On Taking Career Leaps: A Penbrothers Employee Shares Her Growth Journey

Sometimes, all it takes is one big leap to get to that dream destination, reach that goal, or land that dream job. When we look back on our lives’ greatest moments, they’re often influenced by major decisions. 

And that’s the story of Kristine Agnis, our very own Junior Office Manager. She took that leap by answering that call and showing up for that interview, despite all her fears and hesitation about the job she was about to take on. 

Her growth journey is a big reminder for all of us that, indeed, believing in ourselves helps us grow professionally and opens us to life-changing experiences.

Taking the Career leap

Kristine vividly recalls getting a call from Penbrothers to invite her for an interview for an Admin Assistant role in February 2020, merely a month before the pandemic struck. Never having applied to Penbrothers, she was hesitant to show up for the interview, as she had never worked in the offshoring industry before. 

But fate had other plans. She took the interview and was immediately hired that same day. A month later, the lockdown happened. This made her extremely thankful that she was hired by Penbrothers, or she might have struggled financially during the lockdown. 

Asked what pushed her to accept Penbrothers’ offer, she immediately answered: the people and the culture. 

Kristine recognized the warmth of the company’s culture at once. “The team is very young and very chill,” she recalls. 

Having other perceptions of what it’s like working in Makati’s central business district, she was surprised to see how casual the culture is at Penbrothers, which worked to her advantage. 

Related article: What We Stand For at Penbrothers

From Humble Beginnings to Stepping Up in Her Role

At the start, Kristine’s role entailed knowing everything about Penbrothers’ offices and facilities in Makati and assisting in daily office operations. 

“I was very eager to learn,” she says. She even asked her manager to proofread her emails before sending them. 

Kristine also recalls how she heavily relied on her superiors to make decisions on escalated concerns by the clients. 

After two years, Kristine was promoted to Junior Office Manager. A part of her was hesitant at first because she felt she wasn’t ready at that time for this major step-up in her career. However, she thought about how her superiors saw her potential and capability to take on this bigger role and the impact this would make on her career growth.

She accepted the promotion and never looked back. For Kristine, this decision has led her to be more confident, reliable, and firm not only professionally but also personally.

Getting Out of Her Comfort Zone

As in all life aspects, challenges are inevitable and essential for us to grow and know ourselves better. 

Asked about the most challenging experience she had to deal with, Kristine recalls a client requesting a carpet reinstallment in one of Penbrothers’ offices, as she was introduced to clients as the official POC for all their office-related concerns. 

Being a newbie in the industry, she started from scratch. With no contractor in sight, she bravely took on the job of designing the layout of the new carpet herself! 

Kristine proudly recalls that after a year, the client was very happy with the results of her project. 

“Penbrothers empowered me to take responsibility and accountability; that I can do more and become better.” – Kristine Agnis

Related article: Detour to Destiny: A Young Leader’s Journey to Self-Discovery

Feeling Valued at Work

The supportive and collaborative culture of the PB community has also made her shrug off the bad days and carry on not only for herself but for her colleagues as well. This mindset lets her be more proactive and productive at work. 

“I have to be versatile and resourceful,” she shares. 

Kristine has nothing but gratitude to Penbrothers for valuing her hard work. “I get recognized and rewarded, and we get to enjoy quarterly team building and work-life balance,” she says.

Watch the video and be motivated by Kristine’s career leap and Penbrothers journey.

Read more of our team members’ stories on our Careers page!