Josipa Vresk: Lucky to have a job I love and great people around

The spirit and interests of the amicable Josipa Vresk could take you by surprise. She jokes about being the shortest person in many of the airsoft matches, unforgiving military simulations in extreme weather and harsh terrains. At the opposite end stands her love for growing plants – a hobby that keeps her occupied throughout February and well into the springtime. 

She first joined Emil Frey Digital as a student intern, in her final year of study at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics. Introduced to the company at the Career Week, she did some LinkedIN research, too. - I liked that they worked in the automotive industry, and I heard positive experiences from a colleague who had joined Emil Frey Digital a month earlier, she said. 

This is how her internship started. - We got to know each other and I was offered a job. The internship was a valuable experience, as it prepared Josipa for a deeper dive that came when she started her onboarding. - It was during onboarding that I developed a better understanding of the company. I got a grip on the structure and business logic, which is complex and you can’t fully absorb it in a one-month internship.

Still a full-time student, Josipa was grateful for the flexibility she could have at work. She still had responsibilities at the university. A day off for exams, time off for studying when needed, and ample time to work on her thesis - things like these mean a lot, she said.

She gives credit to her mentor and colleagues for a lot of her learning and opportunities. - To give you an example, when I first applied for the internship, I expressed an interest in the PL-SQL developer role. After seeing my CV, Marina Biro of the HR department saw a bigger picture of my potential and possible career paths. She mentioned a position in integrations could be a better fit for me. Her suggestion was both wise and correct.  The work is dynamic and puts new challenges in front of me all the time. I truly enjoy it, Josipa said. 

"You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning free of any knots in your stomach when thinking about going to work? That's how I feel. I do a job I love, I have wonderful people around me, I can rely on them. I feel good in such an environment; it fosters a sense of well-being and comfort."

As an Integration Specialist, she works on service integrations, client communication and reporting. There is also a portion of PL-SQL development for which she had initially applied. - I can say I am constantly learning and expanding my skills. Just recently I joined a newly formed team with a great opportunity to learn cutting-edge technology.

Curiosity is a path to success

Josipa was an active and engaged student. She took part in competitions and explored different things, searching for the ones to focus on. - At one point I enrolled in a web development academy. This experience honed my time management skills, which come in handy when you juggle many activities in a single day. While studying, I collaborated with a group of exchange students. This helped with my language skills and made it easier to work with clients and partners from abroad, which I do in my current role.

- I am a talkative person, and now it seems so funny that I didn’t speak much in my first month here. There are more than 100 employees; I was uncomfortable talking to people because I couldn't remember all the names. But, I had an excellent mentor who helped me get to know everyone, and did a great job with my onboarding. I am very grateful for that, Josipa said. 

"They make you feel at ease and look to reduce the stress levels. They always try to improve everything they can, things they can influence. They made things easier for me, definitely."

Onboarding adapted to your needs

- The company has a wide and complex business, which you need to understand well if you want to be successful in your role. Fortunately, it is documented so you can read and learn it. Of course, reading about a company can’t compare with hands-on experience at the company. When your reading is preceded with some practice, it will improve your understanding a great deal.

In Josipa’s words, onboarding at Emil Frey digital lasts as long as you need. In a sense, it is personalized and adapted to the individual needs. - For example, if they see that you are proactive and dedicated, they will extend your onboarding until you adopt all the skills and knowledge needed to do your job independently and effectively. At first, my mentor came up with a range of tasks that aimed to help assess my problem-solving skills. As I progressed, I started handling real tasks and resolving customer inquiries. My mentor gave me feedback - we would discuss what I did well and where I could improve.

“My mentor was the main person I always turned to with a thousand questions. It would be like Hey, it is Josipa again with another question."

In Josipa’s words, people she works with are really supportive and willing to help, making the working atmosphere healthy and enjoyable. - No one ever turned me away or treated my questions as unimportant. If a colleague could not give me the answer, they would point me to someone who could.

Harmonizing work and leisure

- I'm glad I can work from home whenever I need to. I have all the equipment. Flexible working hours are great, too, as I have many hobbies. We have a dog in the office - a little ball of happiness. A month after I arrived, we moved to a beautiful new building. It is super-equipped, it instantly makes you feel better. Speaking of hobbis, I love plants and February is all about planting for me. My house is in chaos, with jars all over the place. I happily share my plants with others; I even turned the office into a green oasis. I've been a member of an airsoft team for almost 5 years, so my weekends are all about mud, snow or rain.

Photo credit: PAS klub Lepoglava

Memorable moments - on a plane

- I went on a business trip to Switzerland with my colleague, and the plane got into some turbulence. I had never been on a plane before, so I started to panic and turned pale. I thought I could have a panic attack. My colleague dragged me into a conversation about work, so in the end I didn't notice when the turbulence passed. We landed and everything was great.😊

Wide opportunities for professional growth

- Right now, I feel great where I am. I've just gathered enough knowledge to work more independently. I still have questions. As Marina would say - there will always be questions, they will just be fewer over time. My next step is to move from a junior to a mid-level position; there are opportunities for advancement. We have education budgets, they offer certification in various segments, for example, if you want to become a scrum master, the possibilities are really wide. I understand it takes both work and time, Josipa concluded.