Synergy, opportunities, fearless and trust - interview with Agnieszka B. Dąbrowska, HR Manager in SoftServe Poland

SoftServe has several operating centres in Poland. How many people do you employ and what processes are they involved in?

We've been present on the Polish market since 2014. At the moment, our team consists of about 340 people in five locations in Poland - Wrocław, Gliwice, Białystok, Warsaw and Poznań. We work with programmers, architects, IT testers, business analysts and project managers. Of course, we also have business support departments such as recruitment, finance, HR and Internal Communications.

As a company, we're growing rapidly, acquiring new projects and opening new offices.

We're aware of the fact that our development is possible only thanks to people. We employed 170 people nationwide in 2018. We're looking for the best experts in the industry - visionaries, people with passion. By the end of 2019, we wish to expand our team by more than 200 individuals.

In our work, we use state-of-the-art technologies. We change and optimise the way in which companies around the world conduct their business. We specialise in providing services in the field of software development in Big Data, IoT, Cloud, e-commerce, IT security or UX. Our team works on platforms and uses programming languages such as Sitecore, Java, JavaScript (Node.js, React.js, Vue.js), Python, .NET, Sharepoint and Ruby.

Our portfolio currently includes several dozen very different projects in the field of e-commerce, medicine, media and finance. Amongst others, we're working on a modern media platform which may become a real competitor for HBO GO and Netflix on the European market, a service (more extended) equivalent of Polish ePUAP in the Middle East and software facilitating the detection of threats (e.g. burglaries, failures etc.) for IT operational teams in large companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. We also support our clients in the Business Intelligence area and in making strategic decisions based on data from portals such as Facebook and YouTube, Internet TV, internal applications and the sales results of online stores.

SoftServe's clients include international entities, mainly from the Silicon Valley, Canada and Europe, but also from the Middle East and Singapore.

Can anyone be a SoftServe employee? What kind of competences are you mainly looking for?

We believe that employees are the greatest asset of our company, so we build a team of professionals - inquisitive and creative people who are always ready to take on new challenges. We strongly rely on people with business experience and highly developed technical competences. Currently, our most sought-after vacancies include Big Data, DevOps, Python and JavaScript specialists as well as business analysts and project managers.

SoftServe's values that form the basis of our corporate culture include synergy, opportunities, courage and trust. We're looking for people who want to work on the success of the company and projects as a team, who want to share their knowledge and inspire and support each other. We're also very happy to employ people for whom development is important, who are not afraid of new challenges and feel good in a dynamic environment. Mutual respect and trust are equally important to us. Integrity in business and friendships is the basis of our actions.

What is the SoftServe career development process like? Is it possible to work in different locations?

We're committed to the development of our employees. We therefore strongly focus on acquiring interesting and ambitious projects, defined career paths and the possibility to work with the latest technologies.

There is a so-called SoftServe University within our company. Approximately 30 projects are being implemented there - the intention of which is to support our employees in acquiring new competences. We have our own specialists in e-learning and certification, a language school, boot camps for managers and an intercultural communication centre etc.

For several years we've been successfully implementing a unique approach to employee development. Our system is based on a career map, where each employee can literally 'click on' his or her career path. Such a map shows, in a friendly and transparent way, the criteria necessary for promotion, including technical requirements, knowledge of English and the date of the next employee assessment. This tool additionally refers to all the materials necessary to prepare for the evaluation. Such an evaluation is carried out by our internal experts who, in cooperation with functional offices, simultaneously ensure that the competences expected for a given position are comparable in Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria and the United States.

The possibility of working from a selected location, relocation, or even a change of project or career path, are some of the elements supporting the development of employees.

Finally, I'd like to mention an absolutely unique role in our company - Talent Success Lead (TSL). They are people who support our team members in acquiring new competences at every stage of their career.

As an HR specialist who has been following the tools and methods used in the process of career planning, competence development and employee evaluation for several years, I must admit that I've never experienced such a clear and user-friendly process.

What was your path to the position of Head of HR at SoftServe? Why the passion for HR?

I have over 8 years of experience in working in Human Resources - from start-ups to manufacturing companies and R&D centres to Software House. I came to SoftServe almost a year ago during a period where both the company and the HR department were growing rapidly. I was entrusted with the task of creating a team that would be able to respond to the needs of an increasing number of employees. We build processes that will prepare our company for an even greater and more efficient expansion. I'm glad that I can gain experience in the process of change management in a dynamically growing organisation and a very demanding environment.

More to the point, working with people is my passion. I like to co-create solutions and conditions that motivate others to develop.

Another thing is that when you work in HR, you can't get bored. People are so fantastically different; everyday problems are unpredictable and the tasks are so varied. Working in such an environment gives me a lot of satisfaction both professionally and privately.

What is the biggest challenge for HR departments in IT companies at the moment? Is it easy to build and develop teams of programmers?

Today's IT market is primarily about working on international projects in dispersed teams. Our clients and employees are located in different cities, countries and often even on different continents, working in different time zones. This is a challenge not only for project managers, but also for the HR department. How to effectively deploy an employee who has to travel to the Middle East in the second week of his or her work? How to create and maintain the employee's attachment to the culture of the organisation e.g. if he or she works from home and does not feel the atmosphere of the office every day?

If you were to share some invaluable advice with the people who want to have a future with SoftServe, what would it be?

We're looking for people with passion who want to develop and grow. Show us that you're ready to learn and we'll be happy to accept you into our team. While in the company, use the tools we give you. Never forget about people - treat them with respect.

SoftServe Poland