10 things I have learned from working at a Fintech in Brazil

WHAT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING IN AN UNICORN COMPANY

I remember when I first stepped at EBANX (Brazilian Fintech), it did not even seem real, since I have always expected to find a place like that, but never seemed to find it before. But obviously once I started working here I noticed that I was far behind in my knowledge of the business, of the area, and how I would be able to fit on this complete new environment !

But now, more than a year and a half later I can say that I have been learning a lot, and I would like to share some of those lessons, so people are able to use in their daily lives, reflect on those even when it seems like they are very well known.

I have participated in a lot of selection processes where leaders say they want to see candidates that think outside the box, but I am almost sure “outside of the box” meant for them and the majority of market companies to create an imaginary limiting big box over their employees. I have been in one of those places where people are limited in some way, if not because of money, because of hierarchy or because of limited contact inside of the structure.

However I thought in my “previous” life I was a person who thought outside the box. But at EBANX I have realized they were actually thinking and doing things that were outside the box while I was “rehearing” to think outside the box. So no matter where, or with whom, or what you are doing, please let yourself think differently from others, run against the flow. And don’t be afraid to be the one to say “weird” ideas, they might become something amazing!

It seems almost obvious to say that, but I can see how much I have acted different in front of people, so they wouldn’t have the wrong impression of me or simply to adapt myself on the company’s way to be.

Actual path of my career support me who I am daily! I can joke around with my coworkers, I can be myself and at the same time, be a person who takes the business and my job seriously. And that’s what makes the place so comfortable to be a part of, and awaken the best of us.

How many times have you heard people saying bad things about other people at work? Instead of telling directly to those people, it is easier to hide behind your own thoughts and act as lord of the reason.

Give feedback, tell people what you think without fear, confront them in a healthy way in case you don’t have the same opinions or ideas, and be open minded to accept that you may be wrong or mistaken as well. Doing this is not being mean, or disliking your coworker; it is actually caring for them and trying to pull them up!

Most of the time, we are afraid to be made fun of, or to seem dumb in front of others. And worst some of us are afraid to lose our ideas if shared with others…But don’t! Express yourself, let people listen to your ideas, sometimes that can be an insight to a bigger idea and it can become the next project for your area.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve always thought that I would be super successful in my 30s. Based only on years of study, nights awake, six year far from my family and friends. Just because I have compared myself with some people who are successful in their 30s, and had self concept about success. However I have been reconsidering success values and I now consider myself a successful person as well. Success is not based on job titles, money or anything else, but I would like to say one of my new ways to measure it, which is by the amount of knowledge and personal growth I had in the past years.

A lot of people dream of having their own business, but most of the time they don’t think of how hard it is to start one, or actually how hard is to keep it up. I have talked in the last year with a lot of candidates that had failed businesses, and one thing all of them had in common and shared with me is that they have learned that they are able to be an entrepreneur, no matter where, so they don’t need to have their own business to create, or to innovate. You are able to be an entrepreneur inside of an established company as well, if you make it possible.

Most of the time people are very afraid to receive feedback, and usually they associate with something bad. We shouldn’t be afraid to improve ourselves, or to hear that something that we do are not as good as we thought to be…and yes, you are able to change throughout your life, and we should change if it does not make us the best version of ourselves.

You know those people that literally are against every idea, or is able to make something good into something bad in one sentence? Don’t be that person, and also avoid being around that person.

Notice how important it is to be around people who are positive and that are able to make the worst situation into something good. Most of the time when I ask candidates what kind of people they appreciate to work with, they say positive and outgoing people, because we spend most of our life at the work environment and we want to make it pleasant.

I have experienced, and I have heard a lot of people inside of companies saying “ I don’t know about that, because it is not my area” and “You should ask that other person she knows more of the subject”, and yes we are unable to learn everything, and obviously it is really hard to know everything within a company. But we should research, read and care about the business. It is not because you don’t work in a product area that you shouldn’t know what kinds of products your company might be investing on. That might make a difference in your job, that has been making a difference in my job as a recruiter, and for sure there will never be something like having too much knowledge.

I have met at EBANX a zoo technician that is a business partner, and some people that haven’t been in college who became great developers. We are adaptable, we have skills within us, but we are also able to learn new skills every day.

Those 10 things are very hard to keep up with, but they certainly make us better professionally. It is important that we keep on improving ourselves, and that we see that certain things will not always come so easy and natural to all of us. But we are the real key holder of our own careers, we shouldn’t expect decisions from others. EBANX has changed a lot of me, and has been giving me the opportunity to mature while I am working hard, there’s still a lot to learn, but being a part of something bigger in a challenging environment makes me want to keep moving on towards the Big Dream!

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama

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