Marcin Kłak joined our business more than 10 years ago, in 2009, applying for a role on the recommendation of a former colleague who had moved to Stefanini.
He’s since been promoted multiple times, being appointed to roles including Senior Support Engineer, Operations Analyst, and Knowledge Engineer, before moving into his current Service Manager role.
We caught up with Marcin to discuss his experience at Stefanini, including the importance of listening carefully, looking for development opportunities and being fully prepared.
This is the seventh interview in our 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. This series explores the career journeys, best practices and learnings of DWS colleagues across EMEA and showcases what life at Stefanini involves.
Why did you choose to join Stefanini?
I was looking for a new role and had been in touch with one of my colleagues who worked at Stefanini and recommended the company. The role sounded really interesting, so I applied and was delighted to be offered a Support Engineer position here.
How have you evolved professionally within the company so far?
When I first began, as a first-level Support Engineer, I didn’t particularly plan to stay in IT. Over time, I realized how fun and interesting working in IT can be. I was also offered a series of promotions which made the work even more challenging and exciting. I was firstly promoted to a Senior Support Engineer role, before being offered the role of Operations Analyst, where I was responsible for reporting and data analysis. After a few years, I became Service Improvement Coordinator, which was more challenging but very interesting. It still required some data analysis but I had to carry out project management duties too. Later, I spent some time in a Knowledge Engineer position, before finally moving to service management. I started as a Junior Service Manager, before being promoted to the Service Manager role.
What are the most important things that you have learned here?
This is a tough question because I’ve spent the majority of my professional career at Stefanini, so I’ve learned a lot here. At first, I had to acquire more IT-related skills. I am especially happy about developing my Microsoft Excel skills. I also attended ITIL training sessions and received three certifications. This training allowed me to deeply understand how best practice IT support is provided. I’ve also learned a huge amount through my various roles, including everything from presentation skills and project management to the effective use of applications. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is the ability to listen to others in order to properly understand their needs.
What are some best practices you have learned and applied in your current role?
I think there are two main points I can mention here. The first is to listen to others. Whether you’re discussing things with your colleagues or with your customer, you need to pay careful attention to ensure you fully understand their requirements, as well as how best you can meet these. The second point is to always be prepared for meetings. It’s not enough to just have some slides or notes, you also need to fully understand what these show and why.
What do you like most about working at Stefanini?
I like the atmosphere here – I work with great colleagues who are a big part of why I enjoy my work. Everyone is treated fairly, which makes working here really rewarding.
What advice would you give to a new Stefanini employee?
It’s important to enjoy your work – get involved in new tasks and projects enthusiastically and be prepared to learn a lot.
What advice would you give to other Stefanini colleagues when it comes to building a success story here?
I’d recommend being committed to your work and always looking for opportunities to grow. If there are some important skills you’ll need to gain in order to get to the next level, be prepared to develop these.
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.
