Claudia has been working in the IT business for more than 9 years and has been in Endava for more than seven. Now she is a Test Manager working in Skopje for one of our biggest insurance clients from the United Kingdom. Read Claudia’s story to find out how not being willing to accept your comfort zone makes you overcome setbacks and pushes you towards leading by example.

1.What can you tell us about your career path within Endava?

I discovered the taste for testing in the early stages of my life through my mother's job. She was making manometers and needed to assure that the quality standards are met. At times she took me with her to work and explained the entire process. Ever since, I found new contexts to improve my understanding in the testing domain and my educational background eventually drove me towards IT, encouraging my career path in testing.

I have been working in this business for more than 9 years and have been in Endava for more than seven of these. I started as a Tester in Iasi, Romania with manual testing but was also able to improve my skills in both automation and performance testing.

By challenging myself to be the best that I could be, I was able to expand my knowledge in the technical and business area and soon accepted a leadership role, first for a digital media client, then for an important client in the insurance industry. Through streamlining the communication between all parts involved in the project and aligning expectations, I was able to lead teams towards successful deliveries and focused on developing relationships of trust with clients. 

Since I have always been on the lookout to improve my team’s testing capabilities, we have also succeeded over the years in mentoring our people in manual testing, automation testing and reporting and encouraged a feedback culture so our colleagues would have a real sense of pride regarding their work. 

2.What do you think drives and guides you in your career?

Not being willing to accept the boundaries of my comfort zones, pushing myself to experience different contexts in order to expand my knowledge – that’s what drives me most.

The most challenging assignments I faced were after relocating to Skopje, where I encountered a different culture, new people and high targets. With hard work, proactivity, involvement, and support, I faced all challenges, adding value through my work and shaping new skills (both soft and technical).

3.Being Test Manager surely comes with a lot of challenges and responsibility. What was the most important lesson you learned over these 9 years?

To me, it is very important to be part of a company that has similar values to mine and that allows me to accept new challenges, even if sometimes I don’t believe I’m ready for them. Sometimes you just need to face things you are not the best at just so you can learn how to improve.

I am part of a highly supportive environment. Setbacks only make us try even harder next time. Constructive feedback and knowledge sharing are encouraged here and this make us grow professionally in unchartered ways.

When it comes to an important lesson I have learned over the years; this was not to wait for someone else to come and save the day. My introverted nature made me hide sometimes, but when you have a leadership role, the whole team looks up to you, you have to lead by example.

4.What can you tell us about your life outside of work?

I enjoy drawing and I am thinking about taking painting classes. I also discovered my passion for photography whilst travelling and I like to capture landscapes and moments that impress me.  I would love to travel more in future and dive into diverse cultures.

I think the creative side of mine has a great value in my work life as well; I don’t get stuck the present circumstance; I see the situation for what it is now and but believe in what it might become. I think this is a valuable skill for a tester.

5.If you were to start work at Endava tomorrow, what would be that one piece of advice you would give to yourself?

My advice would be to be less critical of yourself and rather focus on what can be done differently and what is worth investing time in, not worrying about things that can’t be changed.