Interview with Mihaela Antochi
 

How did you find out about the opportunity at Phi Partners?

I applied to a post on a recruitment job board for another role and subsequently had an interview with the agency. The role I had originally applied for was focused on one single technology area whereas Phi Partners role had a much deeper technical basis and seemed more interesting. My University experience had been quite diverse I had noticed that many roles were quite specific in terms of technology areas. Given that Phi Partners areas of experience needed to be much broader I felt that I would have the opportunity to learn more diverse areas of technology.

What drew you to the position at Phi Partners and what did you find interesting about it?

You don't settle on a particular area of technology but get to work with many areas. It allows me to be more flexible in my experience and gives me more variety and more interest.

How does this compare with the other role that you were considering at the same time?

The other role was offering one single area of technology and I was really keen on having exposure to a variety of technologies to keep things interesting.

Tell me about your first month at Phi Partners?

The first month involved a lot of intensive training, not just technology related but what I found particularly interesting is learning about the banking and finance world. Until the training I didn't have much knowledge about banking and finance and how money moves around the world. It has expanded my knowledge of the economic markets and how it fits into the overall global economic picture.

How are you finding the team here at Phi Partners? 

I have been welcomed into Phi Partners very warmly. If I have an issue or problem I can't solve myself, the team are very open to offer advice and solutions and have been very helpful and supportive to my needs. It has genuinely helped with my initial development.

What kind of opportunities do you think are available here what is your vision for the next one or two years?

I am quite ambitious and although it is very early in my career here I would like to be able to solve problems within my own projects on my own and without assistance from other people. I feel I am getting all the training and mentoring I need in order to be successful. I have had friends who have left university and joined companies and they are left alone to do the work without proper training. There appears to be a culture of help and assistance from all my colleagues which is a better way of learning at a new company than just been given a large book and being asked to learn from that.

What motivates you to come in every day?

I have really enjoyed learning about banking and finance and I feel there's a lot of very experienced people at Phi Partners who will give me the ability to learn and to expand my knowledge and continue to grow as an individual and to be part of an organisation that is growing.

So what would you say to potential candidates that may be deciding on their future when leaving university?

The more I hear about financial markets the more interesting I am in learning what Phi Partners are doing. I think there are some great opportunities to go and work from a customer site overseas.  I feel I could see a little more of the world and understand how business is conducted in other countries. I am really interested in travelling with work and this organisation could be a vehicle to allow me to do this.