How do Wildling shoes make it into the online shop, and do so without missing a single detail, from the photos to the fit and the care tips? Tina knows all about that – and most importantly, she makes sure all that information is available online when it needs to be. That’s not only a lot of responsibility, it can also mean a great deal of time pressure, especially when a whole new collection needs to go online. For Tina, though, it’s the perfect fit. “Now I’m working in the area that I’m most passionate about and that I love the most.” In the interview, she reveals how she became part of Wildling Shoes without ever submitting a job application.
Your early days at Wildling Shoes: When did you start and what was different at Wildling Shoes back then compared with now?
I officially started at Wildling Shoes in the summer of 2016, but had already been involved privately since the crowdfunding in 2015. At that time, Wildling Shoes was just Anna and Ran, then we were joined by Sarah for customer service and me for Facebook.
How would you explain what you do at Wildling Shoes to a ten-year-old kid?
I make sure that everyone can buy their favorite Wildling shoes in the online shop.
Why did you apply to Wildling Shoes?
I didn't :D
Since I was involved from the beginning and I established the Wildling Shoes fan group on Facebook at that time and kept the information up to date, Anna approached me one day and asked me if I wanted to work for her. Over the years, the modest group has grown into a Wildling Shoes Community with several thousand members.
That’s how I came to Wildling Shoes, and of course I was thrilled to be able to work for a company with values and a vision that I can stand behind one hundred percent.
Will you show us a picture of the place where you like to work the most?
What surprised you the most about Wildling Shoes?
Everyone finds their place at Wildling Shoes. In those early years, most people joined the company from other sectors and worked in a broad spectrum of areas, and were able to grow and develop on an ongoing basis. Now I also work in the area that I’m most passionate about and that I love the most. It surprised me how dynamic and innovative Wildling Shoes is when it comes to New Work, especially as a mother with three children.
What are the things about work that you wouldn’t want to do without?
Long term I wouldn’t want to do without our bimonthly meetings in person with the entire team, and I’m really looking forward to the time when on-site meetings are easier again. But most of all it’s the wonderful people who enrich my life every day.
What’s your favorite wallpaper?
What was the best advice you’ve ever received?
Bahala na! Everything happens for a reason. The universe has your back!
Wildling Shoes’ staffers from the very beginning
Wildling Shoes wouldn’t be Wildling Shoes without the people who bring values like environmental responsibility, fairness, and the pioneering spirit to life. Today there are around 280 employees – but who were among the first to lay the groundwork in a brand new, tiny start-up team? What was it like to help invent a new way of working back then, what has changed, and how do you manage to retain your own enthusiasm and sense of newness after all these years? In a series of interviews, Wildling Shoes’ earliest employees share their experiences and talk about how they’ve managed to keep their goals and values top of mind over the years as they’ve made their way at Wildling Shoes.
