You might have met her while she was helping you to find a flat, translating a document for you, or asked you to pay an invoice. The Executive Assistant of Foreigners.cz Liduška Nerudová is a woman of many skills and it was only right she became our Employee of the Year 2016.
How long have you been working at Foreigners.cz and what positions in?
My career at Foreigners.cz started with a friendly reunion rather than a job interview almost 5 years ago. A few hours a week turned into a full-time job as an office coordinator in a few months. As the company grew, I tried and tested all the jobs imaginable at Foreigners.cz, including PR, sales and management. Eventually, I became the Executive Assistant at our headquarters in May 2015 which is my favourite position so far 🙂
What’s your job about?
I am the right hand of Andrea and Vojta – the company founders and managers. I am in charge of internal processes optimization – thanks to my insight into individual positions, I am aware of their responsiblities and challenges and my task is to fine-tune the system, workflows and communication so that our team is as efficient as possible. I am also a point of contact for all of our franchise offices, I administer financial transactions and accounting, provide basic legal or language consultations and help here and there where I could contribute with my experience and knowledge.
What did you gain through the other positions you have worked in at Foreigners.cz?
The lesson I learnt at my previous positions was that I prefer paperwork to peoplework. Nothing makes me happier than analyzing data in a spreadsheet, making sure a project is completed in time and every detail is taken care of. I am a perfectionist and a system freak and everybody knows it about me 😀 I am not a creative type, I like everything to be outlined and to follow a plan. The challenge I face is prioritizing and updating my daily agenda in an ever-changing environment of a fast-growing company and understanding that in case of disagreement, others are not simply wrong, but just have a different perspective!
Like many of your colleagues at Foreigners.cz, you have experienced studying in a foreign country. Even more than once.
That’s right – possibility to spend some time abroad was actually one of the criteria by which I chose my university (University of Hradec Králové, Tourism Management with English language specialization – Bachelor’s degree studies; Masaryk University in Brno, Faculty of Arts, English Language and Literature – Master’s degree studies). I was Erasmus in UK, which was, to a great surprise of most, not a semester-long party, but 4 months full of intense studies and essay writing, as the local system didn’t make any disctiction between a British and an Erasmus student.
My second journey abroad was in an opposite direction – to Novi Sad in Serbia which became my home for 10 beautiful months. I didn’t have high expectations but I enjoyed both the academic and the leisure part of my Balkan adventure! I learnt the basics of Serbian, met amazing people and got to know marvellous places!
Third time lucky, I returned to the UK, this time up north, for an Erasmus internship. This time I had the opportunity to soak up the genuine English atmosphere, enjoy chilly autumn weather, hills dotted with sheep, typical Yorkshire accent and strong black tea with milk.
Where are you from and how often do you come to see your family?
My hometown is Česká Třebová that you may know if you peek out of a window in the middle of your train journey from Brno to Prague. I come back to visit my parents once in a month or two, but I also pay visits to my 2 brothers and 3 sisters, some of them with their families already, so when I need to pick a weekend destination, I have several at hand!
What’s your plan for 2017?
2017 will be a year to remember! Since I got engaged recently, there is some wedding planning ahead that I am looking forward to. I will not yet reveal the details, but I can tell you that I will enjoy my wedding day twice – once in the Czech Republic and once in Brazil where my fiancé comes from.
Profesionally and personally, I want to grow and improve at what I am doing right now to be ready for new chapters in the future.
What are your hobbies?
Some years ago I used to say that I don’t have any free time or hobbies. Luckily, I was able to change that, limit my office time and invest more in my personal life. What I enjoy most nowadays is spending time with my fiancé, playing board games, cooking and baking, reading, dancing, biking. I love lazy weekend mornings and I also accept some English translation and proofreading jobs which is my profesionnal specialization.
Thank you for the interview!
