The mindit chats series continues with Alexandru Puiu, Technical Director @ mindit.io.  

Talking with Puiu is always fun and productive, regardless of the topic at hand, be it tech stuff, or random things like motorbikes, ice cream, or baby koalas.  

What’s something that happened to you that can only happen here? 

Given that my professional experience evolves around mindit, this being my very first job, I can’t say precisely what’s something that can only happen here. However, I can talk about things that have the highest chance of happening here.

The attention you receive as part of the mindit team is unparalleled. Talking to other friends and people who are active in the IT sector, I haven’t heard many voices saying that they experience the lack of limitation and the same support to achieve your potential, as you get here, in mindit.  

I associate the possibility of trying new things and figuring out what you like the most with mindit. Even now, when we’re close to 200 IT specialists working as dedicated teams for our partners, we still manage to keep the same friendly and helpful approach towards each other.  

This is the mindit spirit. We help each other grow and improve on both a professional and a personal level.  

What was the moment when you knew you’d made the right decision to work here?

During my first week. Actually, it was during my very first, or second day. That’s when I realized that mindit is the place for me.

When I noticed that everybody had a help-your-colleague-oriented approach, that was the trigger that made me feel like I landed where I belonged. Even if I had no team at the beginning, everybody was really welcoming straight from the get-go.  

To this day, I haven’t changed my opinion, and I still feel like mindit is the right place for me to continue developing my technical, business, and soft skills.  

What was your best day at work?

Well, in the 6 years since I’ve been a part of the mindit team, I’ve had quite a few. Although sometimes we forget to celebrate our accomplishments, we take pride in giving our best for each project, and we like celebrating the people that form our community, together with the milestones we reach.

When it comes to one of the best days I had at work, there’s one memory that stands out, which I hold very dear to my heart.

I was in my first couple of months after joining the team when I had a really inspiring talk with Irina Arsene, mindit’s Founder and former CEO. She also told me about how she started working while she was a student, and that really motivated me. It wasn’t a speech. It was a really relaxed chat with which I completely resonated.  

She managed to break some preconceptions I had about the work environment and about “bosses”. The fact that I, “a little twerp” at the time, could talk freely with Irina made me realize that mindit is different. The entire community is different.  

Something instantly clicked with me then. As you can see, I still get motivated whenever I think about our talk, which really inspired me.  

What are you most proud of?

The first thing that comes to mind is the people that form mindit today, which started off their adventure as part of our team through our internship program.  

More precisely, I’m talking about the internship programs in which I got involved, when I had the chance to share some of my knowledge and advice with our newer colleagues. We have some amazing colleagues who I had the chance to watch grow and develop into the professionals they are today.

I take great joy in seeing these people getting better every day as part of the mindit team, even if my contribution to their development helped just by 1%.

I draw my energy from helping people and I try to create more of these experiences with each given opportunity, where we can all grow together.  

What is your team like?

Besides “awesome”, right? Can I say, “super-awesome”? Just joking. I would say “different” is a good way to describe my team. I had the chance to work with a lot of outstanding people that love what they do, and I had a lot to learn from them.

That’s why I grew so much professionally, in such a short period of time, because they too had the same growth-oriented mindset. It’s not just about improving yourself. It’s about growing and improving together as a team.

This spirit is representative of all the teams I work with, and all the teams I’ve been a part of in mindit.  

Which benefits are your favorite and why?

First of all, I would mention the flexibility I have when it comes to my role. I get the chance to create and build my own role, without having to be tied to a position, an office, or even a city, or country.  

I can learn how to grow a business, and develop my soft skills, while also improving my technical expertise because we all know that learning is a lifelong journey.  

This is my favorite benefit, but I would also like to add that flexibility doesn’t stop when it comes to the roles you can have. It goes even further, meaning that you also have flexibility when it comes to building your own schedule, and working from anywhere you feel like it.

Today you can work from home, tomorrow from the office, and the day after that from our minditNomad houses from Comarnic, Sibiu, or from any other location of your choice.  

I really haven’t heard about other teams offering this type of benefit.  

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I grew a lot professionally because there are a lot of people with a proactive attitude who are willing to help out.  

The fact that I had direct access to these people, and I wasn’t limited to staying on just one specific task, project, or role, led to an exponential growth in my professional development.  

Nobody ever positioned themselves as a “higher-up” and even though I had a lot less experience than some of my colleagues, I’ve always received the needed support and advice in a very productive way.  

Being a flat organization, at mindit you don’t have to face a communication barrier between you and management. We work together, side-by-side, and we can exchange information in a much more efficient manner this way.  

I received feedback in a constructive way. I didn’t receive just a solution. I always received a discussion through which we understood the challenges together and we worked on finding the solutions as a team.

All these factors contributed to my professional growth since I first started as an intern here, and now, as a Technical Director, I get to help others grow and build their career paths.  

What’s the most unique part about working here?

Our way of “practicing what we preach.” When we say we put people first, we actually mean it. Who knows, maybe this isn’t unique, given that the world is such a big place, and you can find a lot of wonderful people and organizations out there.  

I’m just saying that mindit is a place that really honors its statement of putting people first and you can feel it by talking to each and every person who’s part of our constantly growing team. It’s part of our organizational culture. It’s in our DNA.  

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining mindit?

Don’t limit yourself! This is where the technical side of me kicks in, but I can also be a little more poetic. Allow yourself to dream and don’t impose any barriers to your growth potential.  

Anyone that joins mindit with the “I want to do things! I want to make things work!” attitude will benefit of the support needed and the right context for them to develop professionally in their desired direction.  

Who would you tag next to be interviewed by us?

I would like to tag Catalina Peltecu! Really looking forward to reading her interview, so be sure to let me know when it’s up and ready!  

Catalina, TAG, you’re it!