2022 is off to a flying start. Over the last two weeks, we’ve welcomed no less than ten new staff members to our growing team. This year is set to be an exciting period of growth for the business and we’re lucky to have such a great group of people joining our ranks.
To help you (and us) get to know some of these new starters a little better, we’ve put together a short list of questions.
Tell us about yourself?
Thea: Hi! My name is Thea. The happily married mother of 3 busy children. I have a passion for recruitment and have been at it for over 16 years. I love reading, and absolutely hate Brussel sprouts!
Stephen: I am passionate about graphics, I studied Information Technology at Tshwane University of technology. I am currently doing an internship.
Grace: I hold a BCom Hons in IT Management, which I obtained from the University of Johannesburg (UJ). In addition to that, I am also a Microsoft Certified Professional, with an ITIL Foundation Certificate. I am currently busy with my Masters in IT Management.
I have over 10 years of experience in Business Intelligence/Information Management. I have spent most of my career doing data analysis; reporting and dashboard development. I am just passionate about data.
Ashley: I have been working in the IT industry for more than 20 years. I started my career off in a call centre doing technical support for an ISP. I found myself doing a lot of repetitive tasks so I started writing scripts and tools to automate some of the repetitive tasks and enabling the call centre staff to help themselves without having to escalate everything to the sysadmin team.
I then went to join my ex-wife in the UK and took a job manually downloading software and burning it to CD/DVD. The process was not very scalable, so I automated that too! I developed a tool that automatically downloaded the software and used robotics to cut the discs and print the labels. That’s how I got into software development.
I have always enjoyed automating things that can be automated and making processes more efficient, so when DevOps became a thing, it was a no brainer that it is the perfect type of job for me.
Hans: How much time do we have? ;-) I was born in a small miners’ town called Phalaborwa, South Africa, where I lived most of my childhood life. I studied at Potchefstroom University (now called North-West University). Although I studied Computer Science, my first, self-taught, job was graphic design and photo manipulation in Pretoria. I lived and worked in the UK, Bristol for 4yrs (2006-2010), after which I returned to Cape Town, South Africa. I see myself as a creative, but analytical individual.
If you could compare yourself to an animal, what would it be and why?
Thea: An octopus - always having to multitask!
Grace: A lion because it’s the king of the jungle.
Ashley: A dog! I am loyal, love unconditionally and don’t hold grudges.
Hans: This is a difficult question with so many possible answers, but I have always chosen a Wolf. A wolf is not a “bragging”, arrogant animal, but is rather known for its natural instinct, intuition, intelligence and strong leadership. The wolf is also loyal and protective over its own pack. One of the things that really resonates with me is the wolf’s curious nature, however, this curiosity goes hand in hand with their neophobia and the way they approach the unknown.
You have a choice between two superpowers. One is being invisible and the other is being able to fly? Which one would you choose and why?
Ashley: Being invisible because I am afraid of heights, and being invisible enables you to spy on your competitors, enemies etc without being seen.
Grace: Fly! There is always so much to do and I think that if I was able to fly I would be able to get to where I need to go faster. I could also be able to help more people.
Thea: Will I be invisible all the time, or just when I want to be? Because then I will choose invisibility … So not keen on any heights. If I can’t be seen ever again, I would choose to fly.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be with and why?
Grace: My dad. He passed away 7 years ago and there is nothing I wish more than just to spend one more day with him, even if it’s just dinner.
If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what song would you choose and why?
Thea: This question is just too much pressure :D
Hans: Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons. Love the tunes and rhythm. Like the lyrics, no change has come without some effort to get it going. So, whatever it takes… I’ll keep changing my stars.
Someone gives you an elephant. You can't sell it or give it away. What do you do with the elephant?
Hans: I will start a business called “Elephant Strength” with my buddy elephant. We would have a great social following and would be inseparable, having fun whilst showing followers what we can do together.
Thea: Firstly, whoever gave me the elephant is not my friend anymore. This will be costly, I’d need to get some space for my elephant, my Centurion backyard will be a little cramped. I would embrace the situation for what it is, I would spend as much time as possible getting to know the elephant, and care for it. It will get lonely, so I would save up to buy it an elephant friend as soon as possible.
Stephen: I will invite friends over and we eat it.
What’s the most interesting holiday you’ve ever had?
Ashley: Going to see Dracula’s castle in Romania, because not many people have done that, and vampires are awesome (not that he was actually a real vampire though unfortunately).
Grace: My trip to Thailand. I don’t think I have ever experienced such a crime-free country. Being able to walk around with money in my hand and not being afraid that someone will snatch it was a welcomed feeling. Not only that but the sea is amazing there, the islands are beautiful… small paradise.
Stephen: During Christmas, when we gather as a family and have lunch together .
If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
Thea: Shucks I don’t know… did I win millions or just 3 numbers. With millions I would travel the world, with a 3 number hit, I’d get me some lunch.
Tom or Jerry?
Thea: I hate that mouse, Tom gets a bad wrap for just doing what cats do
Ashley: Tom, because Jerry is a jerk and always bullies him and provokes him.
