At Babbel, our endgame is getting people to have conversations with other people, in a new language. There are fantastic folks here making that possible. In our “Behind The Scenes” series, we sit down with them to provide a glimpse into who makes it all work, what they do, and where their heads are at.
This round we’re talking to Cemre Akdemir (she/her), Babbel’s newest Talent Acquisition Team Lead.
Hi Cemre! Tell us about your position at Babbel. What do you do on a typical day?
I joined Babbel just two months ago as the Talent Acquisition Team Lead. As a Talent Acquisition team, we drive the rapid growth of the Babbel team by bringing passionate and diverse talent into the Babbel ecosystem. My role as a team lead is to coach the Talent Acquisition team to grow as a team and individuals, to build data-driven hiring processes and to ensure the best candidate experience.
Which languages do you speak/are currently learning? Did you live in Berlin before you started at Babbel?
I’m originally from Turkey and I speak English and Turkish fluently. My German is still at the beginner level.
I have been in Berlin many times in the last decade but only as a tourist, not as a Berliner. I enjoyed the multicultural atmosphere of Berlin in all my past visits. So it was an easy decision for me to relocate to Berlin two months ago for my position at Babbel.
What were you doing before you joined Babbel?
In the first few years of my HR career, I worked in multinational corporate companies. I have been lucky to work with amazing people at Philip Morris, Pfizer, Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Then my career path shifted from corporate to tech. I joined a fast-growing tech scale-up called Armut/HomeRun. I have been part of building an international team of 120+ people. I worked there as Head of HR, leading the HR team and its processes for 4 years.
What do you hope to do/accomplish/pursue with your team over the next year?
As a team, our initial goal for next year is to bring more new, passionate Babbelonians to the teams. To achieve this goal, we hope to improve our hiring processes by integrating a data-driven approach on one hand, and on the other hand to offer a smooth and welcoming experience to our candidates. We will also grow the Talent Acquisition team next year 🙂
What drew you to Babbel?
Babbel’s product and diverse company culture are the main things that drew me to Babbel. E-learning and ed tech is now a quickly transforming sector around the world, especially after COVID-19, where even the most traditional education channels have moved online. However, I truly think that Babbel has been an industry leader for many years already.
I also attended an HR conference where there was a session held by Babbel. It helped me to understand Babbel’s people and culture perspective. After hearing Babbel’s approach to diversity and inclusion, it convinced me to apply for a position and be a part of this diverse and welcoming environment.
What has surprised you most so far?
First thing is to be able to find written content on anything (I mean ANYTHING) during my onboarding process. It was really helpful to quickly get on board with Babbel’s processes. The second thing is the “fully equipped” kitchen in the office 🙂 This turns lunch time and cooking into team engagement activities.
At Babbel, we see diversity as our strength. What kind of role does Talent Acquisition play in promoting this?
The Talent Acquisition team plays a key role in connecting, interviewing and hiring a diverse set of individuals by being able to value and understand different backgrounds and opinions. We prepare inclusive job descriptions to echo Babbel’s equal employment opportunity for everyone. We constantly check candidates’ scorecards to eliminate unconscious biases in the recruiting process, and hire for skills and potential.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Cemre!
Want to work with Cemre? Her team is currently looking for new Talent Acquisition Managers.