“Being a mother has helped me to understand applicants better.”

Who are you and where are you from?

I am Kira. I'm 37 years old. I'm originally from Bochum. I was born in Dortmund but grew up in Bochum. Then I moved to Hagen at the age of 19, completed my Abitur there on the second path of education and then asked myself where it was going and have now been living here in Münster together with my children for 15 years... it has therefore become our adopted home. My son is 23 years old, my daughter 12 years old.

 

How did you apply to ECON TEL?

I've been working at ECON TEL for about four years now... pretty much. And I was looking for a new challenge. I've worked in telephony before, but in inbound. Before that, in the social sector too, for a long time. And then it didn't completely satisfy me anymore. I really wanted to experience something new and then I became aware of ECON TEL through the “well then” (editor's note: newsreel in Münster).

 

What attracted you to the job description?

Outbound telephony appealed to me, namely that here you can really actively bring companies and people together who benefit from each other, and that I can set goals for myself and achieve these goals. In inbound, it is more this advice. That's nice too, but here in sales, it's just the case that we can achieve something, and I particularly enjoy that.

 

What has your educational path been like so far?

My educational path: I've just touched on it a bit. I first went to a grammar school in Bochum, then I went to a comprehensive school and finally completed my Abitur on the second path of education in Hagen. After I completed my Abitur, I asked myself how things would continue for me and then I really wanted to study. The city of Münster is ideal for this and I was also given a place to study here. Then I started studying Educational Sciences with a focus on social education. I did not complete this for various and private reasons, but I always worked in that area as well. Then I switched to inbound telephony and finally came to ECON TEL here. And yes, I'm here now.

 

What are you doing in your current job at ECON TEL?

I also started out as an employee for customer projects (editor's note: project employee) and joined the new customer acquisition team (NKG) relatively quickly. I've been working in the new customer acquisition team for quite a while now and I've been taking on additional tasks in the HR department for less than a year now. For me, this is about calling applicants, having initial interviews, seeing whether the applicants might be a good fit for us and then inviting them. I also conduct the personal interviews — together with Claudia Hegemann, our HR manager and managing director. And that's super, super fun for me. I still really, really enjoy making phone calls and in addition the tasks in the HR department... this is a welcome change for me and also an opportunity to gain insights into many different areas.

 

What are everyday challenges that you must overcome?

Yes, there are a few. To organize my everyday life, of course. I'm a mom. Here (editor's note: at ECON TEL), we have the opportunity to work both from home and on site. Since I also have a few appointments here on site, I sometimes spontaneously see that I'm coming here. All of this must be well organized and planned. Even when I call applicants, I can't always reach them right away. However, they usually get back to you. Because I sometimes switch from the various projects, I have to adjust to them relatively quickly... to my counterpart, for example. Yes, but all of this is now part of everyday life for me too and I've got used to it, I've been able to adjust myself well to it and I just love doing it.

 

What skills and characteristics should you bring with you?

On the one hand, I was very well integrated into the project. I know what I need to be guided by, how to read resumes. That means focusing on facts is very important. Nevertheless, I also have a very good gut feeling and I can rely on that. I would say that the balance between rational decisions and gut feeling is very important. A certain amount of empathy, being able to respond well to people, listening well, being able to communicate well yourself, sometimes even reading between the lines. These are a few very important qualities and abilities that I would say I also have.

 

Did being a mother help to understand applicants better?

Yes, and simply because, as a mother, I know that there are many other challenges in everyday life — in addition to my job. That sometimes you have to organize yourself a lot and I understand that something else might be bothering you. And some applicants also have children of their own: It is important to see together whether everything is easy to reconcile... reconcile it all. It is usually the case because ECON TEL not only offers stability but also a lot of flexibility, from which I myself and parents, mothers and fathers can benefit here. That is also very important to me and I think that I can transport it well, because I know what it feels like and what goes with it in order to combine these things well.

 

What have you enjoyed most about your work so far?

I would say: teamwork. I've met really, really great people here. Dear and funny, friendly colleagues. We can work well together professionally, but we can also have a lot of fun. It just fits well and I like the fact that I get varied tasks here and also the opportunity to further my education. I'm thankful for that. And I have also been able to develop myself personally and professionally in recent years. And ECON TEL made that possible for me.

Click here for the video recording:

Kira: children and career

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