Ask me Anything: Marcel Poelker, Founder & CTO

1. What did you want to be when you were younger?

The earliest I remember is wanting to become a train driver! In my teenage years music became my life. I composed classical music on the computer, taught myself the piano and played the drums in several bands.

Another side of me always enjoyed solving puzzles, knowing why and how things work and really understanding them. It was actually a bit of laziness, because I figured that if I understand things I don’t need to remember them anymore. Ultimately, this led me to study computer science.

2. What energizes you about your work?

These two interests, music and solving problems, have been with me all my life. A common pattern in both is the passion to build - to create something. This is one of the main motivations to become a founder.

Secondly, working together in and with a team of amazing colleagues! Having a “no blame, no shame” culture and a constructive mindset to always improve and a can-do mentality. We are all heading in the same direction, believing in the vision where we want to go.

Lastly, I’m convinced that personal growth is essential. I believe that the quality of your work result is the image of your own personality - to improve the results you need to work on yourself. This drives me. In a leadership position this also has an impact on the team and it’s rewarding to see the team members grow.

3. If you were to be a professor or a teacher, what subject would you teach?

I would teach subjects that prepare you for life. These things are missing in our current education, despite their importance.

There are many things in life for which we can prepare young people better: Finding out what could be the right job, understanding economics and finances, physical health beyond fitness, mindfulness, emotional intelligence. My goal would be to help them understand who they are and to have empathy for others. All in a non-abstract, applied and interesting way.

Regardless of the subject, I’d try to establish a critical and yet constructive mindset. I think it’s important to not be afraid to ask questions, especially the ones where young people feel like “I should know that” - chances are others also don’t know, possibly including your parents or teachers, but nobody dares to ask.

Do you want to work with Marcel and shape the future of recruiting? Check the open positions of the IT team

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