Damir, Senior Key Account Manager
Damir has been working as a ‘Product & Key Account Manager’ since 2018. He joined CHECK24 after completing his Master's degree in business administration, and is now a senior product and key account manager at the Cologne base. In the interview he reveals how he keeps a cool head in stressful situations, while also telling us more about the cohesion in his team.
Hello Damir. Please introduce yourself briefly.
Damir:
I am Damir. I come from Cologne, and I completed my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in business administration at the University of Cologne. When I became aware of CHECK24 as an employer, I constantly read about how innovative and dynamic the company was. That made me very curious at the time. Two weeks after completing my Master's degree, I started as a product and key account manager in October 2018, at that time as a junior. Today, I am a senior product and key account manager, and I can confirm that the ‘innovative’ and ‘dynamic’ characteristics are absolutely accurate.
What makes your work as a key account manager special?
Damir:
As a key account manager you are the interface between CHECK24 and all external partners, so new topics regularly arise. This makes my work extremely varied, although it also means that you are also the internal interface, such as, for example when coordination has to be provided to several departments in order that they can work on a large partner project. For that reason alone you're never trapped in your own bubble because the job comes with the requirement to think outside of the box. This offers many opportunities to be able to promote one’s own development and to creatively contribute one’s own ideas.
How do you keep a cool head in stressful situations?
Damir:
I leave complicated thought patterns to one side, sit back for a minute, and take a bird's eye view of the situation. I make myself aware of what is actually the focus of every problem: namely the customer. This not only helps me to master stressful situations, but also provides me with even more internal drive.
What is the best thing about CHECK24?
At CHECK24 you gain responsibility early on, which gives you the opportunity to develop and grow.
Damir, key account manager
What is your favourite lounge in your current location?
Damir:
That's definitely the table tennis room, which regularly hosts exciting matches after lunch. We have even recently organised a tournament in which everyone at this site is taking part.
How would you describe your relationship with your team?
Damir:
The relationship is relaxed and pleasant, and basically friendly. Everyone is ready to accept criticism, but also to express criticism themselves. This friendly relationship drives us as a team. There has never been a case in which someone from the team was left alone with a large task while everyone else went home. Instead, tasks were divided up, which meant that they were completed more quickly. Then we all went off together to celebrate the end of a long day.
Which qualities should the ideal colleague possess?
Damir:
First of all a willingness to learn is very important. With every day in which we undertake the practical side of the work, you can learn a lot of new things, especially in the early days, and even as an ‘old hand’ you never stop learning. In addition, self-initiative is important for the job because with us you gain a good deal of responsibility relatively early on and, therefore, have the opportunity to develop and grow. It is important not to give up when things get difficult and to push topics forward both independently and responsibly.