Life at Grape Solutions: an interview with our Technical Team Lead, Zsolt Németh

Zsolt is our Technical Team Lead for various Grape projects, such as the Energy and Utility project. We asked him to tell us more about his position, how his daily life at Grape looks.

Why did you choose to work at Grape Solutions?
As a young programmer, it's not usual that you are asked in an interview about the way you think. At my second job interview at Grape, the interviewer didn't focus on my lexical knowledge but wanted to know more how I think, how I would behave in certain situations, and how I would treat colleagues/employees if I got to that point as a people manager. At that moment I decided to choose this workplace where they reward the potential you have and not what you've memorized.

How does your role look at Grape, and how would you describe it in one sentence?
As a lead developer, none of my days are boring. My main task is to complete projects successfully. From proposal to defining the architecture and technology stack, through constant coordination of the team till the handover… I am involved in every stage of the project life cycle. In my position, it is crucial that I can communicate fluently and well with people; I think I can easily find common ground with everyone.
Another essential part of my job is to recognize the impacts of decision-making regarding partner relationships, projects and the company’s interests.

What skills do you think are needed for your position?
Be confident, but don't get complacent.
Be outspoken, honest and direct, but tone your message if necessary.
Have a strong technical background, but we aware that there is always more to learn.
Manage your time well but expect that someone will always throw a wrench in your plans with one or two (...many) inquiries... so be prepared to re-schedule.
Be the leader of the team, not the boss.

How can you motivate and develop yourself at Grape?
I have been hugely motivated by the community at Grape, I'm actively part of it throughout my career. The informal atmosphere at work, after work, and at company events is a great way to brighten up your days. There's always something to talk about, someone to talk to and if for some reason you want to grab a beer after work, there's always someone to have a toast with. I feel that the best way to develop is to leverage the good and bad experiences on projects and build on them as a solid base for the next ones, and also to apply the situations my colleagues have experienced as an educational piece on what to do and how to do in the future.
What motivates me the most in my self-improvement is to prove myself within the company. the two years, I've been working here, I think I've grown a lot, my scope of work has expanded, and I've been given the space to get involved in things that interest me and make my job more various. I'm motivated by the fact that in the HR team, we complement each other's comments and ideas, which makes the workflow together in a dynamic way.

What are the three things that made you proud during your time at Grape?
I'm most proud of that when the company gave me the opportunity, I could prove my ability to execute different tasks so that now I can work in a position I've always wanted to, since I joined Grape.
Secondly, I would say that many of my colleagues feel encouraged to ask me questions. I feel like I've made them believe that I know how to do things - I just really need to know how to do them.
Thirdly, I'm proud of the fact that I've made it to the end of almost every company party. Believe me, it is not a small achievement!

Why would you advise others to join us?
Do you want to be in a place where you are valued for your potential and professional knowledge? Do you want to grow in your profession and be challenged? Are you craving for good atmosphere? Would you like to always have company or team events to attend to? Summing up, if you are curious to know what the Grape-Way is, this is the place for you!