The right people in the right place — meet our HR Director Judith
One of the best things any applicant can do is to prepare questions about the product or the service that shows that they have already put some thought into the business. Try to be structured in your answers. Make sure you test the product.
Today we tracked down Judith Nguyen Thanh, our HR Director, to get the lowdown on all the good stuff: from how to stand out in an interview to how to spend a summer in Berlin. (You can also reach out to her anytime via Linkedin here — we’re currently hiring so get in touch if you’re interested in one of our open positions!)
How did you find your way to IDAGIO?
I had my first startup experience with ITR8, a Berlin-based digital product development agency. With ITR8 I learnt what it means to build a company from scratch and I really enjoyed that. What I loved most was setting up organisational structures and finding the right people to join our endeavors.
When it was time to move on, I had set my mind on People Operations. Since music has always been an integral part of my life and my work, I was happy to come across IDAGIO, a classical music streaming service. I got in touch with our Co-founder, Christoph Lange, and that marked the beginning of my exciting journey with IDAGIO, where I now lead the People Operations team.
Can you describe a typical day at work?
I am lucky to work on a variety of tasks, from long-term HR projects/processes to day to day operational tasks. On a typical day, I work a lot on strategic HR initiatives, internal and external event formats, leadership development projects and, of course, recruiting, sourcing and communicating with the most talented people — which is extremely exciting.
What do you enjoy most about living in Berlin?
The cultural diversity and freedom. In Berlin, you can be whoever you want to be. Being here in the summer is amazing: I spend most of my free time outside in parks, pools, and meeting with friends.
What do you enjoy most about working on IDAGIO?
I enjoy working on a music streaming service, that alone is very exciting. We also have an array of very interesting classical music happenings in our office and many people here play an instrument to a very high level, which is so impressive. Our founder, Till, is actually also a classically trained pianist. What I love most though, is our really splendid, extremely supportive team. I am happy to see each one of them when I am in the office.
What’s your number one piece of advice for nailing a job interview?
One of the best things any applicant can do is to prepare questions about the product or the service that shows that they have already put some thought into the business. Try to be structured in your answers. Make sure you test the product. If you have the right experience this should get you through the screening call. If you have the time and motivation, do something that will make you stand out — like preparing a case or a little presentation, even if you weren’t asked for it.
What career advice would you give your younger self, if you could go back in time?
Good question. I think I would try to learn more from my peers or people that I admired. I would ask more questions, try to understand the whole business, not just my little area. I would take fewer things for granted and try more to make an impact.
If you could be famous for anything in the world, what would it be?
I wouldn’t want to be famous, I think that must be quite exhausting. If I’d want to be known for anything it would probably be for having helped a lot of people finding a great job that they love and leaving anything that I touch better than I found it.
What are you currently listening to on IDAGIO?
I really enjoy Antiche Danze ed Arie per liuto, Suite №3 P 172 by Ottorino Respighi .
Name the top 3 apps you cannot live without — apart from IDAGIO, of course.
The apps I use extensively are Urban Sports Club, (Yoga keeps me sane), LinkedIn (that’s a work hazard), and Story Shots.
