It’s not every day you meet someone in your industry who was told they were too nice for a job. But in this world of personality tests, quizzes, charts, graphs, and data analytics used to judge one’s fit in a company, Jessica was told just that. Lucky for her, the manager decided to bring her aboard anyway and thus began her career transition from law graduate to Human Resources and Recruitment professional. Lucky for WeAreKeen, too, because she’s known for her kind heart, open mind, and willingness to learn as a Talent Partner on the rise. Currently, Jessica works with felmo, a Berlin-based animal tech healthcare company that aims to provide stress-free veterinary care to pet owners.
Jessica: I am originally from Brazil and have been based in The Netherlands for 5 years now. I really enjoy walks in nature with friends and going to the beach, as it reminds me of my hometown in Brazil. My husband and I moved to NL for a fresh start that offered the work-play-life balance that we yearned for.
Well, I didn't think I was a fit for the agency environment because it does not match my values and I was missing a more collaborative environment. So, I decided to change to a different space within recruitment and approached WeAreKeen.
Fortunately, I was in contact with Annemarie (WeAreKeen), and our meeting went so well I could have cried. However, WeAreKeen didn’t have anything open at that moment. A month later Annemarie called me and wanted to know if I was still interested in joining, and of course, I jumped at the opportunity! Not surprisingly, what drew me most to WeAreKeen was how nice and polite the people are, which was a quality I found lacking in the corporate culture of The Netherlands. There is a feeling of empowerment and gentleness that I admire and am drawn to, which was a big motivator for me to join and stay with WeAreKeen.
It’s the same as an internal recruiter. I’m in the same meetings; learning about their HR processes and even working on employer branding and onboarding. I feel welcome to share my thoughts about what is working, what isn’t. I have the space to advise, although that’s not my primary role.
At felmo, we believe that the best veterinary care for your pet should not require more effort than ordering pizza or a cab. By following a consumer-first mindset, we create a digitally enhanced experience offering everything pet owners want: health records, drug reminders, veterinary help chat, online appointment bookings, and more.
One of the great things about the founders is that they are open and listen to employees, and they are very humble and welcoming. They are great communicators and empower employees to participate in the strategisation process to meet future goals.
Working with felmo aligns well with my personal life, as I have a dog that is a big part of my life, so I share a passion for animal welfare. Everyone in the office is nice, there’s always music playing, and people are excited to work there. For example, when we receive positive feedback from clients it’s always shared and enjoyed by all.
When I started, I was more focused on tech recruiting, but at the moment I am hiring more for marketing and data analytics as felmo builds their team. I get to participate in the employer branding process which is really fun, as well.
It was challenging! Haha, I think because I was working for a different company that was less flexible but learned so much from it. I started right away at Wellster, a Munich-based company where I hit the ground running. The project was done after 3 months and I started working at felmo.
Annemarie was responsible for my onboarding so we met to discuss internal solutions provided to clients, the tools we are using at WeAreKeen, best practices, and we deep-dived into the best candidate experience that I could use at Wellster.
Morning: admin work, internal meetings, look at some data. We also have daily stand up meetings. Afternoon: calls/sourcing, negotiating offers with candidates.