In our series, we present personal insights about female employees at Telekom Technik GmbH. And Dilek Bayhan Bilgin works there in the Digital Business unit as a senior project manager. Read more about her exciting career journey.
How did you end up at Telekom Technik?
Dilek: After obtaining my Computer Engineering Master and Executive, I worked as a project manager and engineer in Istanbul for 15 years. During this time, project assignments led me to Milan, Amsterdam, and London on several occasions. My husband’s job situation lead to me moving to Germany, where I quickly found a job in Siegburg. After a year, I moved to Deutsche Telekom as a project manager in the Digital Business unit (DBiz).
What do you particularly like about your current job?
Dilek: I’m currently working on exciting projects such as the Cloud Booster program and the expansion of 5G capacity expansion, both of which are very important to Deutsche Telekom. As a project manager, it’s important to me to find a balance between technical and human issues, using my technical background as well as my emotional intelligence. In addition to managing projects, I also support other project managers with project health checks and project coaching. Our pool of project managers at DBiz is very diverse.
Which challenges have you already faced in your career?
Dilek: My greatest challenge so far has been working in the technology industry as a woman. When I came to Germany and later arrived at Deutsche Telekom, I thought that the topic of “women in technology” would be less prominent here than in Turkey. In my role as project manager, it’s important for me to communicate my technical background clearly from the very start to ensure my team takes me seriously and respects me. Working together becomes much easier as soon as my colleagues realize that my technical knowledge means I have a good understanding of the background and problems. Balancing work and family life is also a challenge. We have a young kid and our relatives live in Turkey, making childcare difficult, plus we both work full-time. Deutsche Telekom’s day care center for children was very helpful. Nowadays, I sometimes use the existing parent-child office.
What are you proud of?
Dilek: My technical know-how, my degrees, and the fact that I learned German quickly, enabling me to manage projects in German. As long as I have a personal objective, irrespective of whether it’s professional or private, I am motivated. I am also driven by the desire to communicate with other people and to connect with their "personal space" - more reasons why it's important for me to speak and understand German well.
Believe in yourself and use your motivation!
What can others learn from you?
Dilek: My recipe for success is based on the support of my parents as well as my belief in myself. They showed me how important it is to be independent. I am convinced that I can achieve everything if I work hard. My approach is to first dream about what I want to achieve, then create a realistic action plan, and then work hard to achieve it without ever giving up, regardless of the external conditions. If you want to learn something new such as a language, then you should start today, not tomorrow, and you must never lose focus!
Dilek Bayhan Bilgin’s story is one of many that illustrate what career opportunities the company has to offer. Do you want to start your career with us? Click here for jobs at Technik. We look forward to meeting you. And you can look forward to the next story about Women@Technik. Stay tuned!☺️
