Author: Rossella Bittichescu
Take a sneak peek into the adventure I embarked on one year ago when I joined Adevinta. What started in 2021 as a nine-month internship within the Early Careers Programme has recently transformed into a full-time job - a job that comes with thrilling opportunities, new challenges and, most of all, a new network of people that help me to thrive!
I’d like to dedicate this story to all the young - but also not so young - starters; to the graduates who are approaching the job market for the first time; the interns whose future is still unsure; and even the professionals who are going through a career change. In one way or the other, we find ourselves at a starting point more times than we can count.
Warm welcome
I joined Adevinta in February 2021 as part of the third cohort of the Early Careers Programme, and I felt incredibly lucky right from the beginning. Although most of my colleagues were still “a screen away” and it would eventually take months to get to know them in person, I was impressed by the warm welcome I received from my mentors and fellow interns alike.
I managed to build positive relationships with the rest of my cohort, with whom I shared the full spectrum of emotions related to a new working environment. From the slight initial awkwardness to the sense of fulfilment, fear and joy during the many moments we spent together. One year on, I am thrilled to say that all of us are still working at Adevinta and have grown immensely!
Nine months, endless opportunities
Being a Communications Intern within the global Communications & Engagement team meant being able to interact with multiple stakeholders across the business on a day-to-day basis.
As I got more acquainted with my role and responsibilities, I became increasingly involved in campaigns that required engaging with lots of employees. For someone who had never worked in a large business before, that presented a unique opportunity to sharpen my networking skills and get past the anxiety of approaching coworkers that I had never talked to before.
Fair share of errors
Of course, I also learnt through my mistakes. As positive as my experience was, I - like everyone else - made my fair share of errors, but I found value in the constructive feedback I received from my manager and team members. I embraced the concept of growing through different perspectives - one of Adevinta’s key behaviours - by understanding that external inputs on my performance shouldn’t be perceived as intimidating if they’re helping me examine my work through a richer, more mature lens.
Changes and chances
Several people within the company and my circle of friends have asked me how my routine and life have changed now that I am a full-time employee at Adevinta.
But let’s go back for a moment to October 2021!
Since I was approaching the end of my internship in the Communications & Engagement team, I felt determined to extend my journey. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and keep growing within a company that had taught and given me so much. I invested some time looking for opportunities that would suit my profile, and when I least expected it, I actually found a great one.
I am happy to say that a few days after the end of my internship, I joined the global Learning & Development team as a Learning Programme Associate. I am now in charge of the project management behind several learning offerings, mainly related to personal development, our feedback culture and leadership skills. I am delving deep into the world of project management by taking advantage of the skills I acquired in Communications and tailoring them to the tasks I need to perform.
Handling big projects
So…what’s changed since becoming an employee at Adevinta?
After the initial weeks of adjustments and introductions within my new, small yet fierce team, I can say that I now feel more open and less nervous when it comes to handling big projects. As I notice how my responsibilities increase, I feel grateful for the trust that my new managers are giving me, considering the fact that I only joined their team a couple of months ago; especially as some of my duties require a high level of attention to small details, emotional intelligence and mature interpersonal skills.
I still have quite a lot to learn, I am aware of that - but I am confident in the fact that I’m being provided with all the necessary tools and mentorship to take big steps forward. Hopefully this chapter will prove to be as rewarding as my internship, which I still cherish and think about often.
After all, we are one big team who win and lose together, and I view my current role as a more structured and organised continuation of the work I started in the Early Careers Programme.
