Nadine moved to Switzerland for her current role in IT, which was her biggest career achievement. She had some knowledge of French but moving was still a big step outside her comfort zone. Her future goals are for her IT department to win an award for best service. The most challenging part of her role is solving problems that don't always have immediate answers, but she perseveres by looking at issues from different perspectives.

1. How much knowledge did you have of Switzerland prior to moving there?
I kind of moved there blind! For sure I did some research and gathered a little information
before moving but I had no real idea of what to expect. One of the most positive things
about my move was that it enabled me to combine my knowledge of the French language
with a job in I.T.; something which I never expected would be possible when I was living in
Cologne and began my career in the industry.
What has been your biggest career achievement to date?
By far my proudest achievement is making the move to Switzerland for my current role.
It took a great deal of courage for me to leave my friends and family in pursuit of a new
challenge; until this point I had lived in the same city for my entire life.
What tips would you give to other people aspiring to a career in I.T.?
What is the most challenging aspect
of your role?
I am motivated by solving problems but
unfortunately the nature of my job means
solutions are not always immediate. Rather
than becoming frustrated, I try to accept that
some answers take a little time to come to
light; often a resolution can be reached with
perseverance and by looking at the problem
from a different perspective.
What are your future career ambitions?
When I began my career I aspired to manage
I.T. within an international environment and
I have happily accomplished this already.
My next immediate goal is for the I.T.
department to win Kelly’s Best Service to
Branches award in 2014.
This is My Story
First and
foremost
whatever
happens -
don’t panic!
Remember I.T.
is a support function
and people will turn
to you for help when
things go wrong...
...you’ll need to be
both an expert
problem solver and
a reassuring ear.
Your knowledge and
know-how must evolve
in line with advancing
technology so be ready
to learn throughout
your career.
Several heads are
often better than one-
pooling your resources
and brainstorming with
your team can uncover
solutions more quickly
than going it alone
Nadine Bank,
IT Manager,
Switzerland
How did you come to work in I.T.?
For as long as I can remember I have been interested in all things technical;
inheriting this passion from my Dad. He nurtured my interest,
buying me my first computer (a Commodore 64!) when I was 6
and from then on I spent much of my time at home on computers.
I naturally progressed to study I.T. at school and decided pretty
quickly I wanted my career to be in this area. After school I got an
apprenticeship for a software developer which combined practical
and theoretical studies and gave me the experience I needed
to secure my first job in the same company and certainly also
prepared me for joining Kelly OCG’s user support helpdesk in
2008 in Cologne. Three years later I was approached by Kelly’s
former EMEA I.T. Service Manager regarding an opening in
Switzerland for a new I.T. Manager. He was working closely with all
Helpdesks in EMEA and knew therefore about my skills. I looked in to
the role and realised my skills were well matched so I applied for the job
and 5 interviews later I was in Switzerland!
What do you enjoy doing
outside of work?
I relax outside of work
by doing aqua
gymnastics and
aerobics. And
my love of
languages
goes hand
in hand with
a passion
for travel;
I’m currently
learning to
speak Spanish
in preparation
for a trip to
Panama. My
biggest and
most impressive
travel experience
so far was my trip
to Japan in 2010.