Living abroad certainly comes with exciting, new experiences – from trying various foods to meeting people from across the globe. Yet, it also comes with challenging moments that all expats have to face sooner than later (hello, bureaucracy!). We spoke to our Senior Talent Acquisition Manager, Chiara de Filippo, to discuss what it was like for her to make the move abroad from Rome, Italy to Munich, Germany!
How was it moving to a country with an entirely different language? Did you learn German?
I have to be honest, I already spoke German when moving to Germany. The real challenge was to speak in English, since my brain was prepared to speak in German and the company language is English. I had to quickly adapt to English, but it was fine after a few weeks. Now, I get to speak German with many of my colleagues, while hearing several other languages both in the office and around the city centre, which is really nice!
Being an expat yourself, how has this helped you in your position as a hiring manager?
I’m very sensitive when talking to other international candidates, especially those who are not in Europe. Being an expat myself, it helped me eliminate biases in the interview process, and made me understand how to communicate efficiently with talents coming from other countries that have a very different communication style. I notice differences from every single country and region, whether it’s candidates from the U.S. or France. This is something that we have to take into account as an international company to ensure we’re not missing out on hiring the best people.
How has e-bot7 developed your personal career?
The reason I came to Germany is that I believed my personal development would excel further than in my home country of Italy. At e-bot7, one of the HR priorities was to create a personal development plan, which initially started just within our team. My manager and I discussed not only a professional plan, but also a personal plan of where I want to be in 5, 10, and 24 months, which is something e-bot7 fully supports.
How does HR assist international employees in adapting to these changes when relocating to a new environment?
We realise that moving, or even working with other international colleagues, is a very delicate part of the HR process. We know that they have to adapt to the city and culture. Within our HR team, we want to make sure they feel welcomed with the team, so one thing we prioritise is having them talk to the hiring manager and their future colleagues. This way, we can organise certain initiatives before the new joiner starts and they get to know their direct team!
Other initiatives we do include virtual cooking sessions to bring the entire team together, as well as meeting up after work – when the pandemic allows – to relax with drinks or dinner and explore the city more.
On an individual level, we offer free German language courses to help expats further assimilate into the culture. We want our international employees to feel as welcomed as possible.
What is your favourite perk with e-bot7?
Being an expat, Flexible7 is my favourite. It allows you to work abroad for up to 100 days per year. Starting next week, I’ll be staying in Italy for 1 and a half months! During the summer, you can also go somewhere warm and sunny with your colleagues, which I actually did last summer in Greece.
Thank you to Chiara for sharing her insights as an expat in Germany! Interested in joining our lively, international team at e-bot7? Check out our open positions here.
