Anamaria Bumbar, mindit COO, shares her experience as part of the team. She talks about how she first started here and what advice she would give anyone who wants to build their role inside the organization to become the best possible version of themselves.

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

I started in mindit as a background screening analyst. Up until then, I constantly heard that nobody liked going to work, regardless of the field they were working in at the moment. Mondays were awful days, and everybody at work was sad and tired.

The big shock was when I stepped inside mindit's offices which looked more like a living room than a working space. Everybody was so friendly, and inside the office, you could see some swings. That's when I realized that mindit was different than other places.

I couldn't believe someone was paying me to do something I enjoyed. mindit helped me discover what I like doing, which has been happening ever since, with everybody that comes through our doors.

mindit helps you to become your best self possible. I haven't found this anywhere else. It's about building your path with all the necessary support.

mindit is all about helping people build and discover what they're good at, and I think that's something that can only happen here.

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

I finished sociology, and being such a broad field, this gives you access to many different industries where you can work. It's so vast that I had a tough time deciding what I wanted to do professionally.

I started realizing how lucky I am that I get to do something I like, and I got all the necessary support to continue improving my skills when I became an IT project manager.

I remember even to this day just how good it felt. How hot it was outside. Knowing that I have complete control over my destiny. I felt the freedom. The independence. This is what's been happening to me in mindit ever since. That's when I knew I had made the right choice.

We're lucky that we're in the IT sector because it's such a dynamic industry. But I believe that in mindit, we can do absolutely anything because we don't only have people that are good at Java or DevOps. We have people that are constantly looking to develop themselves.

What was your best day at work?

To be very short, the day when I realized how much potential some of our colleagues had. For example, Alexandru Puiu, our Technical Director, is a real example of what mindit is all about. I've been working with him since he was an intern.

It was absolutely inspiring seeing him develop from intern to Technical Director. He built a career for himself. A path in life, not just at work. And it shows just how much it matters to have your first work experience in a place like mindit that encourages you to focus on your strengths and develop your own career path. These are my most memorable days. And I plan on having more of them to come.

What are you most proud of since joining mindit?

Just like I've mentioned above, one of the things I take pride in is being able to have a contribution, no matter how small, to helping people unlock their full talent and potential.

I'm also really proud of becoming a better person. I'm proud that I'm now able to tell my story. That I grew together with mindit, and mindit grew along with me. I'm pleased to say that I'm Anamaria, and I've been here since we were just a few people. And now we're 200. It puts a smile on my face.

What is your team like?

My team now is mindit, and it always has been. The entire collective. The entire community. I believe we are nothing in this industry if you're not willing to work as a team. If you enjoy and know how to be a part of the team, everything becomes more accessible and enjoyable. What I like most about my team is that my problems are not my problems alone. And the same goes the other way around.

No matter what happens, I know we will get through it because I am not alone. We are not alone. We will get through anything together. The happiest people in the world today are part of communities. We thrive on being part of teams, not just as colleagues but as humans.

Which benefits are your favorite and why?

One of my favorite things is that we put people first, and that's visible with every decision we make. I am really interested in what all my colleagues are trying to achieve, and sooner or later, we'll get there together.

One of the cool things is that if we don't have a role for you, we can create it. For example, if you have someone you would recommend, someone you like, even if we don't have a role for that person just yet, recommend them. We will try to bring them along, and we will create a role that suits them best. We'll make it work.

And this is just one example. Let's see what you're good at. Let's build something together. We have the same approach with our partners as well. The company grew because we wanted to create opportunities for our colleagues. And that's what I love about mindit. We're actually growing because of them now. I like that we're focusing on people the most. That's one of my favorite things about being a part of mindit.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I was very open to taking any opportunity. I didn't have a predefined goal in life. I still don't have one, to be honest. But I do know that I like tackling challenges.
In mindit, I undertook almost every role, except for finance, perhaps. I was an office admin, and my very first assignment as a project manager was to find a new office for our team, as we were already 40 people, and our old location was getting smaller and smaller by the day. That's how I found the Alfa house, where our main headquarters are located today.

I believe that the more challenges you face, the faster you grow, and the better you develop professional skills that you probably didn't even know you had.
In this entire freedom of movement I had, I feel that I had an accelerated growth because constantly changing roles takes you outside your comfort zone.

Two years ago, I started an executive role at mindit, which was growing by 40% each year, along with an MBA. That brought on some very exciting challenges that helped me improve even further from a business standpoint, as well as on a personal level.

I chose to take part in these things. It was overwhelming at times and really hard, but I undertook these challenges to unleash my potential and to grow together with mindit. The more I learn, the more I realize how much more I still have to figure out. And that is the fire that keeps me motivated.

What's a unique part about working here?

I'm not sure if this is 100% unique, but what I can say is that mindit is a living organism. This means that just like an organism, we evolve with time and the conditions we face. What works today doesn't necessarily mean that it will also work tomorrow, and we're trying to build something that our children and future colleagues will be proud of, not our parents (they're already proud of us!).

We're future-oriented, we put people first, and the unique part about being in mindit is that the support you'll receive here is unparalleled.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining mindit?

The advice I would offer anyone is to be open to trying new things and to be flexible. Being reliable and open-minded will help a lot in growing professionally and personally as part of the mindit team.

Who would you tag next to be interviewed by us?

I want to tag Mona Hristachi. I've admired her for quite some time, and I can honestly say that she completes me. She's like my opposite, but we work well together because we have complementary qualities.

She's more of a numbers person, and I feel her perspective will be fascinating. Mona, TAG, you're it!

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