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Crossing Paths – Episode 6: The Interview
It’s Thursday morning. Thomas is walking through a corridor in a modern Globe-Coop building. An HR assistant is leading him to the office. They stop at a door. The assistant opens it and lets him in. Everything feels calm and organized. Mrs. Berger is already waiting. She stands up, smiles, and greets him.
Noa: Mr. Dvorak? Nice to meet you. I’m Noa Berger. Thanks for coming in.
Thomas: Nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.
Noa: Please, have a seat. Well, Mr. Dvořák, I actually called you as soon as I saw your résumé. It’s quite impressive.
Thomas: Thank you.
Noa: You were one of the founding members of SymphCloud, and you were responsible for the technical infrastructure, is that correct?
Thomas: That’s right. I mean, at the beginning, everyone was doing a bit of everything, but after a while I started focusing mostly on that area.
Noa: And the company grew quite fast during that time.
Thomas: Yes, it did—especially in the first few years.
Noa: How did you handle such rapid growth? Was it difficult?
Thomas: Sometimes, yes. We were growing faster than we expected, so we had to constantly adapt. My main responsibility was making sure the infrastructure could scale without breaking things.
Noa: I see. That must have been tough. Tell me, what do you think was the biggest challenge for you?
Thomas: Well… I think the biggest challenge was learning to delegate. At the beginning, I was involved in almost everything, but as the team grew, I had to learn to trust other people.
Noa: How large was your team at that point?
Thomas: Around fifteen engineers at our peak.
Noa: That’s a decent size.
Thomas: Yes, they were all high-performing professionals. Working with them was an amazing experience.
Noa: Can I ask a slightly more personal question?
Thomas: Sure, go ahead.
Noa: SymphCloud is a big deal. Why did you leave?
Thomas: Well, after seven years, I realized I needed a change. I had some personal issues and decided to take a sabbatical.
Noa: I see. That makes sense. How long have you been away from work?
Thomas: I’ve been away for about a year now.
Noa: Wow, lucky you! I’d love to take a year off work too.
Thomas: Yeah… well, I recommend that. I was traveling most of that time. It was great, but I realized I really miss working – and having some kind of stability. So I moved back to settle down and get back to work.
Noa: So… you’re ready to get back into it?
Thomas: Yes, definitely.
Noa: Well, I think you might be the person we need. As you know, we specialize in high-pressure liquid pumps. When it comes to IT, we feel we’re falling a bit behind.
Thomas: I see.
Noa: Most of our systems are… outdated. A lot of things are still done manually, and our infrastructure needs a lot of work.
Thomas: I think that’s quite common in more traditional industries like yours.
Noa: Exactly. And that’s why we’re looking for someone who can help us modernize and bring our systems up to date.
Thomas: Perfect. That’s exactly the kind of work I’m interested in.
Noa: I’m glad to hear that. By the way, what made you apply to our company?
Thomas: Actually, a good friend of mine, Philip Cole, works here. I met up with him last week, and he had nothing but good things to say about Globe-Coop. He told me about the opening.
Noa: Oh, you know Philip? He’s been with us for quite a while.
Thomas: Yes, we’ve known each other since high school.
Noa: That’s good to hear. He’s one of our most reliable people. Alright, Mr. Dvorak, I think that covers most of what I wanted to ask. I won’t take up any more of your time. We still have a few candidates to speak with, but I have to say – you’re a very strong fit.
Thomas: I appreciate that.
Noa: We’ll be in touch very soon.