My First 30 Days at UP3: Emilia Włodarska

So Emilia…tell us, how have you found your first month at UP3?

It’s been great. It’s just been lovely. Even before I started I received an update about what my first moments with the company would look like. I feel like I can always reach out to anybody which is really important as somebody that’s new - having that opportunity to reach out to others with questions is crucial. And I also feel like I’ve received the right balance of independence as well as guidance - we were set up with a bootcamp and also self-study time as well. Everyone learns differently and personally, I enjoy learning through shadowing, while also doing some self-study so this was perfect for me.

What’s going well so far?

Huge growth! I feel like I’m gaining more and more confidence in my skills and learning something new every single day. I'm really enjoying that. I was able to get an overview from the start as to what my future at the company could look like - it just gets me really excited.

Getting more familiar with the processes as well as getting to know everyone’s journey and where they’ve come from. It’s great. It shows me how the company operates and how the culture works here. Someone mentioned to me that when you join UP3 you don’t feel like you’re new, and I had that feeling, I definitely don’t feel new in my team. Which is lovely.

And, is it everything you expected? Are your role and life at UP3 living up to your expectations?

It’s definitely living up to my expectations! So a good example is when I first started, I said I’d like to have a conversation with the sales team to get more familiar with their processes. The meeting was set up straight away! It’s just proof of how seriously this company takes your growth, and that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to join. I heard loads of good things about UP3 before joining, and seeing it first hand during my first moments within the company was something that just reinforced that I’d made the right decision.

You’ve given us a bit of an insight into the culture…can you share more on that?

I love the culture here. I’m still on the junior side of my career, so it was really important for me to join a company that acknowledged this and was supportive. The people at UP3 are really talented and passionate, but what’s amazing is that everyone is really happy to share their knowledge. In some places, people keep everything to themselves, but this is such a close team, everyone is always there to help you out if you have any questions. The company’s culture is just a testament to what I’d heard before I joined about how supportive and development focused they are. And it’s really true!

I also feel like UP3 is really considerate when it comes to work/life balance. It’s been lovely to be able to connect with everyone both virtually and in person - even though I have quite a long commute into the office, when I’m here everyone is so great. The company always makes sure you have a good balance of being at home and in the office which is nice. It’s really important to me.

What about your team, what are they like? How has it been working with them?

Amazing. Everyone on my team is really lovely. What’s really great is that we’ve been paired with good mentors - people who were once in our shoes so we can see how things work, follow them and reach out with questions. I never feel like I’m alone in what I’m doing. I can always ask people for guidance and I really value that. The team in general are really communicative which is great and it’s really helped me develop in my role. We all talk to each other loads and ask questions - it helps the team to grow together. Everyone benefits from each other’s strengths. I really enjoy that about my team.

Did you set yourself any goals for the first 30 days? How have these gone?

One of the first things that I wanted to do was achieve over 90% on my Delta exam and it was a lovely moment when I did! Another goal is just to learn as much as possible. I really enjoyed the bootcamp that was organised for us - it was really, really helpful to understand the internal processes and how the company is structured. It’s also been good to be able to do my own studying and shadow my mentor. It brings me closer to learning more of the skills that I’ll need. It’s going really well.

Looking ahead to the next few months? What goals do you have?

My main goals are to properly settle into my role, learn as much as possible and perfect my skills. I’ve already learned so much in the first month, I can’t wait to see what I can achieve in the next year.

We’re looking forward to checking in with Emilia again in the next few months to see how her journey progresses. To find out more about working at UP3 and to explore our current job opportunities, take a look at our Careers Page.