I joined the brilliant team at TREV-2 almost nine years ago when I started designing traffic control schemes for road construction projects alongside my studies. For me, as a student, the work was ideal – most of it I could do whenever and wherever I wanted. It was the great team and the exciting challenges that kept me with the company. Over the years I’ve done a variety of jobs, including head of traffic control for road construction projects, purchase manager for traffic control materials and now sales manager.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking that nine years is a long time with the same company, but then I think of the great people I work with and the exciting challenges the job poses and how long I’ve been here doesn’t seem all that important.

There’s no routine to my day-to-day work – every day’s at least a little different from the one before it. What I do depends a lot on the season, with more budgeting work and more offers being made in winter and spring. In the lead-up to summer the emphasis shifts to supplying materials and dealing with clients. Most of our suppliers are based in other countries, so visiting them or them visiting us here in Estonia is part of my job as well.

If you want what you do in road construction to turn out well, and you want to enjoy doing it, it’s important to understand that what goes on in the field of construction is influenced a lot by seasonality. Winter’s normally quiet and relaxed, but the period of construction that follows is always intense. You’ve got to be able to spot problems the moment they crop up, too, and take an interest in making sure they’re dealt with straight away. Time management’s really important as well, but that at least is a skill you can learn.

The place you work is influenced the most by the people you work with – if you get on fine with them, nothing else is ever really a problem. That’s something I consider important, and one of TREV-2’s strengths.

The company has a really professional team, and since it’s one of the country’s biggest builders of infrastructure, it offers exciting challenges and opportunities for self-development.

I’ve been with TREV-2 for more than a decade now, and it’s been an exciting and challenging 10 years for me, during which I’ve learnt a lot. I’m lucky that I’ve been able to work with so many interesting managers and so many inspiring people.

The thing I consider most important in my work as the personnel manager here in the company is the ability to see things from both the manager’s and the employee’s point of view and to offer my support to both. For that, more than anything else, you have to be able to empathise with people and they have to know they can trust you.

The thing that motivates me in working here, that drives me the most, is the people, plus the challenges and the exciting new projects we get to work on. In my position I get to have a say in the development of the organisation and to support people’s personal development, and I’ve learned a lot and have myself come a long way from doing both. Every change you implement that turns out well gives you the impetus to introduce further changes.

To anyone who’s only just choosing which career path to take I can certainly recommend TREV-2 as an employer, since it’s a growing, progressive company with a long history and lots of experience behind it. It’s a workplace that will provide you with opportunities and a supportive team whether it’s your first job or you join the company higher up the ranks to further your professional skills and standing. 

The people here at TREV-2 are warm, friendly and always there to help. That’s one of the main reasons my 10 years here have gone by in the blink of an eye. The biggest plus, on a day-to-day basis, is that working in such a big organisation – we have 400 employees at any given time, on average – and one that operates in such a diverse field means that no two days are ever the same. That keeps me going and keeps me on my toes as the personnel manager.