An interview with a Workday Financials Consultant

In this new blog post, we interviewed one of our Workday Managers and found out what he loves about working at Kainos, working with the Workday product and getting together with his colleagues from a global workforce.

I'm Stefan and I'm based in Kainos' Germany office. I work in the Workday practice there and travel to lots of different client sites in central Europe. I have always admired people who have hobbies, which I believe I do not. But I am open to trying new things. This Sunday, I am going skydiving so maybe next week, I'll have one!

Describe your career path before getting into Workday.

I have been a consultant for Oracle eBusiness Suite for 20 years, partially independent, partially employed. After having been without a project for quite some time I have been approached by a recruiter who I have worked with before asking me if I wanted to learn a new product.

At first I was very skeptical. You don't just throw so many years of experience away but I have went ahead with the recruitment process and tried to have an open mind. My second interview was with a lady who came from a very similar background as myself. We chatted away for almost two hours until we finally stopped ourselves. Having talked to her really encouraged me to take that big step into the Workday ecosystem, and I haven't regretted it for a single second.

What does an average day look like for you in your role?

It starts pretty much the same as most people's: checking and responding to emails with my first coffee. If I am not at a client site I am working from home which can be very convenient but one needs to discipline oneself sometimes to at least brush one's teeth!

I am in touch with my colleagues and the client constantly so it does not at all feel disconnected and not having to commute is a gift because it means more time to myself. Apart from the busier project phases such as a tenant build I mostly do not know what I can expect from a day it is never boring. Every day has a variety of tasks to perform troubleshooting, configuring, testing, building a report? This list is endless. It's very varied and I enjoy each and every day.

What sets us apart from other places to work?

Once a year we meet for our company Kick-Off and that is always a highlight in my calendar. Not only do you get to meet many of your wonderful colleagues that you haven't seen in a while but Kainos gives you or at least me a feeling of belonging, like we were all family. During my career I have worked for many, many companies, as contractor but also as an employee, but never have I seen one that shows that they care about the people as much as Kainos does. Every year during the kick-off sessions I get goosebumps from time to time.

Describe a highlight of your time at Kainos so far.

During my first kick-off in Belfast after more than half a year in I finally got to meet the lady who I had my second interview. When we met eye-to-eye for the first time we instantly hugged. One of the best examples of what Kainos and the people I get to work with are for me: warmth and humanity.  

Want to join our Workday practice? Find out more here.