The Many Faces of Our #AilleronExperts

Meet Piotrek, our Software Architect, who is not only a great specialist but also a leader of his team. Piotrek will share his tips on how to prepare well for a technical job interview and what, beyond technical skills, matters in everyday work. Enjoy the read.

1. Hi Piotr, we’re glad that such an experienced #AilleronExpert, involved in so many projects, found the time to talk to us. 😊

Hi! I’m really glad I could meet with you here.

2. As a warm-up, tell us what you do at Ailleron.

I’ve been working at Ailleron since 2018, and for the past 4 years I’ve been leading a team of Android Developers. Together we’re building a banking app. I also design new solutions and hold consultations with specialists from other departments, with external companies, and with our future clients.

Together with the mobile architects, we shape how this specialization develops within the company. This led me to found the company’s first guild. It brings together all the mobile developers in our department. For the past year we’ve been meeting regularly, spreading knowledge, discussing new industry trends, and supporting each other’s growth and good practices.

3. You have a lot of experience in the IT industry — 12 years already. What were your beginnings like? Where did the idea for this career path come from?

My beginnings go back to my earliest years, when I got my Commodore 64. 😊 Writing my first programs in BASIC, I knew that when I grew up, I would study computer science. However, I didn’t start writing apps for mobile systems right away. Before that, I worked with .NET and built web applications in JavaScript.

4. You’re currently the Leader of your team. How do you feel in this role?

Fantastic! I’m a very communicative person by nature, someone who easily builds relationships with others. Daily challenges and setting the project’s direction motivate me to work hard. As I gained professional experience and got to know myself better, I discovered the values that now guide me at work. I’ve reached a stage where it’s not programming itself but helping others grow that gives me a sense of fulfillment at work.

5. As a Team Leader, you conduct many technical job interviews. Tell us what such a meeting looks like before someone joins your team.

For my team, I look above all for people who are inquisitive, who aren’t afraid to ask questions and dig into topics. I always set aside at least 2 hours for a technical interview. During that time, I check the candidate’s basic knowledge and their thought process when working through harder questions, and I test their intuition. I often give practical tasks as well, and we discuss the solutions together.

I believe we should all come out of every conversation a little wiser, which is why we often go over the wrong answers during the interview itself, so the candidate knows what the correct solution was. I also give every person who doesn’t qualify a summary with suggestions on their weaker areas, what’s worth working on, and helpful materials for further development.

I know that many recruiters don’t spend extra time on leaving a good impression, so feedback is something that sets us apart. Perhaps in a while we’ll meet the same candidate again.

6. A job interview is often stressful — everyone wants to do their best. What 3 tips would you give someone preparing for such a meeting?

First of all, learn the basics of how mobile apps work and the technologies you’ll be working with. Without that, you’re setting your colleagues up for writing loads of fixes in your code.

Answer questions thoroughly. If you don’t know the exact name, describe examples of usage that come to mind. You might be talking about the same thing, just from a different perspective.

When talking about app components, also mention the related elements you know. This way you’ll signal how broad your knowledge is, get ahead of the recruiter’s next questions, and steer the conversation toward an area where you feel more confident.

7. At Ailleron, we place great emphasis on the development of our Aillerons, including extra hours every employee can spend on training and internal knowledge-sharing initiatives. You recently gave a talk as part of our in-house development program, Ailleron Power Up Camp. First of all, congratulations on an interesting presentation — I personally took a lot of inspiration from it. You covered soft skills and self-development there. Tell us briefly what you focused on in your talk and where your passion for these topics came from.

Many people see a programmer as someone with their eyes glued to the project’s code. Meanwhile, when working on a larger project, other aspects are very important, such as good communication, understanding the other side during discussions, self-criticism, and sacrificing your own ambitions for the sake of collaboration.

For several years now, I’ve been investing heavily in my own development. Seeing my motivation grow whenever I get involved in projects, I decided to share my experience with others. Investing time in developing your strengths improves your well-being, strengthens the sense of satisfaction that comes from self-fulfillment, and helps you achieve success. We take the initiative in choosing the direction we’d like to follow to become better.

8. You also talked a lot about the Gallup assessment. Can you share which main traits and talents came out on top for you, and do you agree with the “verdict”?

I’ve taken several different assessments, curious about their results. Of these, it was the CliftonStrengths report that helped me the most. Besides the materials provided by the Gallup institute, the wealth of information and interviews found in popular podcasts and blogs also helped me a lot in interpreting it.

The talents in my top 5 are: Communication, Relator, Responsibility, Woo, and Self-Assurance. Four of them have been with me all my life, while Self-Assurance is something I gained during my school years. However, it’s not true that we only use the remaining 29 talents occasionally.

9. People who take this test often don’t quite know what to make of the results, what to do with them, and how to use them in life. How was it for you — did the Gallup test results help you in your professional and personal life?

First, you need to analyze the report you receive and get a good understanding of the definitions of the individual talents and how you use them. Every person with a given talent will use it a little differently.

Something that helped me a lot in life was identifying the dynamics of my talents. Our actions very rarely stem from a single talent. In specific situations, a whole set of talents kicks in, interacting with one another, strengthening or weakening each other. For me, that set is Communication, Woo, Relator, and Harmony. I quickly build closer relationships with people, creating a friendly atmosphere. I try to find a balance between sharing my own experiences and stories and being an active listener. I always look for what unites us, not what divides us.

By getting to know these dynamics, we can work on our strengths more easily. Recognizing specific situations, we’ll try to activate the bright sides of our talents while “quieting” the dark ones.

10. This is a broad and fascinating topic that each of us should explore to grow both professionally and personally. Thanks, Piotrek, for walking us through it — I hope you’ve inspired many people. You’ve shown that it’s worth betting on yourself, your talents, and self-development.

Thank you for the conversation as well, and I invite anyone who would like to consciously start working on themselves to get in touch.

As you can see, it’s worth investing in your development on many levels, both technical and soft. This is key when working with a team. At Ailleron, we strongly invest in our #AilleronExperts to give them the opportunity to become even better specialists in their field. Perfect examples are our in-house programs, Akademia Ailleron and Power Up Camp, where our Aillerons — including Piotrek — share their knowledge. Remember, it’s worth betting on yourself.