Roxana Condruț joined Stefanini as a Support Engineer in 2013 and has held multiple roles over the last seven years, being promoted to Quality Analyst and Senior Team Leader, before moving into her Service Manager role.
We caught up with Roxana to discuss her experience at Stefanini, including the importance of teamwork, the value of never quitting and how planning for the long-term can deliver career success.
This is the first interview in our new series involving our Digital Workplace Services (DWS) colleagues. DWS spans multiple roles and skillsets, with team members able to meet customers’ changing needs. These range from traditional Service Desk and Field Service to modern infrastructure capabilities, including cloud, virtualization, platforms and applications. We will explore the career journey, best practices and learnings of DWS colleagues across EMEA and showcase what life at Stefanini involves.
Why did you choose to join Stefanini?
The opportunity to use my language skills piqued my initial curiosity and prompted me to apply for the role at Stefanini. I began as a Support Engineer, offering technical support in English and Spanish and dealing with requests over phone or via email.
I had a positive interview experience and was delighted to join once I received the offer. This was more than seven years ago now and I’ve been really pleased with my decision to join ever since. I’ve met great people, I never feel left out and there is always a challenge ahead of me that is driving me to progress within the business.
How have you evolved professionally within the company so far?
Stefanini has challenged me in so many ways already and I’m continually looking forward to my next opportunity within the company.
I’ve learned that my personal development is within my own control and I can make progress by taking the initiative and taking on additional responsibilities. Being ambitious, I never stop trying to evolve and identify new projects. I’ve received support from my managers every time I’ve wanted a new challenge or spoken my mind. In seven years, I went from a Support Engineer to a Service Manager, building a strong relationship with the customers and colleagues that I worked with. Having the satisfaction of looking back and being happy with my choices and career opportunities is continuing to motivate me on my career journey.
What are the most important things that you have learned here?
Don’t give up! Whenever faced with difficult situations, I remind myself of the people that I admire or the opportunities I see ahead of me, which gives me that extra push and helps me create solutions with my team. My time here has underlined that teamwork is much more than a buzzword and no matter how good you are, you will always benefit from working with a team, professionally and personally. I’ve also learned how to embrace the ups and downs of working life and how to shift my attention from frustration to action whenever facing a roadblock. Last but not least, I’ve learned to communicate effectively and that transparency always pays.
What are some best practices you have learned and applied in your current role?
There are a lot of important best practice frameworks that help when it comes to building a strong team and fostering team spirit. Following ITIL practices has shaped my day-to-day activities and approach to business. The likes of ITIL and Project Management Professional (PMP) help when it comes to building teams, creating solutions and driving business excellence.
There are also important best practices around soft skills. I was given the opportunity to participate in Process Communication Model (PCM) training, which has enhanced the way I communicate with people. It was an opportunity to look at myself and the people around me, to create new communication channels and better understand how to collaborate effectively. I’d say this skill has even benefited my personal life, so I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity I’ve been given.
What do you like most about working at Stefanini?
The power to adapt. Being ambitious, I’ve never liked quitting. What I like most about Stefanini is regardless of the challenge we are facing, we adapt and overcome. In 2020, honesty became crucial for employees. Facing the unknown, it was proven once again that even if things are not always the way we want them to be, it is important to work together. There’s a real team spirit at Stefanini and I appreciate everyone’s sincerity and desire to overcome challenges, as well as the opportunities to develop personally.
What advice would you give to a new Stefanini employee?
Be inspired! Technology, business practices and people are all out there waiting for you to create the environment for success. Don’t simply wait for success to happen. In my case, I relied on having a plan, which gave me a direction to follow. However, as the last year has shown, things can change quickly, which is why I would advise new employees to think more about long-term goals rather than strict short-term targets. This framework still allows you to plan, to take the initiative and to drive your career forward. You should also be open to the unknown and be prepared to embrace uncomfortable situations – sometimes failure is the best teacher.
What advice would you give to other Stefanini colleagues when it comes to building a success story here?
Be true to yourself. Success doesn’t come easy, but the more you stay true to yourself, the greater your sense of accomplishment and recognition will be. My approach might not work for everyone but I do think we should all focus on our goals and how best to achieve these. Also, remember to evaluate where you are occasionally and don’t forget that hard work pays off one way or another, so keep your eyes on the prize.
Want to be our next success story? At Stefanini, we’re always interested in hearing from talented candidates across all levels of experience. You can browse our current EMEA vacancies, here.
