Number one country in the world for Logistics, great opportunities to network with people from all over the world and a drive to improvements in business culture: This is what motivated
Vinicius Andriolo (32) from Vitória/ES (Brazil) to undertake his next career step in Germany. Find out more in this interview!
Andriolo’s list of steps for preparing a great career is long: A Bachelor in International Relations at the Universidade de Vila Velha and a another in Law at Faculdade de Direito de Vitória, an EMBA in Logistics Management at Escola Superior Aberta do Brasil and the same in Project Management at Faculdade Integrada da Grande Fortaleza. He has professional experience in renowned international companies and has worked on three different continents. Then he moved to Hamburg to pursue his Master’s degree in Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Kühne Logistics University (KLU). Why exactly Germany?
Employland: Vinicius, you have two Bachelor degrees and two EMBA’s. You worked for the ports of your city in Brazil from 2006 to 2010, did freelance business consulting and worked in customer service before being hired as a Senior Logistics Officer by the fourth largest paper and pulp producer in the world, where you stayed for 2 years. You also worked for Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s biggest brewery and then moved to New Zealand where you worked for 2 years for the German company DB Schenker, one of the three brands of the Deutsche Bahn AG which contains all Transport- and Logistic services of the DB Group. Now you’re in Hamburg: Why did you shift your career to Germany? Why is this the country of your choice to seek your Master’s degree for better career opportunities, as you say?
Vinicius Andriolo: Germany is the number one country in the world for Logistics. In the last LPI (Logistics Performance Index) the country was the first place overall and was also in the top 5 in all other years. The logistics environment here is perfect to skyrocket a career in the area, especially Hamburg. The city has more than 600 active supply chain based companies, it has the third largest port operation in Europe and on top of all that it has a highly internationalized community which makes things easier for foreigners like myself.
Employland: What advantages does studying in Germany have for your career?
Vinicius Andriolo: The quality of education in Germany is known throughout the world as top-class and the students here are extremely committed to learning. This pushes you to be a better student and an even better professional in the future. This was one other reason why I have decided to study here. A German degree opens doors in Europe and to the world as several countries lack qualified professionals in the area.
Employland: Do you want to stay in Germany after completing your Masters? Would you like to live here?
Vinicius Andriolo: I would most certainly like to stay in Germany after finishing my studies. I am having a great opportunity to meet incredible people here and to collaborate with people from all over the world in the university and in networking events. That is the kind of city I see myself living in. By staying here, I can collaborate with other professionals and get to meet even more interesting people.
Germany has a very rich culture and a wide range of events throughout the year that prevent you from getting bored. It is also a central country in Europe, allowing for easy travel to any other European nation easily.
The country has a high standard of political stability and safety levels with an orderly people and that is also attractive to me.
Employland: You worked in Brazil, in New Zealand and now work in Germany. What are cultural differences in the work culture?
Vinicius Andriolo: I recently gave a talk about this subject and I love the topic of cultural differences. What you see is a high degree of discipline and control in the German work culture. Punctuality, control tools, a high priority given to indicators at all times and a drive to improvements; those are a few of the strengths you realize straight away when working with Germans. Words like structure, schedule, and plan come up frequently and show how much the German people focus on keeping things on track. I believe that is one of the reasons why the country has great economic stability.
In New Zealand and Brazil the work environment focuses more on people and how things can be improved for the workers to be able to perform better. Work/life balance is a big deal to keep employees motivated. Flexibility, innovation, and creativity would be words to describe and distinguish those two countries from Germany in the work environment.
Employland: What do you appreciate about German business culture?
Vinicius Andriolo: Germans are very disciplined and reliable. They keep their word when they say something and they don’t let you down. The focus of the business and the strict control of costs and investments is impressive. I believe many German business grow and thrive because of these characteristics and that is something that differentiates the business culture from other countries.
Employland: Apart from business culture – what do you like about German culture and social life?
Vinicius Andriolo: Hamburg is a beautiful city that offers many alternatives for anybody to enjoy. The social events are crowded most of the time and that is great because it gives you the opportunity to meet new people and connect with locals.
The fact that almost everybody in Hamburg speaks English is amazing because whilst you learn German, you don’t feel isolated because people can understand you and have a conversation about any subject.
As a football lover, you have to love the love the passion Germans have for the sport, the passion of the fans and the quality of the games, although I haven’t yet decided if I will support HSV or St. Pauli.
Last but not least, the beer in Germany is just outstanding. It certainly lives up to its fame of being the country with the best beer culture in the world. I still need to explore the country a bit more to judge how good the other cities in Germany are compared to Hamburg but by now I say “Moin moin” to everybody and I do not feel like visiting Bremen.
Also in our blog: Darlan left Brazil and came to Hamburg to pursue a job in a German E-commerce company. In this guest commentary, Darlan tells us what he did after reaching Germany, how he found a place to live and made friends, and if he plans on staying in Germany forever. Also interesting: An Indian engineer who has been living in Germany for 11 years sat down with Employland for an interview, read: An Indian Engineer in Germany: Being a specialist and culture-mediator.