New hire spotlight: Victor, business engineer

Our latest hire, Victor, joined our team straight from his data science-driven business engineering degree. Why did he take this route and what do graduates like him look for at the start of their careers? We sat down with him for an interview.

Important life decisions are never easy, and selecting a university major was no exception for Victor. “I decided on Business and Information Systems Engineering because of its broad scope, ensuring that I wouldn’t be locked into a single, fixed career path,” Victor explains his initial motivation. “Throughout my studies, I dipped my toes into different subjects, ranging from finance to data science. When I discovered programming, my focus shifted to data science and artificial intelligence, and I took as many related electives as I could. My master’s thesis analysis for Euroclear – involving simulation software to improve settlement efficiency – confirmed my hunch: I wanted to become a full-time problem solver.”

Business engineering graduates are actively approached by recruiters, so setting interview priorities was important to Victor. “I was looking for a workplace that would prioritise both continuous learning and variety in projects,” he continues. “Large consulting firms didn’t quite appeal to me: I preferred a smaller company with a dynamic work culture and detailed approach to training.”

Victor was introduced to Addestino through Stephani from Addestino’s HR team, who contacted him via LinkedIn. “She outlined the concept of the two career tracks, which prompted me to dive deeper into the company and explore some of the customer case studies presented on the website. The sometimes highly creative solutions presented in the cases appealed to me, and I realised this was exactly the kind of work I wanted to do, too.”

Victor underlines the fast-tracked and in-depth interview approach: “After my initial conversation with Stephani, I had follow-up interviews with Stefan and Dominique, our two co-founders. What stuck with me was their genuine interest in understanding my personal motivation, rather than obsessing over my surface-level technical skills. Dominique has a reputation for unconventional interview questions that truly probe into a person’s thought process.”

After signing his contract in November, Victor participated in three onboarding training sessions before officially joining Addestino in January – a time when new client projects typically ramp up again. “This new hire training allowed me to meet colleagues before my official start date,” he says. “From my first day, I recall attending an HR onboarding session in the morning and meeting with my team lead in the afternoon. The next day, I was already on-site with my first client in Brussels.”

Victor believes that the support from the HR team is a key factor in helping new hires get off to a fast start. “The structural support runs effortlessly, and the HR team takes care of all administrative burdens. This allows team members to settle in quickly and fully apply their skills. The combination of our team-first atmosphere and a strong sense of collaboration creates an environment where everyone can grow and contribute to solutions for our business cases, without unnecessary distractions. To me, this is what makes Addestino truly special.”

Project fit was also a key decision-making factor for Victor. “Before I joined, we discussed the types of projects I’d be best suited for and what I was looking to learn in my first year in the field,” he says. “My first assignment involves the development of a data dashboard, which requires me to draw on both my business and technical background – just my cup of tea!”

At this stage, Victor finds himself more focused on gaining experience than on long-term career planning. “My short- and medium-term goals are to explore different industries, projects and challenges to refine my expertise. I’m currently in the perfect position for this: whenever I have questions about methodologies or project details, I can draw on the knowledge of my colleagues. At the same time, I’m happy to share my data science expertise to help others. It’s exactly this culture of mutual support between like-minded people and shared learning that fuels our common intellectual curiosity.”