Tips for new YoungStars
Hi, my name is Laura Petsch and I am the new working student at Laika. My journey started almost two months ago. A few questions have come up for me during the take-off - and I am sure they are the same for any other young cadet who dares to join our mission. Therefore, I created a little log book so to say. Below you find a few first answers to your most pressing questions before your first day in space.
For starters, let me reassure you: Laika will do everything to guarantee every new space dog a great launch day - so don’t be afraid of any crash landing! And here is the promised glimpse into which questions we’re keeping me up at night, but don’t need to give you any sleep deprivation before your first day at Laika:
What do I wear on the first day at Laika?
First and foremost: Laika wants you to be you - that’s why we hired you! Expressing yourself via the way you dress is a part of that unique personality. So you don't have to wear a spacesuit, but can pick a mix of comfortable, yet somewhat clever dressed outfit that works for lunch with colleagues equally as well as for a video meeting with clients or working at your desk. Granted - that’s not always easy, right? So if in any doubt copy a bit the style of your colleagues (e.g. by checking them out on the team pictures) or simply ask. That probably rules out a suit and tie - except if that is, what makes you feel great at work. In the end, I dressed appropriately with a sweater, jeans and sneakers - after all, we work in the world of tech and startups, where the hoodie is the outfit of choice.
What do I have to take with me for a good take-off at Laika?
The most important thing for Laika is - quite simply put - it is you! I could have theoretically just come without a bag. Everything was put on my desk, the so-called Laika starter kit: Backpack, notebook, laptop and plenty of swag. If hypoglycemia threatens, there is always a small selection of fruits and candy where everyone can help themselves. Drinks are also available to every Laika employee in the office, from water to ice tea, lemonaid, coffee and tea. Ok and the “German Feierabendbier” is a given, too.
How should I behave towards the space dogs?
In any case, I didn't pretend and remained myself. Laika had good reasons to choose a new space dog. So they trust me with the tasks and believe that I fit well into the team. So I didn't worry about that. But of course, I was also worried about what my new colleagues thought of me. I've been communicative, helpful, confident, and nice, and I've been well received by the crew, in my opinion.
What are the space dogs like?
I wasn't worried, to begin with, but obviously couldn’t assess completely either how working alongside the Laika space dogs would feel. What has been helpful was that I already met many of them in my job interview. And of course, I was able to check out some team bios on the website. That gave me a good headstart which then was completed by an immediate first team meeting on my onboarding day. So what can I say about common space dog characteristics? All colleagues are open-minded, quite humorous, curios and very supportive. After handling the first tasks with them, I also learned that I can always approach anyone with questions, ideas or concerns.
What tasks can I expect in the future?
Expect the unexpected! Every day is different at a spaceship such as ours - interns and working students get a very diverse set of challenges to tackle. From media monitoring to translations, from creative writing to case studies or research, from social media posting and analytics to brainstorming sessions and events - it's all part of the journey. From day one onwards, I had a certain level of ownership for my tasks and the space dogs are happy to support me with any questions of mine and most importantly constructive feedback. Only a few weeks in, I had the chance to be part of a client pitch, as well as at other client meetings. Creativity is always in high demand for our work - so you can expect to have your ideas not only to be heard, but potentially directly implemented. Long story short: joining this team means that you will learn new things every day and that you will have to overcome some challenges that help you grow.
Do you get training on tools and tasks?
In short: Yes - during your onboarding all of the tools will be demonstrated and all tasks given to you come with a proper briefing. But a certain technical brain and self-teaching attitude is of utmost importance to move at the warp speed of this space ship. So that’s the basics. What comes on top is quite great: All team members have access to coaching and education - whether it is language lessons to improve your English or German, or creative writing schools, client liaison coachings etc. The list is endless and roughly every second week there is an internal Laikademy session for all space dogs together - with external coaches.
Where will I work?
Laika always appreciated the great support satellite offices at home can offer. So even before the pandemic hit, home office allowance was a thing and all of our hard- and software reflects this digital-first approach. Now that we are sadly forced to socially distance, most of us work from home. The few that rotate coming to the office obviously have access to Covid tests etc. I can only recommend coming to the office for the first weeks. That way you already get to know some colleagues face to face, have quality time together and just feel better about asking questions about your first tasks.
How is communication between colleagues organized?
I got to know my colleagues either on-site in the office or via video chat. Most of the magic these days happens on Slack and in video calls. In times of COVID-19 we try to stay in touch with each other with daily stand-ups, virtual lunches, or digital and outdoor team events to counteract social distancing.
What if I can't speak English or another language perfectly?
Laika has clients are from all over the world, whether it is Germany, DACH, Europe or North America or Asia. However, our work itself focusses on the DACH region. Therefore, for the vast majority of positions native level German skills are required. An exception can be made for interns and working students. Generally speaking Laika offers language lessons for everyone pack member. Using Chatterbug each of us can practice the language we want and need for our work and beyond.
Feel free to reach out!
Great - I hope my answers to some of your questions have been helpful. If you miss anything, feel free to write to me via laura.petsch@laika.berlin. And if your interest in joining our crew has now only increased, feel free to check out our open positions. We are looking forward to your application!