Almost a year ago, and after six years working in a research center, I decided to start the search for a new job. I had lived all my life in a small region of Spain and thought that the time had come to “see the world”. So I began to look for something that could fulfill my desire and change my life. It took time, a lot of telephone and Skype talks, rejections from my side and being turned down. At one point I even started doubting whether I was making the right decision at all.
The chosen one
Things changed when I saw a really interesting company claiming to be almost exactly what I was looking for: TOPdesk. The first thing that really caught my attention was the job offer. It was original and creative, with a hint of humor. It came from a company that really seemed to consider their developers more than just a bunch of people you hire from a recruiter to replace the ones that just left. That got me interested right away! But as you probably know, there are a lot of attractive offers which turn out to be the exactly the opposite. Luckily for me, the opportunity just kept getting more and more interesting.
I decided to apply for the job. By the end of the day I already had an answer from the HR team: they wanted to know more about me and my motives. They kindly asked me to write a more detailed explanation about my interests and about why I was considering TOPdesk. It was really refreshing to see interest in the person behind the C.V.
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
After that things went really fast. We had a brief talk on the phone the day after the application, which was much more personal than job-related. I then got a small programming case to solve at home in the same week. Again, I had a fast reply, and by the start of the next week I already had an invitation for my first technical interview. Coincidence plays an important role in this story. I just happened to be going on holiday to the Netherlands a few weeks later. TOPdesk agreed to delay the interview so that I was able to do it in person.
The interview was actually enjoyable, with approachable and friendly people that really helped to ease my typical programming interview nervousness. We then took a tour of the office, where I received really good explanations and learned all about the company. Once again, TOPdesk showed itself to be everything it had promised in the job vacancy and during our talks.
The answer came quickly again. The day after my first interview I already had a new appointment for a second interview, this time through Skype with the lead developers. This interview was also very interesting. We didn’t talk specifically about programming languages, but instead about problem solving, tackling challenges, working mentality and other topics related to software development.
That was the last of the interviews. And I passed the round! The only thing left was the offer itself. This was yet another example that showed me how much TOPdesk cares about their people. In order to make the offer, they invited me all the way from Spain to the central office in Delft. That way we could chat about any doubts that I had and they could make sure that the decision I made about whether to take the job was the right one for me.
Success?
To summarize, within two weeks of submitting my application, I already had an offer. And of course I took it; that’s why I’m telling you this story. This is just the beginning of how I got started here. I have a lot more to share about how TOPdesk helped me to launch my new life in the Netherlands. But as a great author said “that is another story and shall be told another time”.