Nadia is Computan’s Director of Human Resources. That’s a nice way of saying she is the team psychiatrist, event manager, peacekeeper, recruiter, counselor, head of social media, and negotiator. In this week’s Behind The Coding Nadia talks about how she landed in HR after studying to be on TV, her family job, and why she got her first laptop for free.
Hi Nadia! How are you today?
Pretty good thanks Sajeel. I am usually not the one getting interviewed and usually the one giving them. This should be interesting.
It will be fun! Ok, what are the last 3 things you Googled and why?
Ok. Let me pull out my phone…the last thing I Googled was a car finance calculator since I was curious about the cost of a car.
Nice! What kind of car are you thinking about?
I’m not sure, but if I do buy one it would be a small one.
Ok, what else?
The second last thing I Googled was my postal code
Your postal code? You don’t have that memorized?
Haha nope. I’m sorry
Nothing to be sorry about, but usually, people have that memorized!
True. I was buying something online and just Googled it to make sure I got it right.
Ok, what else?
Cake bread.
Cake bread? Why?
My sister asked me to swing by the grocery store to pick it up after work. I Googled it to get a picture of what exactly I need to get.
That’s something I can definitely relate to. Going to a grocery store and Googling something from a grocery list to buy.
Yes! It’s really important to not come home empty-handed.
Who are 3 people you would like to have dinner with and why?
This might sound strange…
It’s always good to start the answer to a question with ‘this might sound strange’
It would be good to have dinner with Nasir (Computan head of Development), Nic (Computan Operations Manager), and you.
Really? Of any people dead or alive you’d want to have a meal with, you choose 3 people you talk to pretty much every day?
Yes! I told you it would be strange to you.
It certainly is! Why?
Because we usually talk online. It would be quite a surreal experience to actually be sitting in person and having one of our meetings at a real table instead of behind computer screens.
That’s true I suppose. As strange as that sounds it could be quite interesting. What would we eat?
Bundoo Khan – Spicy BBQ food. I know Nasir will enjoy it. I think Nic would too. Do you eat spicy food?
Yes! All the time. As someone who has had dinner with Nic a few times, I can say that he enjoys spicy food too.
Great! So that’s where we would eat then.
Ok done deal. When was the last time you cried tears of laughter?
Probably this afternoon.
Really?
Yeah! It happens all the time! I think of myself as a fun-loving person. I’m the Joker in my family.
The Joker? Do you mean you’re like the evil clown from Batman?
Hahaha…no no. I am the one who makes everyone else laugh.
Oh ok! Yes, I could see that. You are usually telling jokes in the different chat channels we have on the team.
I definitely believe it is important to have fun at work. You are also always telling jokes too!
Where does your humour come from? Like usually humor is one of those genetic things that gets passed on. Is anyone else in your family a joker type?
It’s hard to say. Definitely not my parents. They are more consumers of jokes than producers of them. My younger brother and I usually tell jokes. My father’s younger brother is pretty funny. We all have our own different ways of being funny though. I don’t really know where it comes from. What about you?
What about me? This is your interview. Not mine.
Sorry HR force of habit. I like asking people questions and I’m asking you now. Where does your humor come from?
Too many places to be honest. Generally, though I think humor comes from over-analyzing ordinary things and being a little cynical about them.
Yes, that’s true.
Ok back to you. Where were you when you first saw a computer/laptop?
At school. I was probably 10 or 11 years old. Everyone was curious about how to use it. The teacher opened up a web browser and started playing around. I honestly wasn’t impressed.
Really? It didn’t get you excited?
Hahaha nope! I didn’t see what the big deal was. I thought I could handle this thing with no problem.
So then what happened?
She closed the window and asked me to try to figure it out. Then I was stumped. I was moving the mouse around and trying to open up a browser and had no idea.
Hahaha the old close the window trick.
Yes exactly. So that was my first experience with a computer, but the first laptop I got was different.
How so?
I actually was awarded my first laptop for free after finishing as the top student in my Bachelor’s degree program.
Wow! You finished first? I didn’t know that. And they gave you a laptop?
I don’t talk about it often, but yes I was the topper in the class and they gave me a free laptop.
And you didn’t study Business or HR in school right?
No. I studied Media & Communications
Why Media & Communications?
That’s what interested me. I wanted to do broadcast media, be a TV host, news reporter, stuff like that. I like public speaking and being in front of people.
Obviously, you must have been good at it to finish at the top of the class!
I guess so.
So then why HR?
I wonder that pretty much every day! On one hand, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else and on the other hand, I have no idea how I got here.
But obviously, it didn’t just happen overnight. You must have applied for something or someone must have put you down this career path.
Yeah that’s true. I had finished my thesis and then alumni at my school that I know reached out. He was doing marketing at a web development company and said they had some openings. He asked me to apply. So I did and the rest is history. Definitely though when I catch up with classmates they are all as stumped as I am on how I ended up doing HR work in the IT industry.
You can’t really blame them for being stumped. Can you?
Not really no. But the HR job and media have a lot in common. Like in my job I sit between the team and the management, recruitment marketing is also a big part of it, running team events and of course, I’m always in front of people in a group or one-on-one setting.
Very true. When was the last time you stayed late to solve a problem
Probably every day! It’s the nature of the job. Our team at Computan is pretty much on 24 hours a day. Some people start before my official shift starts, some start when I’m just leaving. If they need to talk to me about something I’ve got to take the time to do it.
What are some things your teammates don’t know about you? I know one for sure…
What’s that?
That you were the topper at your school!
Hahaha…there you go! That’s your answer.
