"MTOP gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance which was very influential in the whole process."

 

Beim #MTOPstorytelling erzählen unsere Associates ihre Geschichte. Wie war für sie das Ankommen in Österreich, was war schwierig und wie sind sie damit umgegangen?

Oliver

What’s your name, how old are you and where are you from?

Hello, my name is Oliver, I am 37 years old and originally from Macedonia - born and raised there.

What did you study in your home country?

I have a bachelor's degree in political science and a Master's degree in political science, media and communication. And I also have a lot of different certificates in non-formal education.

"The biggest challenge was to find a suitable job for myself, knowing that I didn't speak the local language."

What was your biggest challenge after coming to Austria and how did you deal with it?

My wife applied to a job opening in Vienna and actually got the job pretty quickly. It was a good opportunity but a very hard decision. We have two kids and already had a life established in Macedonia. But we decided to relocate to Austria because we thought it is now or never. The biggest challenge was to find a suitable job for myself, knowing that I didn't speak the local language. I do understand some things but I realized that German is very important in Austria when it comes to finding a job. So I started with with learning the language, managed to complete the A1 level and started with A2. Luckily, I was able to find a suitable job for myself after one year.

How did you find out about MTOP? (How) did the programme support you?

An ad for MTOP popped up on Facebook and I thought that this could be very helpful for me because, in the beginning, I was even struggling to get an interview with the local companies. As time passed, I was becoming more and more prepared for the job market. I was reading a lot, researching a lot, doing everything, what it takes to find a job. I worked a lot on my CV, on my communication skills, on the interviews. There was a lot of patience and a lot of work required and also a lot of insecurities involved. MTOP was there for all the steps. They helped me to learn what the local companies are actually looking for in future employees. MTOP also reassured me that I will find a job at a certain point, sometimes it just takes time. The reassurance from this mental perspective in the one-on-one sessions helped me a lot.

What did you do after the Associate Programme? What are you currently doing?

I think I started the programme in January and started my job at the beginning of April. So it was really fast. However, I participated in the remaining workshops and stayed in touch with the team. Even if I found the job by myself, MTOP gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance which was very influential in the whole process. I am still working with that company as a partner marketing manager.

What is different in Austria compared to the working environment in your home country?

Previously I have been working in the beverage industry and in a marketing agency. Now I am working in the software industry. So that is already very different per se. When it comes to the actual work, I don’t think there would be many big differences between working in the software industry in Austria or in Macedonia. But there are differences when it comes to the working culture. One big difference is in the style of communication. In Austria communication is more professional but at the same time also a little more distant. In Macedonia, it was more open and on a friendly basis. Come to think of it, it is probably a different perception of professionalism. I don’t think it is a bad thing. It is just a difference that is important to know about.
Another difference I have noticed is that in some industries in Austria, there seems to be more flexibility when it comes to working hours which makes it easier to balance professional and family life.

What would you say is the most beautiful thing when you think about your job? And what's been your biggest challenge at work so far? What has been the biggest change in your life since you have started working?

I work with many different people from all over the world which is very beautiful to me and I like it a lot. I also enjoy that I can constantly keep learning and developing new skills to get better at what I do. A challenge has definitely been the change of industries and getting familiar with what is needed to work in the software industry.

What are your next goals?

I always want to develop more skills when it comes to digital marketing because it is constantly evolving, especially now when it comes to AI. I basically want to stay good at my job. Never stop learning.

"LinkedIn was the most important piece of the puzzle."

Do you have a profile on LinkedIn and did you use LinkedIn for your job search? Why do you think it's good to have a LinkedIn profile? How helpful was the LinkedIn platform for you during your job search and why?

I think it all starts with the CV, how well you prepare your CV - basically how you present yourself. And LinkedIn is your online CV. I put all my qualifications and even life experience on my LinkedIn profile. Recruiters don’t have much time and I think it benefits applicants if they have all the information required on their profile. I actually found my job through LinkedIn and would recommend the platform to everyone. Even though there are other platforms, I think LinkedIn is the most crucial one. To me, LinkedIn was the most important piece of the puzzle.

What tips or advice would you give to people who are new to Austria?
Always keep trying. Use all the possible tools available to you. Connect with as many people as possible. And for sure: don’t run away from learning German 🙂 even though I found a job where I am working in English, the capability of speaking the local language always helps.

And what does ‘More Than One Perspective’ mean to you?

Never give up and always try looking at yourself from more than one perspective.

Last question from our side: do you have any specific life motto?
I think I mentioned a few of my life mottos during the interview. But the one I would like to emphasize is:

"stay human."