#dtseczpeople: Kaja

Karolína, can you tell us something about yourself? 
My name is Karolina, I’m 28 years old, I grew up in a small village near Ivančice and I’ve been working with DTSE CZ since April 2018. I love travelling, meeting new people, new cultures and learning new foreign languages. I studied French and Russian Language Literature at the Faculty of Education in Masaryk University in Brno. Apart from being part of DTSE CZ, I’m a secondary school English teacher. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to experience two different worlds at once, and I love this diversity! 

How was your journey at DTSE CZ? 
I started as the employee number 75, as a Business Operation Support working closely with the Managing Director. I learned and gained my first corporate experience from my former boss, who introduced this business world to me and taught me a lot. I was involved mainly in local processes, projects and policies. After some time, I took the chance and participated at the Job Rotation program to experience something new. I tried the program within the HR team, which made me realize that this is an area I would like to explore even more. And since June 2019, I officially joined the HR Projects working on DTSE International Development Programs and many other topics. Since March this year, I took on more responsibilities supporting the local HR team and taking care of the Training programs. 

What exactly do you do at your job? 
Currently I’m steering Talents@DTSE development program, focusing on the high performing employees with potential, who are willing to go the extra mile for their next career step. The whole process starts with the search of the talents, followed up with the selection interviews and then the start of the actual program. It lasts 9 months and we accompany the talents on their journey with “1 on 1” sessions to make sure they get the most out of the program and that they’re preparing for their next career move. On top of that I’m a coordinator for the Telekom Dual Students internships in the international locations. So, if you meet any intern in the upcoming months in our location, feel free to invite them for a cup of coffee! And as I already mentioned I organize trainings and workshops for our colleagues in DTSE CZ. 

As a curator of Talents@DTSE, can you suggest any practices for employees who doubt whether they got talent or not?  
During the selection interviews, we are looking at not only the skills, but mainly at the drive of the applicants and whether they are eager and willing to do more, to learn more and improve themselves, as well as share their knowledge. It doesn’t matter if they’re at the beginning or at the end of their career. What matter is the motivation. 

And how can the applicants show their „superpower“? 
It’s a lot about confidence. When you stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your strengths you can make a difference. When you dig deeper into your skills, you can bring something extra and be irreplaceable. So, you shouldn’t analyze your weak side so much, rather focus on your strong side which makes you unique. Be a specialist, not a generalist. 

As you deal with employees’ self-development, can you give tips on how to find time and energy for professional/personal self-improvement and combine it with work? 
From my personal experience, one of the key factors is to have the right motivation. If you know your purpose, your WHY and what the result can bring to you, it’s much easier to be persistent and to reach your target.  
Secondly, you need energy in order to stay focused. Therefore, a good work-life balance is essential, because it will be hard to manage if you’re very motivated but exhausted. Your body and mind also need to be rested to be able to perform.  
And lastly, I would recommend starting small. Even if you have big dreams, make baby steps, be consistent and make the small steps part of your routine. Most importantly, don’t be impatient and expect immediate visible results. Take your time and don’t give up. As James Clear says: “If you master continuous improvement and get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done”. 

What gives you energy and motivates you to be a better version of yourself?  
I’m mostly inspired by people around me and what they show me that I could be. I am not so much keen on creating and discovering new ways or possibilities myself, but I prefer to see what other people do and incorporate their habits and behaviors in my life if it resonates with me.