Camilla Colombo | Software Developer at Wallapop

Camilla connects to the video call, saying that she just left another meeting. Between the remote onboarding and the day-to-day tasks, there seems to be a lot of meetings for her! We have a relaxing few minutes of conversation and once we’re ready, we start the interview.

Camilla studied Media Design, then she did a Master’s in Digital Anthropology and started working as an UX designer at Constant Commerce. During this time, she would often pressure her employer to let her do more programming. At the beginning, her interest in programming was more like a hobby, and she later decided to make it into a job. After 3 years of experience as a UX Designer, she did a bootcamp in London. This bootcamp helped her start her professional career as a developer right away at ThoughtWorks. “There are companies willing to invest in junior developers. It is difficult at the beginning; you have to wrap your head around it. You may feel at first like you’re not bringing anything to the table, but then suddenly everything starts working,” she says. Camilla worked for ThoughtWorks in London for over a year and in Barcelona for almost 3 years.

Her mother tongue is Italian and she also speaks English and improving her Spanish.

Interviewer: I believe that after working at ThoughtWorks for a few years, you felt very comfortable there and it was a great experience. Why the change?

Last year I started to become very aware of climate change. I was passionate about sustainability and wanted to work for a company where I could use technology to help improve this matter. I actively asked Holaluz, but they didn’t have a position for me.

I: I see, and what happened next? Were you actively applying to other companies?

After getting rejected by Holaluz, they endorsed me to Circular. I was actually surprised, because I would normally see a rejection as a negative response. Then, I saw that they actually liked my experience and wanted to help me, but they just didn’t need my profile. I really appreciated that. This was at the time when I didn’t know which company I wanted to work for, and I was contacted by an environmental company outside of Circular. I got hired! Unfortunately, COVID-19 came, and I was left without a job. I went back to Circular, I wanted to give it a try and I started a hiring process with Wallapop straight away!

I: And from what I see, it had a nice ending. How was the hiring process?

I remember it being very human. There was feedback after every interview, which was very helpful. The interviews really reflected the values of the company and how the day-to-day work would be. I really liked that! Sometimes questions are too theoretical and it can be hard to know what to expect.

I: How do you feel about a 100% remote hiring process and onboarding?

I think Wallapop is putting a lot of effort into making it a nice experience. I’m getting a lot of information, the meetings are well-scheduled, and there is no time lost. I’m actually enjoying this. I just wonder how this is going to be over the next 3 months, since we’re not supposed to go back to the office until September. I miss meeting colleagues. However, information-wise, this is fantastic. We are trying to adapt to the current situation, our random coffee channel is just one example. Every day, they pick two people at random on there to meet for a virtual coffee. It actually works nicely!

I: How does it feel to change jobs during the current situation? Is there uncertainty?

I was very scared that this wouldn’t work as well as it is working, and I’m still a little uncertain. I’m also less naive now. There are always opportunities for a developer, no matter what happens. So for those who are left without a job like I was before, I’d totally recommend using Circular. My talent advocate was very nice to me, I didn’t expect her to call me and to have this human interaction. I really appreciated it! On top of that, Circular is very easy to use, so getting started and getting connected to companies was very fast and smooth.

I: I imagine that the moment when you finished your bootcamp and started a new career was very challenging. Based on your experience, do you have any tips for anyone who is starting a bootcamp or getting their first job as developers?

Be patient, don’t try to learn everything, it is absolutely impossible. At the beginning, focus on getting comfortable with a few things, and then explore more.

More About Camilla:

🍲 A meal: pumpkin ravioli

🗺 A place: Jardins de Laribal in Montjuïc, Barcelona

🤹‍♀️ A hobby: urban rooftop gardening