What is it like to work in a start-up? What are the motives for changing companies and getting involved in a job with many ups and downs? What convinced them despite an uncertain future?
These and many other questions were answered by two CHARGE-V staff members who have been with us from the beginning. Eduardo G. (picture: left) works as a software developer and Manfred K. (picture: right) as a testing expert for the start-up. Both were already employed by the VISPIRON GmbH group of companies before CHARGE-V GmbH was founded.
How did you find out about CHARGE-V GmbH back then? How did you come to "change companies"?
Eduardo: While I was writing my Master's thesis in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center, a colleague of mine at the time switched to VISPIRON GmbH. Since I only needed a few more months to complete my degree at that time, I was also looking for a new employer and an interesting position in the IT sector. My former work colleague told me about his extremely positive experience at VISPIRON GmbH and offered to forward my CV. After talking to the HR department, I found out that this company could also meet my expectations. As a result, I started as a software developer on 01.10.2017, and to this day I do not regret this decision. During my employment at VISPIRON GmbH, I was made an extraordinary offer. Our CEO and founder of CHARGE-V GmbH, Amir Roughani, personally offered me this opportunity to join CHARGE-V. As a young software developer, this opportunity to be part of a start-up was a great opportunity. I seized this chance and am now allowed to actively participate in this start-up since 01.11.2019.
Manfred: Before I joined CHARGE-V GmbH, I worked for VISPIRON GmbH for over twelve years. When the start-up was newly founded at that time, Lukas F., my work colleague and CTO of the start-up, approached me personally and told me about this unique opportunity. I also decided to change companies and have been working for CHARGE-V since 01.10.2019 as a result.
What were your motives for joining a start-up? What were your concerns and did they come true?
Eduardo: It was very important to me to work on an exciting project where I could not only develop professionally but also contribute to society. I also wanted to gain experience with the start-up mindset. The flat hierarchy, the opportunity to take on responsibility from day one and the prospect of working in a small, motivated team convinced me to become part of CHARGE-V. By working on an electric mobility project, I have also found the right job for me, as I can not only actively promote the mobility revolution, but also develop professionally.
Manfred: I decided to join the start-up because the interesting, exciting and new topic appealed to me. I had no reservations whatsoever about this venture, but I was well aware of the challenge. Among other things, you first have to get to grips with the topic, which involves a certain amount of learning and various further developments. Existing processes have to be understood and redefined. These and many other challenges are encountered anew every day. But this makes the job very exciting, which is why I have never regretted this step.
How did you experience the initial phase? What was the work process like? How did you feel about the new challenge?
Eduardo: Since I joined the company directly after it was founded, I have been able to observe the previous changes, further developments and process changes over the years. This is another reason why the work has proven to be exciting right from day one. At a start-up, the employees usually work in different areas, which creates a lot of variety and every task brings new challenges. It also gave me the opportunity to work with new state-of-the-art technologies. Although it can be a bit more stressful at times, that's fine with me because it makes me realise the importance of my work. This gives me a boost and motivation, as I have the opportunity to actively participate and thus can also shape the work processes in a targeted way.
Manfred: Especially in the initial phase, the process was sometimes chaotic. The challenge was to create a certain order and structure in the work processes. Due to the fact that a large part of the staff had changed before, it was sometimes difficult to understand existing technical implementations, structures and processes and their backgrounds. After many discussions and restructurings, a uniform way of working was found and many individual employees became one team. The challenge and overcoming it is a wonderful experience, because a new employee is not integrated as usual, but everyone can develop together as a team.
Do you regret your decision at that time? Where do you see your advantages compared to working at VISPIRON GmbH?
Eduardo: No, definitely not. At that time, as an engineer at the sister company VISPIRON SYSTEMS GmbH, I only worked on a project-oriented basis. The way of thinking and working is fundamentally different at a start-up. The opportunity to work on a long-term project cannot be compared to working in a traditional company. The developments of the final product, of the company and of oneself can be seen immediately. For this reason, I have never regretted my decision at that time.
Manfred: The change has shifted my field of responsibility, which has given me the opportunity to develop and learn new things. At the same time, I was able to refresh my experience from previous projects and bring it into the team. Because of the varied work, I don't regret my decision at that time at all.
What would you advise other people who are also facing the decision to start a start-up?
Eduardo: I can definitely recommend joining a start-up to anyone, especially young people. Since the work in a start-up is organised differently, there is the possibility to work with agile methods. One's own work has a direct impact on the product or the company. This motivated me to give my best every day. In addition, you can work with innovative people in a pleasant working atmosphere, which is why I can only recommend this experience to everyone.
Manfred: If you enjoy working with an innovative, new topic and like to work independently in flat hierarchies, a start-up is the best choice. The earlier you start, the more opportunities there are to help shape the basic approach to problems. If the start-up in question has been around for a while, it is very helpful if the original crew that started the topic will continue to work on the project in question for a longer period of time.
Did the interview arouse your interest to get to know CHARGE-V or to start working in a start-up in general? We can only recommend this step because of the many advantages.
If you are interested in the working environment at CHARGE-V, we look forward to receiving your application!