Meet the team: Joanna Carbajal
How long have you been working at Ivaldi? How did it all start?
I have been working here for almost 4 years now. Ivaldi has had a significant impact on my career. I started as a Marketing Assistant. My manager, Stefani Pellinen-Chavez, quickly saw my potential in managing projects. I became a ScrumMaster one month after my hiring date.
I had too often encountered employers that thought I wasn’t capable because I was too young before even giving me a chance. I also met companies where I worked with a majority of men, and I was treated as “incapable of understanding the technical aspects of the job.” Ivaldi believed in me despite my age, gender, or that I was still early in my career. They saw in me what every employer should be looking at – passion and skills.
I exceeded my role for the second time. A year and ten months later, I became a Project Manager – responsible for a couple of people. I did not need a technology-focused degree either to be able to do my role. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of all the different projects that are carried out at Ivaldi. You gain a profound understanding of the various aspects of the business when you are a Project Manager.
What is your expertise/ role?
I am a Project Manager and a Personnel Manager. I’ve always had a strong passion for finding solutions, organization, mentoring, documentation, and time management. I am fortunate to be able to apply those skills at Ivaldi. Creating projects, coordinating teams, following that project until all the deliverables are met, and then concluding and iterating in the next phase, is exciting!
What’s your favorite part about working at the company?
There are no rock stars in the company. We are applauded for what we accomplish as a team not as an individual. Therefore, we are able to wear many hats outside of our job title.
What are the company’s values you stand for?
Our founder and COO, Stefani, built this company with the premise to develop talent and keep it. The reason for this is Ivaldi’s commitment to discover talent and foster it.
From the moment a job is posted, our job descriptions do not have requirements but rather “nice to have.” Statistics say that men will apply for a job even if they only meet 60% of those qualifications. Women will apply if they meet all of them. We took off the requirements for that reason. We want diversity! People that look different will have different ideas. Different ideas mean opportunities to excel as a company!
You may be thinking. Well, doesn’t that increase your applicant pool by too much? We always post the pay range so that if someone is overqualified or underqualified, they won’t apply. We don’t waste people’s time. Too often, an applicant will go through a lengthy process and later discover that the pay is disappointing.
I also wanted to point out our maternity/paternity policy. After an employee comes back from maternity or paternity leave, childcare, figuring out their schedule and fitting in back at work can be hard. At Ivaldi, you get a flexible first year where you can work from home or bring your child to work. This allows parents to test their different childcare programs before committing right away. It also allows parents to bond more with their child. While employees aren’t expected to work 100% of the time for the first year, when you treat your employees with so much compassion, you will see that employees are always engaged and productive – demystifying many employers’ fear that parents will be disengaged just because they had a child.
How do you spend your time outside of work? What do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy public speaking. I am a member of Toastmasters. I also enjoy photography and sewing. I am a very creative person so I am constantly trying new arts and crafts.
What makes Ivaldi unique?
I am fortunate that I am able to enjoy every aspect of my job. We are given a lot of autonomy that allows for innovation and empowerment. We are able to express our ideas freely. We plan, do and iterate. We are not stuck in a box. We are constantly evolving and finding ways for improvement.
What’s your favorite quote?
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”― John A. Shedd.
