N26 — Building a company people love to work for
N26 is more than just The Mobile Bank for our customers and our employees. In a company growing so fast as N26 does right now, every day is challenging. Primarily though, we have a lot of fun and get to find loads of new friends. Customers and even my friends frequently ask me about the difference to work for N26. I would love to give you an insight into how we build a company people love to work for. In my more than one and a half years with N26, I have been working in different roles in product management and am now part of opening up the new Barcelona office.
It’s always Day 1
It’s key for us to ensure that everyone has the best possible start into their time at N26. On your first day as a new employee there will be a lot of things to explore and understand.
That’s why we started our two-day onboarding program. There you will be introduced to all current projects. A highlight on the first day is the first lunch with your team! (Thanks to Jack, Philip, Tim who took me out at my first day) At the end of the two days you will receive an N26 welcome box with a warming N26 hoodie, a Coffee2Go cup, a journal and pen with an embossed logo.
One of the biggest characteristics is our welcoming and always ready to help mentality. Whenever I talk to a new colleague, they stress the observation. We motivate everyone to ask as many questions as possible. This might sound obvious until you face how many abbreviations, products, teams and decisions exist in a startup of our size.
You can always approach everyone in other teams and even other offices (Yes, we are in Berlin, New York City and Barcelona by now) and get their opinion over a coffee.
How we make the difference
Every person that we hire stands out of hundreds of applications and went through a lot of interviews. A successful start is important — the goal is to give everyone a feeling of belonging, the opportunity to grow in the company and be set up for success. We embrace a nurturing culture of feedback, never ending learnings and mentoring. You will get a budget of €1,500 to use for personal development. It is up to you to spend it in conferences, books, workshops, coaching or whatever you feel like.
Our ambitious goals require creative and remarkable solutions. We put a lot of faith in you and trust in giving you the individual freedom you need.
We pair extremely high ambitions and expectations with Laissez-Faire. We know that you will do outstanding work, otherwise you wouldn’t be with us.
No colleagues, but friends
Friendship isn’t something you can conceptualize and then put into action. Flat structures certainly help, even more important is our focus during interviews. Your outstanding skills are equally important as your diverse and great personality.
The one that works hard, can also party hard (Thats the saying, right?) We celebrate success. Willingly. Often. Together. After our 160 Million Euro Series C, at our new office opening or before Christmas.
Besides that we also spend a lot of time together after work. Arlberg, one of our meeting rooms, feels like a living room. That’s also how it is being used. Holzmarkt is a bar close to our office. It is often our place to go for an afterwork drink.
My two tips for you as a to-be-N26er
1. We love our customers
We are building a bank the world loves to use. We are learning day by day how our customers use our product. Our customers are at the center of whatever we do and determine our strategy and priorities. Thus it is great to see if an applicant is already a user and understands how the product works.
2. Be yourself
Sometimes easier said than done. Interviews are stressful and demanding. Personality and skills are tightly coupled and we focus on who you are. We keep interviews relaxed and want to learn as much as possible about your hobbies, your last trip around the world and your pets. Be open, tell us about yourself, we will appreciate it! Also: no one is wearing a suit, come as you are and how you feel comfortable.
If you want to learn more about us check our website, our magazine or directly our careers page.
If you have any questions, feel free to message me on LinkedIn or find me on Medium.
