From backpacker to Integer

After I finished college, the moment I most anticipated arrived: my integration into the job market! In some areas it is not that fast to find work, which made me even more thrilled, but there was a certain niggling doubt that left me wondering about my decision. I didn’t know Integer; did I make the right decision? I will focus on this question and answer it over the next few paragraphs, as I share with you how my journey so far has been.

 The journey started in a rather unusual way, before I had even stamped my visa I was invited on board. The company’s new website was launched, and I had the opportunity to meet the team in a relaxed and informal way at the launch event. The moment I arrived I noticed that most people seemed to know about the arrival of new colleagues for HR, or as we call it at Integer, P&T (People & Talent). People smiled, wished me good luck, and were very enthusiastic about my arrival (mine and that of another colleague).

Besides having the opportunity to see the new site, which I think is very nice, I had the chance to drink a gin and tonic and eat some delicious snacks while people on the team were interested in getting to know me. I have never been so successful in a corporate event!
For me it is always difficult to have a moment like this because amid so many people I don’t know I end up isolating myself and just observing.  But this success was not because I crushed my social skills, but because of the interest, closeness, and empathy of all the people I came across.

This was the first contact with Integer. A few days later, I effectively started my path, together with two other colleagues, and during the first week we had several activities to “get to know the way around the place”. As we talked and got to know the different departments, we could begin to get a feel for the company culture, like a tourist who walks by the same place several times and begins to feel that he or she is already part of the local community. It only took a short time for me to feel at home and at ease with people, because they all left the door open for me to come in when I needed to.

So much has happened in these few months that it feels like I’ve been here for more than a year! There were several team meetings, interviews, follow-up sessions, among so many other things, that made the time go by quickly, and create that feeling that it was well spent and that it served for me to grow and learn a lot!
Every day I am involved in more projects and ideas, always focusing on people. Above all, I feel that there is harmony between what I seek and what Integer is, and this is not easy to find.

If at this stage, you still think I have doubts about my decision it is because you skipped a paragraph to get to the end faster. I couldn’t have had a better surprise, this was undoubtedly the best choice!
I have been to many places, I have had longer professional experiences than this. Now that it’s been six months since I’ve been at Integer, I want to postpone my return to backpaker life as I want to continue my journey here.

Bernardo Machado
People & Talent

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