In this section our employees answer FAQ about working at Ciklum.

1. How did you find out about Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
I found out about Ciklum on one of the Ukrainian’s Internet job portals. Ciklum’s banner was very breathtaking and I could not simply pass by it. When I clicked on the banner I found out a lot of interesting information about the company that made me decide to apply for a job opening with Ciklum.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
It was Ciklum’s HR department that found me. I was invited for a very informative interview with a clever and nice person that described me Ciklum’s structure and some aspects of my future work. I was then selected for an interview with one of the Ciklum’s customers that I currently work for.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
Ciklum is often mentioned on developers’ forums so it was hard not to hear about this company. Also, some of my friends have already joined it and gave only very good feedbacks. Furthermore, Ciklum’s “headhunters” do a very good job in spreading the word about Ciklum.

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
My colleagues from the previous work were the first one to get a job with Ciklum. They spread a good word of mouth about their new employer and I decided to join them on the team they were hired to.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
I found a job ad on one of the job seeking sites and sent my resume to the Ciklum Relocation services. Once my resume was in the database I received an offer to join 2MBA’s team in Kyiv. After considering their offer I actually decided to stay in the Ukraine.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
Frankly, I have not heard of Ciklum before Svetlana, Ciklum’s branch office manager in Dnepropetrovsk, has contacted me. She gave me a job description from Matchwork, one of Ciklum’s clients from Denmark. I very much liked the description of the work I would be doing and the conditions offered.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
Ciklum is a well known and a well respected IT outsourcing company in Kyiv. Many of my friends are working or have worked at Ciklum and none of them have complained.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Two years ago I found out about a dynamically growing company from my friends. As a follow-up, my resume appeared on the table of the recruitment consultant Tatyana Stakhova.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
A friend of mine, Alexandre Yakovlev, with whom I worked at another IT company in Kharkov, told me that there was an open position at his company. His employer turned out to be Ciklum. I passed all of the interviews and I’m here now :).

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
It was summer 2006, one of my friends (developers) recommended me to apply for a temporary position with one of the Ciklum’s startups.

 

2. Why did you want to work for Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
I believe that it is a must for developers to have good working conditions, friendly atmosphere, and a good salary. Ciklum offers it all and I am very happy about it.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
It was very important for me to have an interesting work as well as good team and salary. Ciklum now gives me all of that.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
I was made an offer which was hard to reject. I was offered good conditions, an interesting job, and a satisfactory salary. Why not work for Ciklum then?

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
Ciklum is an excellent company that is a pleasure to work for. A special thank you to the HR team for this!

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
The offered financial conditions were very attractive. The project was interesting. The office was quite close to the subway. Also, Ciklum is a big organization with a very long history and there are always many projects around.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
I was one of the first developers at the Dneprotrovsk’s branch. The working conditions at Ciklum were of high level and as good as in the other companies I worked at before. The new thing that attracted me was business trips abroad. It was very interesting for me to go to Denmark and do a lot of sightseeing.

 

Vitaliy Zadvornov (Releaze)
I was looking for new opportunities and Ciklum was a perfect match to advance my career at.

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
I liked the salary level offered as well as the working conditions, including the medical insurance.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
I really liked the client representative and I was very happy about the offered employment arrangements.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
At the time I joined Ciklum, the company had already a very good reputation as an employer. Ciklum offered competitive salaries, transfer in the morning and in the evening to the new office, sandwiches for lunch (!!! :)), lots of corporate events and parties, English language courses etc. Although this seems to be a description from a marketing email targeted to recruit people for the company, all the promised earthly blessings proved to be true in reality.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
At the time I joined Ciklum, it was already a famous company with a good reputation. Therefore for me it was a chance to continue my IT career in a big, advanced firm.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
When Ciklum was first introduced to me there were 250 employees, the company was growing rapidly, new offices were about to be opened up in Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk. I saw it as a great opportunity to become a part of a successful international company. Some of my friends gave me positive feedbacks from their own experience working at Ciklum, so I decided to use my chance.

 

3. What was your experience like in applying and interviewing with Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
The interview process is not an easy one. Not everyone can pass it right the first time since the process is divided into several stages and the goal is to hire only the best specialists. I found my interview process with Ciklum correct and competent in terms of management.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
It was a very positive experience. I found the process well structured and interesting.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
It is rather hard to join Ciklum without sufficient knowledge, skills and experience. But I had enough time to prepare myself, so it was easy! Honestly :). My first interview was with the HR manager and the second one was with the customer. I do not think there are some “secrets” during Ciklum’s interview process – just be yourself!

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
I found the interviewers to be very knowledgeable as any other Ciklum’s employee.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
For me it was a fast interview process with a fast result – my work place at Ciklum.

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
Frankly, it was quite funny. My first interview with the HR-manager was over the ICQ. I only had a face-to-face interview with the team leader.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
Applying and interviewing with Ciklum was very easy. The recruiters found me, contacted me with important details, and we quickly arranged a meeting. Overall it was a flawless and pleasant experience.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
My story is that I applied to Ciklum twice.My first target was a position of a Junior Java Developer. I enjoyed the interview with the representative from the HR department, Anna Matkovskaya, but did not succeed in convincing the Project Manager to hire me.

But you can't escape your destiny. About a year later I tried again. The most interesting detail was that I was interviewed by the same PM, Oleg Kostenko, as the previous time. However, this was another project by now. I guess I impressed him with my hobby – French language courses :). In less than 2 weeks after successfully passing my technical interview with the tech leader Alexey Pilipchuk I was part of the 2MBA project as a Java Web Developer.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
The interview was quite short, but effective. Perhaps it was because I quickly and easily found a mutual understanding with the HR manager, Oksana. For me it is a pleasure to communicate with a person who didn’t ask too many weird questions.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
As the position I was considered for implied close cooperation with our CEO, Torben Majgaard, I was interviewed by Ciklum’s HR Director personally. It was a pleasant and very concrete conversation after which I had a clear picture about the company’s structure, clients and my future responsibilities. At the same time the interviewer showed a real interest in my personality. I was asked structured, logically twisted questions in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

 

4. What has been your most memorable experience or greatest accomplishment working at Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
I have not been with Ciklum for a very long time but I can already say that I love working with our customers. I really like the fact that we have many activities organized as part of our team-building. I find the attitude towards the staff as well as people in general to be great.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
Actually, any team building activity that we do is a memorable experience for me. We always have a lot of discussions and find new interesting solutions.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
Have you ever tried to become a part of a well established team that already has its own rules, methods and practices? It’s really not easy. I believe I did it and it was my greatest accomplishment while working at Ciklum.

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
This is a difficult question. I think my greatest achievement was to pass the interview process and get hired into Ciklum.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
Actually, there were several. One is the business trip to Mauritius in Indian Ocean where I was developing a system with a team consistent of people from several cultures with different mind sets. From the technical point of view, I managed to introduce some technologies and standards to be used through out the project that resulted in an increase of the overall level of quality.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
I think the most memorable experience I had was my first business trip to Denmark where I met a lot of good and interesting people.

 

Vitaliy Zadvornov (Releaze)
My most memorable experience was my business trip to India.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
I am very proud to have contributed all my skills, ideas and enthusiasm to a startup project and watch it become a success. This success is the result of the individual effort of each one of us as well as a team as a whole. Not everyone gets to have such an experience. I am sure that this will be something we all will remember for the rest of our lives. I believe it is Ciklum’s environment that helps us build such success stories.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
The most memorable experience and greatest accomplishment was definitely the release of our product - IDEAS24 V2.0. The whole team of IDEAS24 and AssetMaster did their best and more to deliver it. It was especially pleasant to receive a thankful letter from the top management of our customers.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
The most exciting thing was my first business trip to Denmark. I’ve never been abroad before, so for me it was amazing to visit such a beautiful and fairytale-like country.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
My current position is the most interesting and inspiring experience at Ciklum. I was entrusted to manage a start up of a new Ciklum service which at the moment is successfully implemented in Ciklum’s core business model.

 

5. How do you feel you have grown and learned more since working at Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
On my project I learn new things every day. My project requires the expertise in many technologies and thus you cannot simply feed on your old knowledge base. I also try to explore the areas of management and I am happy that my chief helps me with this.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
We have a lot of work and we work as a team. I think this is a great achievement when you learn to be a part of the team.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
New company, new people, new technologies… Each team is a small world. Each specialist is a small genius. Ciklum gives many opportunities for its employees to share their experiences with each other. To work here and not get new skills is quite hard. I do not like to waste such opportunities :).

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
I feel that I have grown a lot since I joined Ciklum. New interesting problems come up all the time, solutions to which have not been thought of before.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
Some really complex integration projects from clients in Switzerland, India and Mauritius gave me a really hard earned experience that I will keep forever. I have also learned how to match the “right” technical approach with different customer business expectations.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
I think it's not so big in the technical side but I have definitely improved my English and Danish language and team leading skills.

 

Vitaliy Zadvornov (Releaze)
I have definely grown a lot. I have become a Scrum Muster and a Team Lead.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
One thing that I love about Ciklum is the fact that I feel it wants me to grow personally. Many other companies just want you to do your job and any learning that you want to do is your own business. Here, the management team urges you to learn new things and share your knowledge. Even the general atmosphere is inspiring for personal growth. Therefore apart from growing on my job, I also learn in other areas, adjacent to what I do.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
My professional growth is very well observed. From the position of a Java Web Developer I've grown to be a Project Lead. The increase of my knowledge in Java technologies and team leading can not be measured by simple grades as it has broadened amazingly with the support of my colleagues. Thank you guys!

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
Of course 3 years at Ciklum brought me some technical knowledge. For example, I learned Flash. I have also learned that everything you agree to must be recorded in writing.

For more than a year I was working without a project manager and without some other control here in Kiev. It was very useful to learn how to organize my work by myself.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
Since I’ve started working here, I grew from a QA Engineer to a Business Analyst. Therefore I can say that I feel a real personal and professional growth. I hope this feeling won’t leave me.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
I’m lucky because I have experienced working at Ciklum as an employee and as a part of administration. Given this I had a possibility to learn a lot during these 3 years. For example, I’ve gained strong team-managing skills and learned strategic negotiation techniques with the clients. Furthermore, I had a chance to organize retention activities for Ciklum’s employees and was a trainer of Ciklum Verbal Fitness club.

 

6. What aspects of working at Ciklum do you enjoy the most?

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
First of all, the most important thing about Ciklum to me is the Danish style of management. I like this approach: the quality is the most important of all factors. You are allowed to spend more time and prepare a really good product.

Second, I feel as I am part of Forbrugerliv.dk, and not a contractor. This is really a much better feeling for me, and it also makes me feel more responsible for what I do. Third, the customer observes your performance, knows your salary, and there are no needless mediators who get a lot of money from the customer and pay a small portion of that to the developer. The transparency in financial relations is a big plus.

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
Excellent team and a pleasant atmosphere in the office.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
First, are the day-to-day challenges on the project. Second, are the intelligent co-workers and overall good people at Ciklum, which makes it a very nice environment to work at. Ciklum itself creates a feeling that you career is “going forward”. Something is always happening in here.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
I think it is the good people I am surrounded with.

 

Vitaliy Zadvornov (Releaze)
I like working with foreign customers, especially with the ones from the Northern Europe.

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
There is no big “chain of management”. The customer is very close to the team. This makes it very easy for the day-to-day life.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
I love the people that I work with side-by-side on the project. I feel very fortunate to work with all of them. They are very knowledgeable and hard working, and they are also fun to hang with.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Honesty and transparency in everything. The simplest example of receiving “white” salary helps in obtaining visas and credits.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
I enjoy the fact that at Ciklum there is no pressure of corporative ethics. Instead you have a flexible schedule, loyal management politics and a competitive salary level. I’m loving it :).

 

Dmitriy Shoot (2MBA)
I like working in our team because each developer here tries to produce high quality software with the help of the newest technologies, and everyone tries to share new knowledge and experience with others. Such team cohesion is possible due to the opportunities that Ciklum provides.

 

Dmitriy Roosakov (Metastorm)
Ciklum has great working conditions. Every employee can bring up his ideas and every person in the company is valuable. I like this approach and I’m extending these traditions to my team. It is also a great advantage to work directly with the project executives from the customer’s side. I can always get all the needed answers to the questions in a short period of time. All team members and customer executives always have the same information about current project status.

 

Alexander Lyubimov (EKTOS)
It is one of the best places that I have seen. There are lots of opportunities at Ciklum to develop your professional and social skills. The company also has a pleasant environment in the offices, including a nice management personal that is always willing to help you with any issues you may have.

 

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
I see a goal that I want to reach and do everything to achieve it. Ciklum is always helpful in this.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
I feel save at Ciklum and for now I have confidence in my future.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
I like being a part of a dynamic and well-organized company where each employee is on his/her place. I feel free and strong in my business beginnings, having access to any required support & knowledge (starting with a simple advice or consultation).

I also like the possibility to learn (I mean different knowledge sharing activities which are held every week) and of course, leisure activities. I consider them as a great ice-breaking and teambuilding instruments that are important to have at such big companies as Ciklum. It helps you become more then just co-workers when you have an opportunity to play paintball or drive a bike with your manager or a subordinate outside the working environment :).

 

7. What would you tell a friend who is thinking about working at Ciklum?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
I often tell my friends and former colleagues that they should work at Ciklum. Those who work in the IT industry always want to work here after I tell them stories about Ciklum. I actually see them coming for the interviews.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
You have your own opinion but for me Ciklum is one of the best IT outsourcing companies in the Ukraine.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
At Ciklum we have many projects and we use a variety of technologies on them. Therefore you can choose your own area of interest where you want to get skills and knowledge. Every team is a small family – choose yours :).

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
It is an excellent company to work at!

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
I’d give him/her a real description of what I have learned. I actually know only about 2MBA, WorldTicket and EBST projects, so my experience is somewhat limited. As a family man with a child I don’t attend most of the parties/events since they are oriented towards younger developers. On the other hand, there are training programs in place, the working environment is good and healthy, and the work is interesting.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
Ciklum is a good choice on the Ukrainian job market. It is also a good step in your professional growth. However, everything depends on the client and your motivation.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
I would say that Ciklum is one of the better examples of an outsourcing company as well as a company in general. It's a healthy business environment aimed at hard work, excellent working conditions, opportunities to grow and a place to be around great people.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Send me you resume!

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
I’ve already invited one guy to Ciklum. I just told him the truth about our company and that was enough :). As far as I know, he is successfully working here now.

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
After analyzing everything I saw here at Ciklum, I can say that Ciklum is a pretty good place to work at. Employees are able to learn others technologies, to build a career and to change projects inside Ciklum. I have also seen many people who come back to Ciklum after they leave it for one reason or another. This probably proves that Ciklum is a good place to be at.

 

Alexandra Yakimchuk (Synctrix till 2007, Relocation at present)
When we talk about a big, successful, and growing international company we already mean a perfectly organized management. Therefore, the first thing I would mention is the staff. Very talented young people are gathered here. This is a perfect chance to grow professionally and to dive into the opportunities opened thanks to the foreign clients. Besides, there is a high-level of professional background. We are a very friendly company, in a month every newcomer has a 100 of new friends.

 

8. How do you think your experience at Ciklum will help you in your future career?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
Any positive or negative experience will contribute to one’s future. The experience gained at the company like Ciklum in any case will only help to improve both professional and personal growth.

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
Work at Ciklum teaches me many important things, and not only in the professional area. I am sure that the experience and life lessons that I get at Ciklum will not only help me in other future jobs but also in my personal life too.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
Working at Ciklum is like working in a big European family. Scandinavian experience, Scandinavian management, Ukrainian colleagues :). It is a huge step in personal and professional development of any IT specialist.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
Managerial experience is invaluable. Communication with customers allows me to keep training communication skills. Problem solving skills did increase because of the project nature. Also, I met people with different mentality and cultures as well as with different expectations from software and IT specialists in general. This all makes me a better IT professional and gives me a better chance on the job market or in my own business in the future.

 

Vitaliy Zadvornov (Releaze)
I am confident that my experience at Ciklum will definitely help me grow further in my career. However, I have no plans to leave the company yet.

 

Anna Logvynenko (Ebuilders)
Every experience helps in the future. The last project that I have been working at has taught me a few things. It is a small project with the big amount of production work. We make a lot of advertisement materials for very big and well known companies with the deadlines almost every day. The most important thing is to make everything in good quality and on time. For more than a year we were working in a very close relationship with the customer without a project manager here in Kiev. Working without a project manager thought me to be self-organized and disciplined. This kind of work also thought me to be very attentive to details. A close relationship with the customer helped me to realize that sometimes it is better just to “take it easier” and do what the customer asks you to and not to try to force my own solution. Sometimes the customer is really right …

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
What future career? I plan to stay at Ciklum forever :). Seriously, working in a great environment is always a plus for the future. I have gained experience of the right ways to do things which is a plus for the later vertical progressions in my career.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Not to mention the technical development, I'd like to note that working at Ciklum has given me the view of the company I'd like to be part of. Namely, it is seeing familiar faces around, being treated with respect, realizing the necessity of your work, and enjoying the feeling of confidence and stability in your personal future.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
Everyone knows that having several completed, successful projects, and a real experience in communication with foreign customers are quite valuable for the future career. By working at Ciklum, I’m getting all these things.

 

9. How is your experience at Ciklum different from any other place you have worked?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
First, it is a flexible structure and consistency in relations between projects and clients. Second, it is a good organization and a balanced distribution of the intelligent employees across the company

 

Andre Spivak (Metastorm)
Before I have never felt so close to the customers that I worked for :).

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
One of the main differences between Ciklum and other Ukrainian companies is a deep European integration. It’s not just outsourcing - we live in Ukraine, but work in Denmark. The absence of a vertical hierarchy is a big plus which singles Ciklum out among other companies.

 

Vitaliy Paikov (Slando)
Because Ciklum is an outsourcing company, I can see that all the work I do has a sense and is needed somewhere. It was quite the opposite at my previous work.

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
Ciklum is a bigger company than I used to work at. It has a very developed infrastructure and procedures. It also has a bit more confusing business travel rules than before. The office is quite nice and the IT infrastructure really helps in the day-to-day operations. I can also say that the HR department is quite friendly.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
It does not differ much in terms of work. However, it is good to have business trips and get to know the Danish culture closer.

 

Stan Sorochan (Cocomment)
There are two things I love about working at Ciklum. First, the atmosphere of knowledge sharing that presides at Ciklum. Ciklum wants its employees to grow and share our knowledge with each other. Though it's been tried in many companies, here it actually works. Second are the people. Everyone I come across is exceptional at what he or she does. Everyone works hard and things are happening. Last but not least, people are very friendly. It is either you have been offered to join a hacky-sack game or being wished "bon appetite" at the cafeteria or even being treated with respect and politeness when you try to sort out administrative or other work related issues.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Ciklum is my third employer. I must admit that the way the company is managed puts Ciklum amongst the top employers in the Ukraine and makes it quite competitive to the foreign ones.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
Now I’m working in a big team where there is a lot of work and responsibilities on one hand, and a gain of freedom in self-organization and management on the other. It is both new and exciting for me. Everyone knows that it is the hardest thing to organize yourself. Improving one’s self-management brings great rewards.

 

10. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Alexander Agalakov (OFir)
Thank you for your existence and for having faith in me and my abilities. I am confident that I am not disappointing Ciklum and its clients.

 

Sergii Illiukhin (Forbrugerliv)
I am looking forward to seeing new faces at Ciklum :).

 

Volodymyr Kurchenko (2MBA)
Thank you for an opportunity to express myself :). Also, thank you to everyone at Ciklum for answering questions quickly. That really helps. Keep doing a great job.

 

Yuriy Posidelov (Matchwork)
I think Ciklum is a good company and it will have a big future if it continues to care and respect people as it does.

 

Victoria Slobodenyuk (2MBA)
Of course one of the enjoyable moments is partying at Ciklum. New Year celebration, birthday gatherings, Halloween and small beer buzzes will remain as sweet memories.

 

Anna Kostenko (Traen)
I can only say “Ciklum, carry on!”