Augustin Martinez, Junior Content Manager France

What happens now

My years at university weren’t as smooth as I just described it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s something special about me. Most of the students and young people in general struggle with choices and try to get experiences, they fail and go “against the wind”, etc. And there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary! I think it’s important to try things, to fail, and to start again because it’s part of the adventure that we call life. It helps you to find your way and I think it’s even more exciting to just dive into the unknown. I definitely don’t feel like an “example” to follow, but if I can give one piece of advice to young people, or people who are in a situation where they are not sure of what to do, is to fight and try out what you think is good at the moment. Don’t be afraid to fail. Of course, the more smoothly things go, the less energy-consuming they will be. But where are the fun and the challenge? 

Where we’re going and first step

2020… what a year! It’s not exactly the last cornfield issue or a dust bowl problem like in Interstellar, but still, it’s something quite significant for all of us. However, there was a silver lining amidst the chaos that followed due to the outbreak of the pandemic. For me, that silver lining was the recruiting process with byrd and I think I’ll always remember the first touch-point with byrd and I got to Berlin. During July and August 2020, I was juggling between my master’s thesis and THE question: what comes next after studies? Probably a lovely summer program while lying on a beach in Dubai on my couch. Well, the rough idea was to go abroad. There was no doubt about that! And Berlin was the priority. So I guess it ended up quite well. Now that I look back, I think it was a bit crazy, in corona times, to just leave a comfy space for an (almost) unknown place, where I don’t speak the language, to find my first “real” job. But like Matthew McConaughey (I googled the writing, it should be the correct one) and TARS would say “Newton’s third law. The only way humans have figured out how to move forward is to leave something behind.” So yeah, I found the job offer on Linkedin, applied, and got selected. Bee’s knees.

My first interview was with Deike from team HR. At first, it was a usual first interview but I quickly realized that the most important thing that Deike was expecting from this interview, was to know me, like the real me. So, my goal was to be as true to myself and natural as possible. It was so refreshing and satisfying to just have a chat with someone, even if it was for something that important. To be honest, I applied for many positions before and it was stressful not knowing what happens next if you don’t land a much-needed first job soon. And with this interview, I realized that apart from an exciting position and adventure, I was connecting with people, on a human level.

Then, the second interview, hands-on, with the man, the myth, the legend (just preparing the field for a raise here) David-san, head of marketing! The first thing he asked was “How do you feel about tonight’s game?” (Olympique Lyonnais was playing UCL’s semi-finals). I just said “I’m unfortunately not playing tonight, ankle sprain you know…” or something like that. The conversation lasted for an hour, switching between French and English, on various Marketing topics and personal stuff. And it was super interesting and  I quickly realized that this job was the one!

A place among the stars

Literally two days (almost light speed) after finishing my master’s degree, ending my working student contract with my previous company, and moving out from Lyon, I was in Berlin, starting a new journey.

The first days at the new job are always mixed feelings. You are super excited and at the same time, you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of new information. But I got to say, the onboarding process at byrd, which was fully digital (which makes it even more complicated logistically, so I reckon it’s even more impressive) was perfect! Big shoutout to HR and all people involved. It is rare, I think, for companies nowadays that everyone takes the time to get to know you, explain what they do, ask you questions. Yes, nothing was invented here, it’s usual that in small companies, people are more familiar and it’s easier to take time and connect with people. But when I arrived, we were 70-ish rockstars working at byrd and now we are almost 100! And I have the feeling it’s still the same. As the company grows, it may happen that things got busy and less “human”. But one thing I’m sure of is, at byrd, people, and the team come first. 

I can say now, after almost 6 months, I found several things that really stand out at byrd. A fantastic team with highly competent, gentle, and funny people. A great work environment in a fast-growing company that aims to change things (in this case e-commerce logistics). I know, this can quickly fall into the overplayed trope – every company wants to change the world, revolutionize, disrupt, etc… I’d probably agree, but it’s not what matters here. What matters more is “the how” part, and which steps are taken in order to get there. To us, the journey matters, the experiences, and the ideas. And finally, I found a peaceful place in a crazy and messy city where you can just feel free!

However, the journey continues and I don’t know where and how it will lead, and I’m fine with that. As long as you learn from people and you are driven by the idea that you are making something you like and is deemed significant, it’s the most important thing! I’m like Cooper starting a new life with Dr. Brand on the new planet (you know, like in the Interstellar part. 2… I really wish this exists!!)

One last thing. I was writing this blog while listening to Interstellar’s soundtrack. I highly recommended it for focusing, or at the very least you can use it to induce that “in the zone/the bulk” feeling.