Global
Meet Jaroslava Dermek, Recruitment Director for Ness’ innovation centers in Košice, Slovakia. Jaroslava’s results-oriented and enthusiastic mindset is a major asset to our recruitment team. She brings an immense amount of knowledge and an energy that shows she truly loves her career at Ness.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your role at Ness and what you do.
A: I lead the Recruitment department in our Kosice center in Slovakia. My role is very dynamic, and each day is different which keeps it very interesting. I work closely with the project leaders and customers to meet their expectations when it comes to talent sourcing and hiring. The main focus of my role is to help the center grow and I do this by working with my amazing recruitment team to find the right talent. It’s extremely challenging and very rewarding when we find someone to add value to our team.
Q: What’s on your to-do list?
A: On a personal level – I would love to learn to play guitar. On a professional level – my main focus is growth. The pandemic changed many things in our industry, including the way we operate. Thanks to our flexibility, we were able to adjust instantly and transitioned to a solely digital environment. Thanks to our specialists and thorough selection process, our customers are satisfied and our teams are constantly growing. In 2017 I crossed two things off my to-do list. First, our center reached a huge milestone of employing 500 talented individuals. Secondly, I went skydiving to celebrate this achievement! This year we have reached 600 and I am excited to be working towards our next milestone.
Q: Everyone has their own morning routine to help get their day going. What are the 3 most important parts of your morning routine?
A: My alarm is set to 6:15 am and the first thing I do every morning is to take a quiet and peaceful walk with my two little dogs. We have two Yorkshire Terriers from the dog shelter in our temporary care since the pandemic started that bring us so much joy. After the morning walk, I have coffee, a quick breakfast, and watch the morning news. At 7:00 am, I drop my daughter at school and start my working day by checking my emails.
Q: How did you get started in the industry?
A: Working for an IT company in Canada brought me home to Kosice Wanting to stay in the same industry, I began to apply for a new position. I applied for various positions and was accepted to two – one as a tester and another as a recruiter. Since I have a love of working with people, I chose recruitment and found myself loving it. I gained a lot of experience in the IT technology industry and grew into this management role which led me to where I am today with Ness.
Q: What does the future of this industry look like?
A: To me, this industry is ever-changing. The future holds an immense amount of opportunities, challenges, and outcomes that will undoubtedly be very interesting and dynamic.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Ness?
A: The culture, the team of people I work with, and just the IT industry in general. It’s very different from other industries – it breathes the future and makes a difference in our everyday lives. Ness offers diversity, various projects, many options, and a wide range of technologies to work with. People take interest in what we do and how we do it. It’s great how we can open a window into different worlds and our global teams work together as one from their home close to their loved ones. That’s awesome.
Q: Where is the next place you want to travel to and why?
A: The next stop on my travel list is going to be New Zealand. It is made up of many beautiful landscapes – from vast mountain chains and volcanoes to expansive beaches, lush rainforests, and grassy plains. I’d also like to travel to Paris. I have always wanted to see the view of the world from the Eiffel Tower.
Q: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever heard?
A: Work-life balance is very important. I tend to forget this sentiment sometimes (and end up working crazy hours), then I have to give myself a reality check to take a break. I have a lovely family and spending time with them is just as important. Plus, taking a break from working allows me to clear my head and come back the next day with a fresh mindset.
Q: What motivates you to work hard?
A: The biggest motivation for me is being able to work with people who are experts at what they do. They have heart and passion in the right places and a positive attitude no matter how hard it gets. I am fortunate to have people like that in my team and this inspired me to come to work every day. At the end of the day, we are all in this together and work as a team to bring the results regardless of the challenges we face.
Q: What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?
A: Having lived in both the US and in Canada, I’ve had the opportunity to try many interesting cuisines. I’d have to say the most interesting food that comes to mind brings me back to when I visited an alligator farm in the Florida Keys. I tried many things like fried frog legs, alligator, and shark. Another fun experience I had happened while I was at an Indian restaurant in New York. I ordered a very traditional Indian bread called Paratha. When they brought it to me it was huge and it looked like a 25 cm puffed-up balloon. I had no idea it was filled with air, so I asked the waiter whether it was all for me or am I expected to share it with the whole restaurant. It deflated in a few seconds and we all laughed.
I also love sushi especially Unagi, so one Christmas my husband and I decided to prepare it at home. I bought a fresh eel at the local fish market, they cleaned it and wrapped it up for me to seep in my fridge until I was ready to prepare it later that night. When I took it out later that evening to marinate it, the eel pieces started to jump on my countertop like they were alive. I ran out of the kitchen screaming. My husband had to finish it up by pinning each piece to the cutting board before we could cook it. We ate it, but it was very weird and we never bought it again. I prefer visiting the sushi bar to eat it.
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