Interview with Lisa (32), Commercial Manager South in the Communications Technology BU
Lisa joined EQOS directly after her professional training. She is grateful for the support and the opportunities within the team that she has since received on her career path to becoming a manager.
In what function do you currently work at EQOS?
I am the commercial manager for the southern region. Part of my main responsibilities are the monthly assessments. This includes discussions with the site managers, internal documentation, and regional controlling. I also support the branch management, e.g., with the preparation for the monthly review, budget planning, and forecasting. I also centrally generate the outgoing invoices for all of our customers.
What do you particularly like about your work?
I like the fact that there is something different to do every day and that unforeseen things happen time and again – no two days are the same. Basically, however, my work revolves entirely around numbers and Excel. That’s just right up my street! Dealing with numbers, creating formulas and understanding where things originate and how they are connected is simply exciting for me. In a way, it also runs in the family: My father is a computer scientist and I learnt a lot about Excel from him.
But what I particularly like about my work is the teamwork. Without the close exchange with the site managers and team assistants, my job wouldn’t work at all. I’m always happy when my commercial expertise is in demand and I can support my colleagues with my knowledge and experience.
How has your career developed at EQOS?
I started as a team assistant in 2011 right after my professional training. I worked a lot with Excel right from the start and handled several projects in this area. In 2014, I was given the opportunity to join a project that was controlled entirely via Excel. Just a little bit later, I took over the complete commercial processing for the project for the first time.
Due to changes in the commercial department, my colleagues taught me how to generate outgoing invoices. I was also trained in the warehouse and the purchasing department to take over warehouse accounting and orders and to do accounting for incoming invoices. In 2016, I moved to that department completely and gradually took on more and more responsibilities until I was offered the regional commercial management position in 2018.
What skills do you need to do your job well?
Of course, you have to enjoy working with controlling tools such as Excel, Nevaris Finance, and Lucanet and have a good grasp of numbers. If something is incorrect in the accounting entries, I can see it straight away, but sometimes I have to investigate carefully until I find the outlier. As a result, perseverance and dependability are important. You should also be resilient and have a certain composure when things get hectic. Especially at the beginning of the month, this can happen when you have the construction site assessments on top of the day-to-day business and your family life. It takes some organisational talent to prepare all the processes for the assessments and meetings with the site managers to your best ability.
Due to the close, personal exchange with my colleagues, communication and sensitivity in dealing with each other is also very important to me. I have to be able to approach and deal with very different personalities and put myself in their shoes in order to work well together.
How do you succeed in balancing your family life and your career as a manager?
For me, it’s the ability to work remotely and organise my working hours flexibly. Especially in the early days as a young mother, it was very important to be able to organise my time and responsibilities freely during the day. I was only absent during maternity leave and returned to work immediately afterwards. I have always enjoyed my job very much. So I couldn’t imagine staying at home for one, two, or even three years. To support me, my husband took parental leave for the first year. We are also very lucky that grandma and grandpa live directly across the street. Ever since my son started going to the day nursery, it has also become even easier because I can use the mornings entirely for work. Of course, there are some things that cannot be planned. For example, when my child is ill. Then, despite all the given flexibility, I can also rely on great superiors and colleagues who are understanding and supportive in an emergency.
“The option of mobile working and therefore being able to organise my working hours flexibly really helps me balance my family life and my professional life.”
What do you think characterises EQOS as an employer?
For me, EQOS is a secure and family-friendly employer. The team spirit is also something special for me. I am happy to work with everyone on this great and motivated team. The exchange with my colleagues at the other locations is also very positive time and again. If someone needs help, everyone is there for you and you support each other.
EQOS recognises individual strengths and supports employees in their professional development. Without the encouragement of my superiors, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Of course, my favourite thing to do is spending time with my son, my family and my friends. We always do lots of things together, such as cycling or swimming in the summer. But when I have a few quiet minutes, I also like to sit on the patio in the evening and read a book.