Mona Hristachi, mindit.io Co-COO, wanted to hear Ioana Mangalea's thoughts and stories about her experience as part of our team. Ready to read what came out?

Let's start!

1. What's something that happened to you that can only happen here? What's a unique part about working here?  

Before joining mindit.io, I wouldn't have defined myself as a very professionally aware person. This means that I didn't do research about a company, its people, or its culture beforehand. I simply went with the flow and wasn't thinking about a particular career path. That wasn't on my priority list at the time. 

When I joined mindit.io, I went through a professional reconversion process. Actually, I would say it's a continuous reconversion process, given the opportunities you are offered. And that's a unique part about mindit.io if you ask me.

You are offered complete ownership over your role, and you can start building the career path of your choice with all the necessary support. People really trust you, and they let you learn and improve from your own mistakes. You get a strong feeling of empowerment, which you need to embrace with everything it brings: the good and the challenging parts.

In mindit.io, there's also complete transparency throughout the organization. Everybody is kept in the loop with future plans and changes, and that's really nice, and I would say unique as opposed to most work environments. It's a transparent team that allows you to grow and learn on the go. 

2. How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I worked in a call center for about three years, but somehow, I knew I always wanted to work in the IT industry. I studied Mathematics and Computer Science in high school. Still, I went to a Foreign Languages university, so I kind of lost track of the technical side of the field. 

That's when I decided to blend my two skills and become a Technical Writer. I started working on building a portfolio and applied to several companies until one day, an open role popped up at mindit.io, where my then-boyfriend, now husband, was working. 

He asked if I was still interested; I applied and started my mindit.io journey as a Technical Writer. After three months, a QA position opened up, and when asked if I was interested, I answered 100% affirmative! 

I really enjoyed doing QA, and six months later, a new project started. The opportunity to become a Business Analyst presented itself. I took advantage of it, and only three months after embarking on this unique experience, I was also asked if I would be interested in taking on the Project Management role. By now, you can probably guess what I answered. It was a big "yes!", yet again.

Since then, I've been handling both roles, and although it's challenging at times, I enjoy what I do. All this happened within a three-year timespan, and I can't wait to see what the next three years will bring. 

3. What was the moment you knew you'd made the right decision to work here?

Well, I would have to say that every day! I think about this almost all the time, and I'm really happy with my decision to join mindit.io. Mostly, I think about this aspect whenever I change contexts or change the role or the team.

But even during my first days here, when I started meeting all the friendly people, I knew I had made the right decision, both personally and career-wise. 

In general, I'm happy here whenever I try something new, learn something, or improve a process. Also, you know you're in the right spot for you when even in the challenging moments, you can go through everything together as a team. 

4. What was your best day at work? 

Usually, any day when I manage to get something challenging done is a good day. That's mainly because I'm a" get-things-done" type of person. I get my motivation from solving tasks and challenges and achieving goals.

For example, when I was doing QA, I wrote a testing script which I validated with a colleague, and it went really well. I loved the fact that I managed to produce something helpful for the team. 

On the project management side, whenever I communicate something difficult to a partner and have the best possible outcome for all parties involved and know that everybody is pleased, I feel like that's a good day at work. Although it's hard, it's extremely rewarding.

The toughest and the happiest days are the days I consider to be the best.

5. What are you most proud of?

I'm proud whenever I see people improving their skills and becoming better professionals. Even if it's about my role as a buddy for someone who just started out or for people who were part of my team, I see them receiving a lot of positive feedback from their new teams.  

Perhaps, I had a really small contribution to their growth, and that's something that always puts a smile on my face. Every time my team does something well, or whenever I have a personal achievement, it brings me joy and pride knowing that what we're producing has a positive impact.

6. What is your team like?  

I would say that the projects we have are not easy, but my team really is amazing. The projects are challenging, but I think that's what brings out the best in us.  

I'd say that my colleagues know how to catch all the curve balls thrown their way, and being involved in such dynamic projects, you can expect a lot of them. We work well together, and we learn a lot from each other.   

But there's one thing I would like to have more: spending time in non-work-related contexts. This is proving difficult since we all live in different cities.   

I guess that's "the price we have to pay" for being able to work from anywhere. 

Both teams are filled with incredible people, creating an awesome work environment where you can easily ask for help and solve even the most difficult tasks.

7. Which benefits are your favorite and why?

The thing I like the most when it comes to mindit.io’s awesome benefits package is minditNomad, where we get to go on vacations with our friends and families, at any of the minditNomad homes located throughout Romania.

Another benefit worth mentioning is the flexibility you are given while working on various projects. You’re in charge of your own time and you have complete ownership over your style of work. And that’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?  

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

Don't be afraid to apply and prepare for the good and the challenging parts of your role. You'll get the chance to create your own position and build a career path that can bring you a lot of joy and satisfaction.

If you work on your goals, you'll receive all the help you need to fulfill your personal and professional objectives. 

Being in charge of your career path can also be quite scary, and it's definitely not going to be easy all the time. However, in times like these, that's when you know that you're becoming better and improving your personal and professional skills. 

If you want to take charge of your career, apply to one of our OPEN ROLES right here, and mindit.io will be the team where you can achieve your goals as part of a kind community that's doing great things. 

9. What movie, book, or TV show would you recommend? How do you relax and unwind? 

Something I always come back to with joy, no matter the time, is Victorian drama books. I can't get enough of them; I simply love them. 

When it comes to movies, I watch everything crime-related. From Criminal Minds to CSIs, Unabomber, Ted Bundy, True Detective, and anything crime related. There are a few shows I didn't watch yet, but they're on my list!

One other show I usually watch before bedtime – and even my mom tells me I'm crazy for doing o – is Mystery & Makeup by Bailey Sarian. She discusses different murders while putting on makeup. It's hilarious! She manages to have a comedic take on a very dark subject, and I really like that. 

One of my passions is writing, and I used to write a lot "back in the day." I really don't have time to write anymore, but I now relax by listening to music. Lots and lots of music, all the time.  

10. Who would you tag next to be interviewed by us?

Hmmmm… Who to tag, who to tag? Let me check my hit list. And we have a winner! I'd like to TAG Claudia Istrate because she's an extraordinary person. 

She was my mentor and an absolute wiz regarding the operations' technical side. I'm really interested in seeing what she has to say! Claudia dear, TAG, you're it!