You started as a student at CS and are now a consultant for social collaboration. How was your way into the company?
I originally came to CS as a working student after a friend recommended me as a working student - directly to the Social Collaboration business unit. That fit because I had already been working on topics such as enterprise social networks at university. When I was offered a position as a consultant after graduating, the decision was not difficult.
To what extent does the day-to-day work of the consultant Stefan differ from that of the student?
As a consultant, of course, I have much more responsibility. Our social collaboration projects are all about looking at the big picture: How can we sustainably improve cooperation for our client's employees with the help of our technologies? This brings with it new challenges every day: What are the next steps in the project? What dates are on the agenda? And which contact person at the target company should I talk to again? Because at the end of the day it is all about achieving the optimal result together.
Many people think of "consulting" as an elbow mentality - you speak of teamwork. Does your experience at CS contradict the common consulting clichés?
Definitely. During my time at CS, I found all my colleagues to be extremely respectful and helpful. There is a very fruitful exchange in the office, and whenever I need support, there is someone to help me out.
Of course, as consultants we show great commitment and are on the road a lot for our customers in our job. But we also benefit from a high degree of flexibility: For example, I have the opportunity to work in my home office or in one of our many offices in various large cities. This means that I am mobile and can often design my job individually - a real plus for my work-life balance.
Speaking of work and private life: On the photo you can be seen with your guitar. Why?
Music has always been important to me. So ten years ago I started teaching myself how to play the guitar. Meanwhile it has become a real balance to my work: I prefer to play rock songs, for example by Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Van Morrison. At the same time, the instrument keeps challenging me: When I like a piece, I think about whether and how I could play it. In this way I continuously expand my repertoire.
Does the guitar sometimes accompany you at work?
Although the guitar itself is rather rare, the music is even more so: I travel a lot by train and use the travel time to work. My headphones help me to focus - even in noisy environments. In this respect, the music is actually my constant companion. My personal tip for productive hours: electronic music and a good pair of noise cancelling headphones!
Would you like to work with people like Stefan? You can find our current vacancies here.
