Could you give us a brief introduction to yourself and your work?
My name is Iris Bohorquez and I come from Venezuela. I'm married and have two children. I originally studied telecommunications in Karlsruhe.
I've been working at IVU since 2016, and I'm involved in software development at the Aachen location. My work is focused on quality assurance in the field of ticketing – particularly tests and verification of software.
What does your average workday at IVU entail?
We are a team of ten people and work in an agile manner in line with Scrum. We regularly discuss things in meetings to ensure that everyone is up to speed and to allocate our tasks. This means that I work on my own things first before we meet and talk things over. That way, we know what difficulties there are and can find a solution to them together – I'm really proud of our team.
How do you balance your work and your family life?
I manage to combine work and family well. If there's anything up with the kids, my flexible working hours enable me to go home early or work from home. This family-friendly working atmosphere and a 30-hour work week make the balance easier for me.
What's the best thing about working at IVU for you?
The working environment. My colleagues are really friendly and helpful. This struck me as soon as I started out at IVU. Questions and discussions were and still are very much welcomed. If I had to describe IVU in two words, they would be ‘friendly’ and ‘professional’ – my colleagues are extremely knowledgeable. I also really enjoy public transport. I find my job exciting because it is very diverse and I produce something useful and good.
What do you think applicants should bring to the table?
Openness, good ideas and an interest in public transport.
And where does your interest in public transport stem from?
When I came to Germany, I found it fascinating that a bus scheduled to leave at 7:15 a.m. would actually leave at 7:15 a.m. too. If I didn't get to the bus stop until 7:16 a.m., the bus had already gone [laughs]. And I've been fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes of public transport ever since.