As her skills and qualifications impressed us so much, Kejda started an internship as a Junior Software Developer in the software development department at BOC Group in December 2020. After her first career steps with an internship in the BOC Group, we are very pleased that she has now joined our team as a permanent employee. Today we want to talk with her about her experiences with discrimination before joining BOC and her start at BOC Group.
You attended the „Voice of diversity“ program of TU Career Center last year, how was the applicant process starting with the anonymous chat?
Speaking with someone on the other side without knowing anything about them or who they represent was mysterious and enticing. It helped lift all judgement and just stayed a conversation at the core without worrying about reading in-between the lines.
After the anonymous chat, I got two interviews one of which was with BOC Group (even being a bit biased I can say it was my favourite interview). The interviewers were friendly and if the anonymous chat was a relieving experience, this was an uplifting one. I immediately understood that there was interest in my abilities which as a student from another country I cannot stress enough how amazing it feels.
Have you ever experienced discrimination in an application process?
I wish I hadn’t. But as a female coming from a non-EU country I can say I definitely have. It has never been anything major, on the contrary it always had a kind of subtlety to it. Not being replied for applications, not being taken seriously even in those rare interviews I was able to get. But I am happy to say that is all in the past now!
In which way did voice of diversity change your views on the application process?
First of all, I would like to congratulate anyone that came up with the name as it is the best form of advertisement it can get. It changed my views on application processes both subjectively and objectively. Subjectively, it made me understand that there are companies that do not care for anything else except for a good employee. Race, gender, age is not a factor, but just a random fact on a CV. Objectively, it was a beautiful technical lesson to bypass bias even the companies that do care about the aforementioned factors.
How were your first steps at BOC Group and what skills and qualifications helped you the most when you started your internship?
I was a bit shy in the beginning but that was immediately melted away by the other employees and their social attitudes. I had the primary qualifications when it comes to the technical side of the job but what fascinated me was that I was zealous to learn new things. This new skill I attribute and thank the work environment. I worked a bit more on the creative side throughout my internship mostly in making charts.
You are currently doing your Master in Data Science at TU Wien. How do you benefit from your work experience during your studies and vice versa?
Both my Master and work experience have been complimentary to one another, in such a way that what I learn in the work I can implement in my Masters study and vice versa. They have helped me become more complete in the bigger field of IT.
What advice do you have for your university fellows who want to take their first career steps in professional software development?
Believe in yourself, as software development is such a diverse and fluid field that will always have a demand for an individual just the way that you are. You will have to work hard but not one day so far have I felt out of place or not enough, and the reward will always be immense be it from an experience, social or financial point of view.
Don’t be afraid to be creative! I cannot stress this enough as there are many different ways to work and yours might just be the next big and exciting thing!
What do you like most about your job at BOC Group?
This is by far the hardest question. It has been an amalgamation of everything it offers. Amazing coworkers, flexibility, desire to help and develop their employees to the best of their abilities, fun workplace, social settings and easiness when talking to your peers. To better answer your question, the thing I liked the most of working at BOC Group is the transformation I went through, the better person I am since I started working there!
Thank you Kejda for sharing with us!
You also want to become part of the BOC family? Then apply now!
BOC Group bietet erfahrenen Experten und jungen Talenten ein inspirierendes Arbeitsumfeld in den Bereichen Unternehmensführung, Softwareentwicklung, Kundenbetreuung, Beratung und Vertrieb. In 25 Jahren ist das Unternehmen gemeinsam mit einer Vielzahl an Kollegen als langjährige Wegbegleiter und wichtige Schlüsselrollen erfolgreich gewachsen. Wir legen Wert auf Neugier, Offenheit, Begeisterung und ein hohes Maß an Servicequalität und pflegen eine persönliche, offene und durch Vielfalt geprägte Unternehmenskultur. Alle zusammen streben wir danach, jeden Tag weiter zu wachsen.
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