Laden

All showcases

Olena

Web developing with an excellent eye for design @Josephson Databeheer

Finding a job is a challenge when you are a newcomer in a foreign country. Understanding the culture, translating your skills to a completely new environment and navigating your way through an unknown labour market: it is difficult. That’s why we are so happy that we could help Olena, who is originally from Ukraine and ended up in the Netherlands because of the war, find a job at our in-house IT team at Josephson Databeheer.

Meeting Olena
Our career coaches met Olena through an IT event that we organised together with Stichting Mano here in Rotterdam. She had just finished a bootcamp in programming and caught the attention of Joop Huijsdens, owner of Josephson and dear colleague of Port of Opportunities. Joop was looking for an additional IT talent to add to his team, and he was quickly convinced by Olena’s skills and motivation. When we asked Joop about his experience with Olena since she started working at Josephson in May, he immediately emphasized that Olena has been a steadfast and reliable asset to the team. “Olena is highly independent and easily adapts to different situations. Whether the office is fully staffed or she's the only one on her team, she performs exceptionally well. Moreover, she willingly takes on tasks even if they are outside her regular job description.”


Olena’s integration at Josephson
When we checked in with Joop and Olena a few weeks after successfully matching them, Joop expressed his surprise at how seamlessly Olena integrated into their team and work culture. “Olena integrated way more easily than we had expected beforehand,” Joop stated. “At first, we believed that the language difference would cause issues with our work efficiency. However, looking back, it hasn't been a problem at all. Olena’s English is at such an adequate level that communicating has not been difficult at all. Additionally, she easily acquires any professional knowledge she might not yet possess.”

Also Olena is really satisfied with her smooth integration in Joop’s team. She especially emphasizes the “invaluable” support and guidance from her colleagues, which have helped her overcome any new challenges she ran into during her first months at Josephson: “They have created a nurturing environment where we help each other thrive. Also, working at Josephson has greatly influenced my personal and professional integration in the Netherlands as a newcomer. Through my work, I've been able to immerse myself in the Dutch culture, history and mentality. The office's primary language being Dutch has accelerated my language learning, making it three times more efficient compared to when I was studying it on my own.”

Joop and Olena’s other colleagues have created a fun tradition to be able to emphasize with Olena. “Every morning we start by learning a Ukrainian word. In this way, everyone in the team gets a sense of how challenging it is for Olena to hear a foreign language (Dutch) all day long.”

 

The job itself
Olena is definitely happy with her job: “I find my job highly satisfying thanks to constant self-development opportunities and engaging tasks that bring variety. For instance, I'm currently working with a programming language that I had never worked with before joining this position, although I was very interested in it. Embracing this new language has expanded my horizons as a programmer significantly. It wasn't easy due to its novelty, but my passion, combined with the invaluable support of my colleagues, have been instrumental in overcoming these new challenges.” She continues: “Since joining Josephson, I've gained valuable skills in development, improving our programs to be user-friendly, engaging, and visually appealing. Additionally, I've had the opportunity to explore and work with various technologies beyond web development, broadening my knowledge and expertise.”

Joop is especially happy with Olena’s eye for design: “The designer-orientation was still missing from our team. I am happy that Olena could bring that to the table.” We definitely understand Joop’s enthusiasm on Olena’s eye for design: Olena has designed some pages for the Port of Opportunities website and the pages are looking beautiful!


Sports: a shared passion
Besides Joop and Olena's shared interest in programming, they have also discovered a mutual passion for sports, especially table tennis, which they play every day. Joop says, “Olena is fully present in the social side of our company and joins us almost at every sport activity.”

Olena herself is surprised she enjoys playing table tennis this much: “Being part of this amazing team has led me to discover a new hobby – table tennis. I never imagined it would captivate me so much, but now I can't imagine my working day without playing this exciting game with my colleagues during the breaks. The company's sports-oriented culture encourages us to stay active, and we also enjoy playing padel together as a team each week.”

 

Would Olena and Joop recommend working with Port of Opportunities?
We were so excited to hear that Olena was happy with the guidance we could provide her with. Olena: “Port of Opportunities helped me find my dream job. It is a team consisting of sincere, responsive individuals, and I truly enjoy communicating with them. I highly recommend other newcomers seeking employment in the Netherlands to reach out to them without hesitation. It could be a crucial step towards achieving your dream career here in the Netherlands.”

Also Joop definitely recommends working with Port of Opportunities for companies who are looking for valuable talents to strengthen their team. “Port Of Opportunities delivers on its promises. They genuinely guide job seekers from different parts of the world towards suitable positions. To achieve this, they employ creative approaches and invest considerable time for each job seeker.” Additionally, he recommends hiring a newcomer in general: “It is definitely worth recommending. In my experience, a company provides a more pleasant work environment when there is diversity present on various levels, which is exactly what Olena brought to Josephson.”



Would you like to talk to us about what we can do for you in finding a fitting job? We encourage you to get in touch with us and we will invite you for a cup of coffee!

Are you looking for talented and ambitious new employees? We are happy to tell you more about our mission and the way we operate. Come and challenge us at the office or by phone!

PS This showcase was co-produced with Olena, Josephson Databeheer and Port of Opportunities.

scroll
scroll