At Innovecs, we live and work by three core values – Innovate, Inspire and Care. Each innovecser is a talented and one-of-a-kind personality who has valuable experience and knowledge to share. In turn, we are happy to be inspired by our people and listen to their unique stories.
In our Newcomer of the Month rubric, we welcome on board our new team members from all over the world and are excited to get to know them better.
Today, we sat down with Vitaly Nguyen, Business Development Representative, to talk about his career path, passion for the AAA industry, and which criteria are essential when choosing a company.
— Hi Vitaly. Thanks for joining our rubric. Tell us more about yourself and your path to the tech industry.
Hi. Glad to be a part of this project. I am from Kherson, Ukraine, but currently, I live in Sheffield, United Kingdom . Education was always an exciting part of my life, thus I studied until I was 22 years old and received two master’s degrees. I always studied subjects in which I was interested. Thus, my first education was in Kharkiv at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University. I chose law because of my knowledge of history and interest in the profession. To study Human Resources, I picked Jagiellonian University in Krakow, where I boosted my English level and received my first experience with international communication. Studying in Poland gave me a lot in terms of personal qualities and soft skills.
After graduation, I worked as an HR assistant in a recruiting company, and from there, I switched to tech recruiting. It was my entry point to the software industry. From that moment, I realized that software is the industry where I want to develop and grow as a professional. My experience gave me an understanding of how my soft and hard skills are the most effective and productive.
— Which criteria are important for you when choosing a company?
When looking for a new workplace, I identified some points that are crucial. The company must be global, with strategic interests in the US market. As we can see, Innovecs operates all over the world – from the USA and Colombia to the CEE regions.
It was also important that the company have an office in Ukraine. Thus, I could feel a connection with my family and my country. Besides, the money I earn will help the frontline and the army. I know that Innovecs continue helping Ukraine and support its teammates since the war started.
Frankly speaking, it wasn’t easy during the search, but everything worked out for the best. I saw a vacancy and a company that suited me perfectly. The vacancy was for the Business Representative in the B2B Supply Chain and Logistics vertical, my primary expertise. Before Innovecs, my main responsibilities were to attract projects in Supply Chain logistics, so I have extensive experience in the US market. When I was interviewed by Rocky Osborn, Chief Business Officer at Innovecs, I immediately realized I wanted to work in his team.
When you’re too focused on something you can’t get what you want. But when you let go of the situation, fate throws you a solution. That’s exactly how I found Innovecs.
— How would you describe your personal and professional ambitions?
My personal and professional ambitions are related to working on my soft and hard skills. It’s a priority to spend most of my time working in this direction. I believe success in life and career depends on the quality of your everyday efforts. If you keep working and seek learning, life will always give you new opportunities for growth and horizons to conquer them.
— Tell us about your hobbies. Do you manage to maintain a work-life balance?
I am a gamer and primarily play on the PlayStation and am fond of AAA games. I am not from the category of players who consume content as content, but rather take the triple-A industry as a cultural and artistic phenomenon carrying a particular cultural value.
When you see how games and the industry evolve and progress, it becomes interesting to see what stands behind them. This question is the main trigger for me diving into it in more detail.
Since I am a business-oriented person, I am also interested in the financial question — which problems exist in the industry and how people can solve them. I began to immerse myself more and more in gaming journalism, which gave me some answers, e.g., what technologies are used and which developers are needed.
When I studied the profile of Innovecs, I was glad to see a developing gaming department. Who knows, maybe in the near future we may work in the AAA direction, and my experience and knowledge in this industry will be helpful.
— What do you value most in the corporate culture?
We should clarify that we are talking about tech companies’ corporate culture because it differs from other industries. I had experience in different companies and have something to compare. When working in a corporation, you usually have frameworks or rules for doing your job. What I like about the tech industry is that you don’t feel burdened; you breathe easier and work in a supportive atmosphere.
The software industry is developing dynamically and does not stand still. People here are flexible, modern, and with a unique mindset. Therefore, being in this environment, I feel most comfortable. The corporate culture that builds around people is valuable because you’re constantly in your comfort zone.
— In your opinion, what is the key to communication in global companies?
Clear communication within the team is an important aspect. There is no question about that. Generally, if we take the specifics of our job, we rather work remotely than from the office. So when searching for a new job, I was also looking for a company with a remote-friendly mentality.
Many people think moving from office work to remote is easy. But as my practice has shown, there are more complex challenges in establishing remote in terms of building teams. Knowing which tools to use for communication, and how to support people and keep them engaged, are the aspects of a professional team.
I realized how precisely everything is built here at Innovecs. I don’t feel I’m thousands of kilometers away from the head office. My teammates see what I do, they hear the feedback I give, and there are all the necessary technical tools to support the remote mode.