Working at Guidion; get to know Yit!

The people behind Guidion, who are they exactly? In the recurring blog “Behind the scenes”, we give colleagues a face. We find out what drives them, why they chose Guidion and what makes them happy. This time, we spoke to developer Yit (27). The man who left home and fireplace in Turkey for a job at Guidion in the Netherlands. The country he had never set foot in before...

Wow Yit, before you started working here, you'd never been to the Netherlands. Why did you take on the adventure?

Well, I always wanted to live abroad. I thought of Spain but that's not the best country to work in, IT-wise. So I looked at jobs in Amsterdam and London. The vacancy of Guidion stood out and I decided to apply. The recruiter wasn't directly from Guidion. It was already a Turkish middleman. After a couple of interviews, all parties were excited and I got the job. Luckily the recruiter helped me find a house. Thank God, because looking for a house in Amsterdam is the worst haha. And only 9 weeks after the moment I applied, I moved to the Netherlands.

Sounds exciting, how was it?

At first, it took me some time to adjust. Especially because I moved to Amsterdam before a strict lockdown, October 2021. I did not know many people, so that was a bit lonely sometimes. But luckily, I had awesome colleagues. They really did their best to welcome me. Now, months later, I love it here. I'm not planning on leaving.

Most people here don't live to work, but work to live. The work-life balance is really good here. Especially if you compare it to Turkey.

What do you like the most about the Netherlands?

I like how relaxed people are here. In Turkish we call it 'rahat'. Most people don't live to work, but work to live. The work-life balance is really good here. In Turkey, the work week is longer. You work 45 hours a week and sometimes on Saturdays.

And what don't you like?

That people schedule everything. You always have to make an appointment if you want to hang out with someone. I'm not like that. If I want to do something fun, I want to do it now. Not in 4 weeks haha. In Istanbul, where I'm from, you make dinner reservations a week prior. Tops.

What did you bring from Istanbul to Amsterdam?

Dancing! That's my biggest passion. I started dancing when I was 7. My specialism is salsa and bachata. Right now, I'm even in the bachata show team of my dance school in Amsterdam. This year we are going on a little 'tour' and dance at different Latin festivals. So I'm practicing 10-12 hours a week.

That's impressive! So you can be the next act on the Guidion Winter Party?

Haha, sure!

I like how 'people-centric' the company is. People really reach out to each other. I love the feeling that I can always talk to someone here.

Last question, where do you see yourself in a couple of years?

Hmmm I don't know. I might still live here. But then I really need to improve my Dutch haha. Because right now I can only put 'nice' into a sentence. Oh and I know how to make it 'cozy' haha. I hope that's still working at Guidion. I like how 'people-centric' the company is. People really reach out to each other. I love the feeling that I can always talk to someone here.