Vive La Difference!

Nanda Prins spent her childhood growing up on a farm in the Netherlands. She tells us how she came to work with Grab and what it is that keeps her happy here.

What type of person does Grab look to hire? No particular type. Honestly, I know, I’m not only involved in the hiring process, I’m also not the ‘type’ that you’d expect to be working in a fast moving tech company, on paper at least. I grew up on a farm, went to art college (for a year anyway) – not exactly a classic résumé for the sector!

But, in a way, that’s the very best thing about Grab. Each and every one of us who works here is different, we think differently, we approach problems in different ways, we find different solutions. That’s our strength – and I suppose if there is a type that we look to hire it’s those who can live up to that standard. My own career here started when I sent my now manager a quirky email suggesting that he hire me, I didn’t really expect anything to come from it, but it caught his attention and I’ve been here, being myself ever since.

As a Mum to two small (and very busy) kids, it’s really important to me to be able to make time for them. These are the years that things change rapidly for them and the thought of missing out on any of that just doesn’t bear thinking about. Which is where the strength of Grab and my colleagues really comes into play. Everybody is given the autonomy to manage your own time, run your projects and complete your tasks in a way that completely suits you. Yes, of course, there are going to be days that are a little bit mad, that’s just the nature of the industry we work in, but they’re more than compensated for by the freedom to work in the way that you like best.

Having grown up on a farm, that sense of freedom has always been very important to me. For as long as I can remember I’ve been riding horses and that feeling of liberation that it gives me is very important to my life. It’s that perfect balance of having to care for the animal and getting the most amazing experiences  in return. 

I’m so grateful that here in Singapore there are so many clubs where you can go riding. It’s something that I have to be sure I can make time for, not because the job doesn’t allow for ample free time but because the kids don’t! 

I love what I do (everything that I do!) and, being a recruiter at heart I’ll return to that question I asked at the beginning of this blog – what type of person does Grab look to hire –  People with adventurous spirits. People who understand they might not always get it right the first time round. People who are willing to learn, who are up for a challenge and who are willing to bring their personalities to bear on Grab, rather than having Grab take over their personalities.

Individuals.

We like them.