What do you like most about product management?

I like the variety of the work I do. I work with various development areas within Sensirion but also with customers and I attend trade fairs, if the focus of the event is of interest to me.
I also like the international nature of the company. Every day, I interact with colleagues and customers abroad and often visit them. My field of work is very dynamic. After graduating, I was specifically looking for this dynamism and diversity. I did enjoy working for my doctorate, but working day in, day out in the lab and the intensive, in-depth focus on one specific area wasn’t going to be my thing in the long run.

What advice would you give to students about how to best prepare for today’s world of work?

My advice may sound trivial, but you need to think about what you want to do after university. There are lots of career options, but what’s best for you? At an early stage, you should investigate various job profiles and possible choices and work out what fields you want to work in. Job fairs provide an initial overview. A work placement will provide more in-depth insight into a company. You get to see how a company works, familiarise yourself with different areas and learn what kind of work you are interested in.
Personally, I never had the time to do it but it’s well worth finding work experience. For example, Sensirion takes on a large number of placement students and works a lot with them.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

I didn't have a dream job. Sure, when I was young I wanted to be a football player. I wasn't bad but I wasn't good enough to make a career out of it. Early on, I was also very musical and did think about studying music. At school I even completed the preparatory training to become a jazz pianist at academy of music. But it’s remained one of my hobbies instead.