Sofia König has been working at EPC Engineering & Technologies GmbH in Rudolstadt since the beginning of 2007. As a career changer, she initially started as a clerk in the export department. Her tasks range from the preparation and translation of foreign trade contracts and supplements, translation of engineering documents to export and import processing, project coordination between client and suppliers, as well as communication and correspondence with customers. Her “all-purpose” approach has allowed her to gain extensive experience in a variety of fields and to develop her skills. In the future, her focus will be on projects from the Russian-speaking region.

What do you particularly like about your job?

My work is very varied and demanding, requiring extensive knowledge in a wide range of areas, such as contracts and technical matters. Handling complex and demanding projects is always a challenge for me. But it also gives me the opportunity to learn new things, exchange experiences and maintain contacts with business partners.

How did you get your current job?

Because of my Russian language skills, I was hired as a lateral hire in the export department at EPC. Over the past few years, I have become very familiar with this area of responsibility and have gained extensive experience in foreign trade, especially for the Eastern European region. By participating in numerous seminars, I was able to acquire additional specialist knowledge, e.g. in customs and foreign trade law. My in-service training to become a specialist in purchasing and logistics will enable me to take on challenging tasks as a project manager in the future.

Have you ever been confronted with prejudice in your job? How did you deal with it?

In my opinion, prejudice exists both in professional life, but also on a private level. To me, this behavior means that subconsciously the person may have already had bad experiences in certain situations. This “pigeonhole thinking” influences personal attitudes towards other people and leads to persisting in one’s point of view and not acknowledging other opinions. When I am in a situation where I am confronted with prejudice, I consider it important to be open and honest about it.

What skills do you need to be able to assert yourself and be successful in a male-dominated professional field?

From my point of view, the ability to work in a team is the most important thing in my profession. You can only be as good as your team. Due to the fact that you mainly work with male colleagues, you should definitely have a certain assertiveness as a woman.

What has been your biggest professional challenge so far and how did you overcome it?

Every project is a challenge, but I would describe the last project with a customer from Russia as the most difficult and extensive. Not only was knowledge of the German export business required here, but it also required good knowledge of Russian import customs in order to be able to handle the project without any problems. Thanks to the support of my colleagues and our business partners, we were able to successfully master these challenges and gained a great deal of new knowledge as a result.