Project Management Officer Zuzka will tell you about her job

Office manager Zuzka joined msg life Slovakia to support the project and program managers. She was looking for a job that would fulfill her in the long term and decided to use her experience with us. Are you curious about what a typical day looks like as a Project Management Officer – PMO and what qualities a successful candidate should have? Zuzka has prepared handy hints for you to help you on your way to your dream job.

How long have you been with msg life Slovakia?

“I have been with msg life Slovakia since March 2020.”

What job were you recruited for?

“I was recruited as a Project Management Officer.”

How did you get into project management?

“I was looking for a job that would fulfill me in the long term, where I could grow professionally, improve my PC skills and language competences.”

What attracted you to working at msg life Slovakia? Why did you choose us?

“The first thing that caught my eye was the job offer, which seemed challenging and I was hesitant to apply or not. I took it as a challenge, fought for it and today I am happy that I succeeded. Now I understand why I went through several rounds of interviews. Why did I choose msg life Slovakia? I knew I wanted the job and I had a good feeling about the people who interviewed me and the overall atmosphere. I was very pleasantly surprised by the personal approach and interest of my future employer. I appreciated and still appreciate his dedication and approach to the staff. In addition, msg life Slovakia is one of the few companies to offer a wide range of employee benefits. It’s also a baby/family-friendly company, so I’m able to combine work responsibilities with family and personal pleasures.”

How is working for us different from previous work experience?

“Working conditions, the atmosphere in the team, the company philosophy and the value of the person. At msg life Slovakia I am a person, not a number.”

What does your normal working day look like?

“I admit that I have not experienced two identical working days in a row. Every day is different and brings with it many challenges, and that’s a good thing. Otherwise, I’d be bored. However, I do make coffee every morning and during the day and try to socialise with colleagues if work duties allow. I missed this activity when working remotely. Basically all day long I deal with agendas, tasks and requests that are either regular, but also with those that are related to specific meetings on a given day.”

What are you working on now?

“I am currently working on several projects, two customer and one internal. It is difficult to describe the job of Project Management Officer as we have a very broad portfolio of activities. It depends on how long a person has been in the job position and needs time to gain the necessary experience and knowledge of our industry. I make sure that the projects are clear from a controlling, organisational and financial point of view. And a lot of activities really fit under this characteristic. Project Management Officer is part of project management, is directly involved in its activities and supports the project and programme manager in their projects.”

What projects are you currently working on?

“Signal Iduna and VHV.”

With whom do you communicate and solve problems?

“I communicate with my project and programme managers but also with colleagues who are working on the project.”

What programs do you use at work?

“I work with MS Office, most of the time – 99.9% – I work with Excel. Within the team we also use OneNote and of course PowerPoint. For communication and presenting StarLeaf, Unify, Fastwiever. I also work with ERP, JIRA and CRP.”

What skills/knowledge are important for your job?

“Good communication skills, language proficiency, proficiency in Excel at an advanced level is key. Those who are not spreadsheet types and hate Excel will be unhappy. You also need intrinsic motivation, a willingness to learn new things, calmness, consistency, responsibility, to be able to set priorities, to allocate time and energy to tasks correctly.”

What do you like most about your job?

“I am improving my skills in foreign languages and in working with programs, especially Excel. I can see a lot of progress in myself compared to my knowledge when I started working. The disadvantage is the time commitment.”

What are your colleagues like?

“My colleagues are really great. They are friendly, cheerful and always helpful. I can count on them.”

What qualities should your new colleague have to fit in?

“They should definitely have a sense of humour and a dose of enthusiasm.”

3 words that come to mind when you hear msg life Slovakia?

“Certainty, stability, progress, creative friendly atmosphere. (6 words, hope you don’t mind) :)”