You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Stepping Up: Building Confidence, Teams, and a New Chapter

My first day at the new place was a mix of excitement and nerves. I arrived early, determined to make a strong first impression. The receptionist pointed me to a desk where I could wait for my manager, and as I sat there, I couldn’t help but feel out of place. The office was a world apart from what I was used to – sleek, corporate, and spotless. Unlike my quirky old office tucked behind a church next to a lake, this was the real corporate world. Yet, something felt odd – no computers, just monitors and landline phones on each desk.

As I sat there wondering if I was in the right place, a cheerful man walked up to me with a big smile. “You’re in the wrong area,” he laughed. “I’m your manager. Let’s get you set up in the right spot.” His easygoing energy immediately set the tone for the day. After helping me get onboarded, he began explaining the project. During the interview, I had been impressed by the focus on cutting-edge tech and agile ways of working. Now, I was learning that the reality involved a mix of Java 1.6 and Matlab, with demanding stakeholders (traders in Frankfurt) who didn’t seem very interested in software development processes. It was clear this was going to be a challenge.

The team was just forming when I joined. There was one other Java dev, a QA, and a frontend engineer. It felt exciting to be part of something new, building from the ground up. My manager quickly put his trust in me, involving me in the recruitment process almost immediately. Suddenly, I found myself on the other side of the table, interviewing candidates. It was a surreal experience. I couldn’t stop thinking about Uncle Ben’s famous words: “With great power comes great responsibility” – by the way, Voltaire first coined this phrase, Uncle Ben just memorialized it into the American folklore through his cautionary warning to a young Peter Parker, a/k/a/ Spider-Man. I needed to prove I was worthy of this new role and the trust my manager had placed in me.

I prepared carefully for every interview, crafting thoughtful questions and planning how to structure the conversations. I reflected on my own interview experiences and took inspiration from the German interviewers who had not only assessed me but also taught me things I didn’t know. I wanted to create that same experience for the candidates I met. Whether they passed or not, I wanted them to leave having learned something.

At first, I found the process draining. My introverted nature made it hard to connect with people I didn’t know. I worried about making the candidates feel like they were being interrogated, so I worked hard to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere. With each interview, I grew more confident in my ability to communicate effectively. What had started as a nerve-wracking task became something I truly enjoyed. Meeting new people, hearing their stories, and helping to build our team became incredibly rewarding.

Looking back, this experience was another turning point. It pushed me out of my comfort zone even more and forced me to develop skills I didn’t even realize I needed. I learned how to communicate, how to empathize, and how to take on responsibility for building something bigger than myself. That trust my manager showed me in those early days became part of the foundation for my growth, and it’s something I still strive to pass on to others today. Starting at there wasn’t just the beginning of a new job – it was the start of a whole new chapter in my career.