BAGUIO, PHILIPPINES – The career path of a young Filipino professional can sometimes seem like it is set in stone. Once someone started working in a certain industry, it can be hard to shift career paths and start working somewhere else. Many opportunity seekers may also feel that they have no choice but to work amidst Metro Manila’s hustle and bustle, moving away from their home provinces.
Yet US-based investment analytics firm Aumni shows that there is an alternative path.
For one, Aumni goes out of its way to help employees who come from other industries to adjust to life in the private equity industry where Aumni plies its trade. Second, rather than set up a base in Metro Manila, Alumni set up its Philippine headquarters in the summer capital of Baguio, effectively trading Metro Manila’s urban jungle for mountain views and much cooler weather.
Starting on new paths
Many of Aumni’s current employees in the Philippines hold backgrounds in business process outsourcing (BPO) and even the academe. Yet the transition is always made easier by Aumni’s employee-centric culture and the willingness of higher-ups to train and teach.
For example, current Aumni night Shift Manager Phil once had a job in a call center handling the bookings for a major hotel chain. He first started out with Aumni as an analyst, before moving into his current managerial role.
“[My direct manager] guided me all throughout the first few months in this managerial role,” Phil explained. “Before I was offered the position, I underwent the training of all workflows to have adequate understanding and knowledge [of the job].”
Similarly, math major Thirdy once considered entering the academe before working with Aumni “The Aumni team has, from the get-go, been very supportive of my professional journey. Though I started with no prior experience, knowledge or background in the private equity industry, the team has been more than happy and patient to train and help me,” Thirdy said, recounting how Aumni’s team assuaged his doubts about moving away from academe.
Geo, who also used to work with BPO firms, shared that Aumni’s employee-centric culture meant he wasn’t afraid to ask questions and interact with his superiors. At Aumni, there is even a policy against using ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ when addressing superiors, to further encourage collaboration. He even got a direct line to senior leadership, reporting to various Aumni executives based in the US. “I was in awe of how they were able to provide me the necessary guidance, respond to my questions, and even let me conceptualize and implement my personal approaches, initiatives, and other creative ideas,” Geo shared.
New views
Aumni’s edge over its competition isn’t just how they help employees upskill, reskill, and train for a new career path. Because their Philippine operations are based in Baguio, they’re able to offer an opportunity to get away from Metro Manila’s hectic urban jungle—which they don’t hesitate to advertise when hiring new recruits.
According to Aumni’s VP of Culture Brendan Kussman, the decision to set up shop in Baguio considers not just the competitive advantage of moving to the provinces (where there is a largely untapped talent pool), but also employee wellbeing. Without the high cost of living and traffic that Metro Manila has, Aumni can offer its employees something else in terms of work-life balance.
Phil, Thirdy, and Geo all agree that easy access to greenery, better weather, and the comparative lack of urban congestion in Baguio have worked wonders for their mental health. Even just the fact that they don’t have to deal with traffic means they can easily travel between work and home, giving them better work-life balance.
“[The biggest difference between Baguio and Manila] is the lifestyle, with Baguio being a laid- back city and Manila is always on rush hour. Also in Baguio, every establishment is within walking distance, the food is cheap, and I love the cold breeze,” summed up Phil.
For Baguio native Geo, Aumni even provided him with an invaluable opportunity to grow his career without having to move away from home. “It’s one of the most rewarding experiences ever,” he testified. “I still consider myself extremely lucky to have found the opportunities to develop myself [in my hometown].”
Aumni’s emphasis on providing employees with career paths outside of Metro Manila has even influenced their decision to soon open up an office in Cebu City. “Metro Cebu has just as much to offer as anywhere else, if not more,” said Aumni VP of Data Operations Maggie Po. “We’re definitely excited to replicate the success of our Baguio office in the Queen City of the South, and we’re ready to hire anyone looking for a new path in their career.”
The future is bright
Perhaps the greatest proof that Aumni provides an alternative career path is how many of its employees progressed in their careers while with the company.
Thirdy, who was one of the first recruited by Aumni, credits Aumni with letting him develop skills that turned him into a leader. “From leading a team of 3, I now manage a team of 50, and this wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the trust, faith, and guidance that I have received from the Aumni team,” he said.
For Geo, Aumni’s training means he was able to move up to a management position in just a few years. From starting out in Business Development/Sales Support, he was able to train himself in customer relationship management and back-end sales research. Today, he is now the director of Aumni Philippines’ thriving Data Research division.
“Aumni helped me leverage my existing skill sets into developing new ones,” Geo explained. “I’m now fully utilizing skillsets and constantly working on them in the hopes of passing them on to the rest of my division.”
When asked what specifically about Aumni made it stand out from other companies, Phil was also full of praise. “It’s the first investment contract analytical company in the PH and it’s a startup company in Baguio on its Series B funding round, it would be an honor to work here,” he said. “I love how it is located in Baguio instead of Manila where fresh minds are now introduced to structured data of different venture capitals. I appreciate and commend the work environment Aumni offers, for me it’s like working in a stress-free habitat.”
Overall, Phil, Thirdy, and Geo see their future as still being part of Aumni—a popular sentiment echoed across the company.
With favorable testimonies from its employees, it is clear that Aumni paves the way for employees to take on a different kind of career. Even other companies stand to learn from the way Aumni thinks outside of the box to give its employees the best careers possible.
