First Steps:
I would like to start with a short story of my working journey: in 1999 I finished my 10-month Army service that was mandatory in Italy. I had the fortune to be called for a selection at COMAU for a 6-month stage starting the day after my “congedo”.
I was very nervous since there were 6 positions for around 30 participants, I was no longer a fresh student, and I felt very insecure about what the working market was looking for.
I’ve never been a competitive person, and thinking about being in a race to win the position was really scary.
Long story short: I won and I had my first real job that lasted seven years in an amazing company. COMAU working in robotics and automation was the best school I could learn from.
I discovered at that time that all the fear of the selection disappeared when I simply used my knowledge and common sense, and stayed honest in front of HR, sharing my small experience and my strong motivation.
I remember at the end of the selection one naive comment of mine on my desire to be responsible for my actions and being worried about being accountable for someone else’s actions and mistakes. The senior engineer who made the interview smiled and told me, “Dear young man, be ready that if you want to grow, you will always be responsible for other people’s actions.”