Spending my life in another country was not really what I envisioned but when my partner got a job in the Netherlands, I don’t think I can envision being without him either. So, like most people, I would go wherever they go.
My life in the Philippines was quite comfortable, I worked from home and I didn’t have to experience the hellish traffic. I was a consultant at Oracle, and part of my job was to travel to Singapore to manage our clients. My job was very interesting. I had my own team and we were doing great projects. My career was really going up, but the day came that I had to leave the company and my team to join my partner in the Netherlands.
I was already living the dream in the Philippines, but I am a risk-taker.
It was sad at first, as many people consider my big move as too sudden. I can agree with them. I was already living the dream, but most people don’t know I am a risk-taker. It was October 2019 when I moved to the Netherlands. I am not really a fan of cold places, so it was pretty difficult to adjust.
As this is my first time in the Netherlands, I wanted to join a company that has the “international” vibe and has the “employee-first” approach. Luckily, LeadFabric was one of the companies that I thought would best fit my categories. As LeadFabric is an agency, I know my vast marketing automation experience would really help me on landing the job. At first, I just wanted to have a job and survive. When I talked to Stien Pardon (Head of HR) and Paul Lee (Managing Director) I knew that this was the company I am looking for. During our interview discussions they have taken note that I am very new in this country and I would need help in adjusting to the new culture. It seems like even though I was not officially hired yet they already had thought of how to help. The interview process was very smooth and went quick! I was hired after a week! I was very excited and nervous at the same time.
On my first day I felt a bit lost but my colleagues in Amsterdam helped me find my way. My colleagues Paul Slikkerveer and Jeannette Harskamp welcomed me and gave me a tour of the office. The office is bright and has a modern vibe to it. It’s very open and has many large windows, overlooking Amsterdam. There are a lot of places to get food close-by. We have a train station on walking distance which means the area quite lively.
I was introduced to our colleagues in Belgium, Taipei, Romania through Zoom. Although most of my colleagues are abroad, it is not that difficult to work together. We have top notch collaborative tools like Wrike, Box, Slack and Intuo. As they say, everything can be done in the cloud. I also like is how calm it can be in the office, even when everyone is here. This way I am able to focus well. Of course, there are still times where we laugh at Paul S’s jokes!
As the days go by, I felt like part of the team for so long already. My colleagues would often send praises through Intuo or in Slack, or personal which makes me very proud of my work and myself. I feel quite some recognition from our team. I really like working with them. They are very helpful and also funny! Although I don’t share jokes that much (I am sorry team, I am a failure in this area).
I really felt inspired during that time when we discussed the future path of the company. Although I have experience in marketing automation, I realized that I still have a lot more to learn.
I can see that we have endless opportunities to grow and learn while having enough tasks to keep us busy. My working environment is very different from my previous jobs. I actually don’t have to stay late (so far!), meaning I can still do things I love after work. Maybe it is because we manage tasks and client expectations properly. I can also work from home if needed. It is so good that we have that special privilege that a lot of other companies don’t, you should not take it for granted…
Luckily, I was able to join our company Christmas outing and it was one of the most amazing experience I had. To tell you the truth I am not really familiar with European culture. So, during the outing, it was my first time going to a pub. I really don’t drink but I loved the cherry and apple gin (jenever) and it was really fun discussing interesting topics with my colleagues. The atmosphere was very laid back and it was a very good opportunity to learn to know the other team members.
In addition to fun things, I really felt inspired during that time when we discussed the future path of the company. Although I have experience in marketing automation, I realized that I still have a lot more to learn as the industry is constantly evolving. This made me more motivated in improving myself and also to think more seriously about my future. Each and every one of us at LeadFabric has personal objectives that are aligned to our career growth and also to the company’s future. This is what I love most working with LeadFabric, everyone has a clear goal.
I am looking forward to my future time with LeadFabric, and hopefully we can add more members to the team! We have openings here in the Amsterdam office and also in Diegem and Bucharest. If you are interested, you can have a look on our career page.
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