Author: Clara Lopez
Hi everyone! My name is Clara, and in October I started working at Adevinta as an International Generalist. I'm one of many young people involved in Adevinta’s Early Careers Programme.
As an Early Careers participant, you can apply to a variety of programmes, from an Early STARter, to a Tech Specialist or, in my case, an International Generalist. The programme is two years long and includes three eight-month rotations across different departments. As someone who didn't have much work experience and who was honestly a little unsure of what professional path to take, the rotations are good for trying out lots of different areas within the company. When I first got the email with a list of the different rotations available, I thought that I would best suit the positions within product management due to my background in business and engineering. However, Adevinta had something else in mind and you can imagine my surprise when I found out that I'd be working in the People, Communications & Workspace department. More specifically, in the Communications and Culture team.
I was particularly surprised as I’d had no prior experience with this role, but now that the first half of my first rotation is coming to an end, I couldn't be happier. The team made me feel incredibly welcome from day one, encouraging me to ask any questions that came to mind. My confidence has grown from having my supervisors and colleagues put their trust in me. Because of the open communication and the culture of transparency that Adevinta embraces, I feel comfortable enough to chat freely and ask questions to all my colleagues, even if they aren't in my department. This has made my first ‘real’ work experience even more enjoyable.
My day-to-day work
In terms of my day-to-day work, I'm currently involved in two main activities under the Culture Integration project, led by my manager Dana Lin. We have f updated our Adevinta Key Behaviours to better represent who we are as a company. With the integration of ebay Classifieds Group, our culture needed a refresh to be inclusive of both incoming and legacy Adevintans. Having previously worked as an intern in a more traditional company, I was amazed at how much time and energy Adevinta put into integrating both cultures to ease the transition for newcomers.
The first project I was assigned to was the introduction of the revised behaviours at Adevinta. When I started, the team had already collected data from a wide range of Adevintans to find out what they thought of the Adevinta culture and what they felt were the most valuable concepts we should retain or introduce. We then sat down to consider how the Key Behaviours could be revised to reflect this feedback. This showed me just how much Adevinta cares about its employees and the value they bring to the company.
After several months of iterations, the refreshed Key Behaviours finally came to life, however, our work has only just begun. At the moment, Adevintans have only had a first glimpse of them. Over the next few months we'll be working to get employees engaged with them. Prepping for this is an exciting challenge!
Another activity I'm involved in is the preparation of IGNITE, an annual event that takes place at the end of May where Adevinta recognises the value of its employees. Within this framework, I'll also support the Culture Awards,another initiative that I also find very interesting.
The Culture Awards honour the employees who've demonstrated a certain Key Behaviour in a specific situation. Colleagues can nominate anyone they think has excelled in the last year by simply giving different examples. With the refreshed Key Behaviours just released, the timing couldn't be better!
The best things about the Programme
Work-related projects aside, I think one of the best things about the Early Careers Programme are the learning and development courses. Adevinta offers a wide range of courses for new employees to develop their skills. I've already attended courses on product, tech and data analysis. As well as a course on how to conduct interviews. Early Careers participants also have the opportunity to learn a new language in online one-to-one classes. With all these benefits, I feel really grateful and happy to be a part of Adevinta.
And of course, I can't tell you about my experience over the past four months without talking about the great friends I've made at Adevinta. From the moment I arrived at the Barcelona office, I had the feeling that I'd be supported by this fantastic group of young people. Because of them, it was incredibly easy to feel at home in a new city. Even though we come from different backgrounds and cultures, we still have so much in common and we’ve managed to form a really strong bond. So far, it’s been an incredible experience that I'd recommend to any young person out there. Anyway, I know that I'm only at the beginning of my journey at Adevinta, so let's see what the next two years bring!
