Have you ever wondered how Vinted effectively manages the thousands of items uploaded to our platform? For our Ontologies team, it boils down to one crucial element: collaboration. Join us as we sit down with Product Designer Eidvilė Bagdonaitė and Taxonomists Laura Horan and Charlie Lapin to discover how they leverage their unique areas of expertise to co-create a better member experience for all.<h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:6pt;margin-top:18pt;" dir="ltr">About the Ontologies team</h2>Ontology is all about describing items&nbsp;– from defining the category they fit into to details like their size and the materials they're made from. By exhaustively cataloguing each aspect of an item in our database, the Ontologies team helps Vinted members find&nbsp;exactly what they're looking for.&nbsp; &nbsp;In other words, the Ontologies team ensures items are discoverable throughout the member journey, including the moment a member uploads an item to Vinted and when they use filters to find the items they need while browsing our platform.&nbsp;"We do this by making sure our platform includes the metadata terms that members use to describe these items."&nbsp;Eidvilė Bagdonaitė says.

<h2>The Buyer domain</h2>As part of the Buyer domain, Laura, Charlie, and Eidvilė's work focuses on the initial stages of the buying and selling process. This covers everything from opening the app and listing an item for sale to searching for something to buy. The Buyer domain also includes the stage where members chat about an item or when they make an offer to buy something. The following steps – payment, shipping and feedback – are handled by another branch of the team.<h2> A unique structure</h2>Vinted’s Ontologies team is an Engineering Product team, which means Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Managers, and Product Designers all come together to achieve the same goal.What makes our Ontology team unique at Vinted is that it also includes Taxonomists. As Laura puts it, "Charlie and I were the first taxonomists at Vinted and the first employees with this background and expertise. Our first order of business was to meet with an array of stakeholders across the matching domain to introduce our skillset and ways we might be able to support their work through improved data modelling."As taxonomists working with colleagues from many different fields, the team finds it essential to clarify the language they use so they can keep their communication clear. After all, words that mean one thing to Product Designers may mean something else to Taxonomists.There are many different paths to the role of Taxonomy, including a History, Librarian, Museum Curation or Knowledge Management background. The ideal taxonomist is someone who’s a logical thinker and enjoys creating order from chaos.<h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:6pt;margin-top:18pt;" dir="ltr">How Taxonomy meets Product Design at Vinted</h2>While our taxonomy data model is the backbone of every item on Vinted, having extensive information is only helpful when we can display it to our members. That’s why we've learned it's vital to get Product Design involved as soon as possible, as it's a lot easier to work in tandem before a launch than it is to start the design process after. &nbsp;So, how do these different approaches come together in the Ontology team’s projects? Eidvilė states, "One of the most straightforward ways we collaborate is by including member insights and perspectives into data structure decisions."&nbsp;This can involve user testing or showcasing how different data structure options influence user flow. Whenever a new approach is suggested, the team discusses how it will change the way Vinted members learn about an item and how this could benefit them. "By anchoring our communication around the user perspective, we're able to find common ground and collaborate towards member-centric experiences", Laura Horan says.&nbsp;Furthermore, in some scenarios, to address the needs of sellers on Vinted, we may need to present information in a way that’s relevant to them but would require a different level of granularity to be user-friendly for buyers. As Eidvilė puts it,&nbsp;“This nuanced understanding has empowered me to approach my design process with greater depth and to develop more solutions that meet the diverse needs of various member groups”. &nbsp;Another way the Ontology team collaborates is through the Kanban method. The team uses a virtual Kanban board to keep track of what everyone’s working on and facilitates meetings that foster collaboration and communication. Every day, the team has a 15-minute standup meeting where they update the status of their Kanban board tickets as a team. They also have weekly planning meetings, where they add new items to their Kanban board and host post-launch retrospectives for projects that go live. The Ontology team also uses Slack to discuss work topics and ask questions more freely&nbsp;– sometimes, these can be answered in a simple thread, but the team is always happy to jump on a quick call to explain the details, too. These methods help everyone to stay on the same page.

<h2>Achieving results</h2> Although Taxonomy has some Member-facing results (e.g. creating a new category in our taxonomy "tree"), they tend to fall into the existing Product Design framework. "We're not reinventing the wheel when adding a new subcategory under Jackets or Skirts", Charlie says.But their collaboration truly shines when the Ontology team works on a new concept. Charlie explains: "For example, in our current project we're working on...Taxonomy has a few options to choose from when building a data model, and we would have been stuck, but product design helped us settle on the best choice, and now we're actively working on implementing it for our members!"Sometimes, the taxonomy design options are limited by the current systems or product designs in place. By collaborating with a Product Designer, the Ontology team can identify opportunities for product design improvements, which enables us to create better data models that enhance the member experience. Eidvilė elaborates: "Like Charlie, I've realised that taxonomy and product design go hand-in-hand. When we combine our skills – thinking how to organise information with a solid grasp of how members think and manage information, it can help create solutions that make a difference to the user experience."<h2>Find out more &nbsp;</h2> Are you a logical thinker who excels at bringing order to chaos? Consider joining our Ontology team and collaborating on projects that make a real impact on millions of members. See our open positions <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/jobs?gh_src=4dae07a2teu&amp;utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here.</a> &nbsp;

Taxonomy

Fostering Collaboration in Engineering Teams: How does taxonomy fit into product development? 

Successfully rebuilding a career from scratch in a completely different field with no formal education or work experience is tough. But Tom Slaytor managed to defy all odds and successfully become a Backend Engineer, despite starting from a very different line of work. Read on to find out more about Tom’s remarkable journey into Vinted via our Engineering Academy, and discover how we at Vinted welcome and support our thriving career changers into our teams.<h2>Meet Tom Slaytor</h2> After working as a professional drummer for several years, followed by a role in sales, Tom Slaytor decided to pursue a new career path that ignited his passion. After developing an interest in engineering by chance, Tom stumbled upon an advert for the Vinted Engineering Academy and decided to apply (spoiler alert – he got the job). But switching careers is never easy – particularly without formal education or training. In his own words, let’s find out how Tom got on with this mammoth transition from professional drummer to Backend Engineer at Vinted, and hear the advice he’d give to people thinking of applying for the Engineering Academy. &nbsp;<h2>It all started with an app</h2> My work experience is pretty varied. After studying music at University, I worked as a professional drummer for several years. Following that, I had a job in sales within the finance sector. A career in engineering was never a consideration. Until one day I had a sudden idea for a training app for drummers. Without having any technical knowledge of engineering, I asked a developer friend to help me create it. As I worked alongside him, I watched him work on the code. I was immediately drawn to it, and found myself quickly getting to grips with what he was doing. The problem-solving element was particularly appealing, but without any experience or training in the field, it never occurred to me that this could be something I could do for myself. &nbsp;

<h2>Time for a change</h2> My job in sales came to an end, but I soon realised I didn’t want to pursue another role in this field. It didn’t spark my interest, so I began looking for another job that I felt more passionate about. I had some time and savings to fall back on, which gave me the opportunity to pursue something else. I took on some freelance work in the meantime, and set myself a deadline to begin applying for jobs, or start getting into a different field within a year. This was the springboard that allowed me to take the idea of programming more seriously, and further develop my skills in that area. As time started running out, the more I realised I really didn’t want to go back into sales. I always liked the idea of working for Vinted – it looked like a good company to join. But I didn’t feel like I had the skills, confidence, or experience to apply for a regular engineering role. I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw the advert for the <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/blog/engineering-academy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Engineering Academy</a>, which requires no experience to join. I applied straight away.<h2> Making the cut</h2> The selection process was pretty relaxed. We were asked to share examples of some projects we’ve previously worked on, but there was no strict specification. We just had to showcase the extent of our skills and experience. After that, I had to do some tests and scenario-based questions designed to find out if I would be a good fit within the company’s values and culture, making sure that I had the right soft skills to thrive here. The next stage in the whittling down process was technical. We had to complete a homework assignment in our own time. It was quite challenging, but interesting. I learned a lot from it, and I took it as a good sign that if I found the assignment interesting, I’d find the job interesting as well. Finally, there was the interview with a couple of future team members. It wasn’t as daunting as I expected, and felt like a discussion. Half the questions were centred around my values and how I would react in certain situations or overcome challenges, and the other half were about the technical &nbsp;decisions and choices I made during the homework assignment. &nbsp;

<h2>Finding my way</h2> After successfully making it through the selection process, I was hired. On my very first day at Vinted I learned that there’s a structured onboarding process for academy participants. This came in two parts: technical onboarding, which really focussed on the academy, and general company onboarding. For the first week of technical onboarding, we joined a lot of workshops, and got to grips with the basics. It was all very structured, and we had the opportunity to learn more about how things work, the different workflows, and the programming languages used at Vinted that we were unfamiliar with. After that was Vweek – company onboarding for all new joiners (not just academy participants). We were introduced to different departments and had the opportunity to get to know colleagues in different teams from all over the world. It was a great introduction to what the company is all about – it’s like a big community.<h2> Expectations vs. reality</h2> It sounds cheesy, but working at Vinted is even better that I thought it would be. I’m genuinely excited to wake up every morning and come to the office to work. I was expecting loads of pressure to achieve more or do more in the Academy, but that’s not the case. We push ourselves because we want to. Even with lack of experience, in an unfamiliar system, with languages we’ve never used before, we’re never made to feel not good enough. Many of us haven’t worked in an environment like this before. It’s very comfortable and stress-free. From the people you’re working with, to the projects we’re working on, managers’ expectations, and the way everybody within the company helps each other, the atmosphere is really positive. I’ve quickly bonded with people both inside and outside of the Academy. Everyone is really supportive and accepting of one another. The people and the company culture really make this a fantastic workplace to be in.<h2> Want to join the Engineering Academy? Here’s my advice</h2> Engineering skills are important. But they aren’t the be-all and end-all. To be successful in any company you have to feel like you belong, and that your values align. Stay curious, and keep solving problems. Get ready to tackle new challenges. If that means having to learn a new language, or familiarise yourself with a new paradigm, just dive in and have a go, even if you’re unsure. Take it step-by-step, and eventually you’ll find the answer. If you’re on the fence about applying, I’d say go for it, even if you’re not sure you’re ready. I wasn’t sure I was ready either, but here I am. What’s there to lose? Are you looking for a new career challenge in engineering like Tom? Find out more about the <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/blog/engineering-academy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vinted Engineering Academy</a>, or <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/jobs?gh_src=4dae07a2teu&amp;utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">apply here.&nbsp;</a> &nbsp;

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From Drums to Development: Tom’s Journey to Backend Engineering

<h2 class="p1" style="text-align:center;">Vinted continues its expansion: opening an office in Kaunas, where over 100 employees are now working</h2>Vinted, Europe's largest peer-to-peer online marketplace for second-hand fashion, is expanding, and has recently opened an office in Kaunas, Lithuania, with over 100 employees now working there.&nbsp;Vinted is currently <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/jobs?page=1&amp;location%5B0%5D=Kaunas%2C%20Lithuania" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">looking for developers (backend, web, software, mobile, data), engineers, data scientists and team leaders to join</a> their teams in the new Kaunas office.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new office in Kaunas follows the same hybrid working model as the rest of Vinted’s locations, which recommends that employees come into the office a couple of times a week. They’re also allowed to work up to 90 days a year in other countries, 21 of which can be spent outside the EU.&nbsp;"Because we’re a hybrid company, we’ve been able to employ people based in Kaunas prior to having an office space there, but the newly-opened location will better meet our current and future colleagues’ needs: providing them with modern and comfortable workspaces, plenty of areas to meet up and spend time together, and a sense of community."

"We’re currently looking for at least a couple of dozen more colleagues in Kaunas, so we’re delighted that more and more talented people in tech who are living in this city are able to get involved with Vinted's products and their development," says Ieva Kuniejūtė, Director of Tech Talent Acquisition at Vinted.Vinted's new office is located in the Drobės Fabrikas business centre – a 20,000 m²&nbsp; modern renovated interwar architectural complex in the Šančiai district – which is also home to several other growing technology companies and start-ups. Vinted is currently leasing a 657 m² space in the newly-opened business complex, which can accommodate up to 100 employees at a time.

"We were impressed by the atmosphere here; the perfect blend of history and dynamic workspaces that will most definitely contribute to an exceptional employee experience. When we choose a new location, we try to think about how it will complement our employees' routine, and the experience it will provide. We believe that the new office in Kaunas will provide inspiration and additional capacity for our growing team in the city," says Ieva Užkurnienė, Workplace Experience Lead at Vinted.

The Drobės Fabrikas team has furnished the historic premises in an industrial style, with the companies and communities that will be housed there in mind.“We wanted the premises to fit the mindset and needs of those who work there. So when renovating, our focus was on the efficient use of space.The&nbsp; Drobės Fabrikas premises are not only for business use, but can also be hired out for a wide range of gatherings and events. Our aim was to create a comfortable workspace where communities with shared principles of community, sustainability, and common good can come together. We know that these aspects are important to Vinted, so we’re happy that they've chosen our premises in Kaunas for their expansion and joined the other technology companies based here," - says Rima Čivaitė, Project Manager at Drobės Fabrikas.Vinted currently employs more than 1,800 professionals across the Vinted Group a figure which has increased by more than 500 since 2022. In addition to Lithuania, the company also has offices in Berlin, Hamburg and Amsterdam. Vinted currently has more than 100 open positions for professionals in programming, data science, marketing and other fields in Lithuania alone.Vinted brings together a community of more than 80 million registered members in 20 markets across Europe and North America.

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Vinted expands to a new office in Kaunas

Engineering environment is a dynamic and constantly evolving domain, and the learning culture is deeply rooted at Vinted. To help you navigate through and thrive in your journey, here’s a list of descriptions and recommendations for you that align with your unique interests and aspirations within the engineering discipline.About Git &amp; GitHub:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://eu.udacity.com/course/how-to-use-git-and-github--ud775">How to Use Git and GitHub</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/github-ultimate/">GitHub Ultimate: Master Git and GitHub - Beginner to Expert</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/">A successful Git branching model</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="http://engineering.vinted.com/2015/01/02/proper-git/">Proper Git</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-About-Version-Control">What is version control?</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="http://engineering-principles.onejl.uk/">Software Engineering principles</a></li></ul>

<h2 class="p1">Backend Engineering</h2>&nbsp;To experiment with Ruby, you can use:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/abdelrahman-hsn/ruby-ebooks/blob/master/Ruby%20on%20Rails%20Tutorial.pdf">20 books or even more (free) on GitHub</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://repl.it/languages/ruby">A very good place to start&nbsp;</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html">Another great place to start</a>&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;Syntax:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dji9ALCgfpM">Video</a> on Ruby Programming and a <a href="https://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html">Document on getting started with Rails&nbsp;</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/documentation/quickstart/">Ruby in 20 minutes</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://medium.com/@noordean/understanding-ruby-blocks-3a45d16891f1">Understanding Ruby Blocks</a> on medium.com<a href="https://medium.com/@noordean/understanding-ruby-blocks-3a45d16891f1">&nbsp;</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://ruby-doc.org/core-2.6.1/Enumerable.html">Enumerable</a>, where the most important are - map, each, each_with_object, find, filter, select</li><li class="li3"><a href="http://www.pragtob.info/rails-beginner-cheatsheet/#ruby">Cheatsheet on pragtob.info</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Ruby on Rails (RoR):We recommend not to spend much effort on understanding how to build HTML using RoR. We will use RoR in API only mode, which means we will be building JSON responses only<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://skillcrush.com/2015/01/29/13-ruby-rails/">What is RoR</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.sitepoint.com/model-view-controller-mvc-architecture-rails/">MVC in RoR</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="http://www.pragtob.info/rails-beginner-cheatsheet/#rails-folder-structure">RoR folder structure cheat sheet</a> (folder structure, commands)</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://medium.com/@gianpaul.r/ruby-on-rails-generators-and-how-to-undo-them-30a53ac8dfb3">Generators</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://guides.rubyonrails.org/v3.2/migrations.html">Migrations</a></li></ul>&nbsp;HTTP:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.w3schools.com/whatis/whatis_http.asp">What is HTTP</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Methods">Request methods</a></li></ul>&nbsp;RESTful API’s:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/343877/what-is-an-api/">What is an API</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://restfulapi.net/">What is REST</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://restfulapi.net/resource-naming/">Resource naming guide</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.w3schools.com/whatis/whatis_json.asp">JSON</a></li><li class="li1">Extra: Ruby on Rails comes with API only option. <a href="https://guides.rubyonrails.org/api_app.html">Official documentation</a></li></ul>&nbsp;SQL:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/relational-database">What is a relational database</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://tutorialzine.com/2016/01/learn-sql-in-20-minutes">SQL In 20 minutes</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Testing:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://dev.to/milandhar/unit-testing-in-rails-4oke">Unit testing</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://culttt.com/2016/07/06/writing-integration-tests-ruby-rails">Integration testing</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://medium.com/@piraveenaparalogarajah/what-is-mocking-in-testing-d4b0f2dbe20a">Mocking</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://rspec.info/">Introduction to RSpec</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://medium.com/@mariacristina.simoes/my-introduction-to-factory-bot-88949467a7e9">Introduction to FactoryBot</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://devhints.io/rspec">RSpec cheatsheet</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://devhints.io/factory_bot">FactoryBot cheat sheet</a></li></ul>

<h2 class="p1">Web Engineering</h2>&nbsp;<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">To experiment with React, you can <a href="https://jsfiddle.net/">check out here</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-html">HTML5</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-css">CSS</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="http://getbem.com/introduction">CSS BEM</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://sass-lang.com/guide">SASS - focus on SCSS syntax.</a> Make sure you nail mixins, functions, variables, partials</li><li class="li1"><a href="https://javascript.info/">JavaScript fundamentals</a> - don't spend too much time with things like proxies, Symbols. Focus on fundamentals, such as event loop, as well as ES6 features</li></ul>&nbsp;React:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">We prefer functional components with hooks.</li><li class="li1">If you're into <a href="https://egghead.io/courses/the-beginner-s-guide-to-react">video courses</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://reactwithhooks.netlify.app/tutorial/tutorial.html">React docs, rewritten with hooks</a>. Take away as much as you can. Make sure you're comfortable with refs, lifecycle, hooks, JSX<a href="https://reactwithhooks.netlify.app/tutorial/tutorial.html">&nbsp;</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Clean code:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">We definitely recommend the<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882"> book by Uncle Bob</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/ryanmcdermott/clean-code-javascript#table-of-contents">JavaScript clean code principles</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Testing:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://reactjs.org/community/testing.html">Testing overview</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://testing-library.com/docs/react-testing-library/intro/">We use react-testing-library and Jest.</a> Make sure you're able to write basic tests with those technologies</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://kentcdodds.com/blog/common-mistakes-with-react-testing-library">Common Mistakes with Rect Testing Library</a></li><li class="li1">Strive to understand <a href="https://jestjs.io/docs/getting-started">fundamental concepts, </a>such as mocking, spying</li></ul>&nbsp;TypeScript:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">Make sure you get the basics and can write React with TypeScript comfortably. TypeScript is quite big, so there's no need to go too deep.</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/typescript-cheatsheets/react">Cheatsheet</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/2/basic-types.html">Official documents</a> and the basics</li></ul>&nbsp;Redux:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">It’s not a given that you will use Redux throughout the Engineering Academy, but we use it at Vinted, so the fundamental understanding is important</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://redux.js.org/tutorials/essentials/part-1-overview-concepts">Redux Essentials</a></li></ul>

<h2 class="p1" style="text-align:justify;">Android Engineering</h2>&nbsp;<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udacity.com/course/kotlin-bootcamp-for-programmers--ud9011">Introduction to Kotlin</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udacity.com/course/developing-android-apps-with-kotlin--ud9012">Introduction to Android development with Kotlin</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Dagger:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1"><a href="https://codingwithmitch.com/courses/dagger22-android/">Dagger2.2+ on Android</a> on CodingWithMitch.com</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/codelabs/android-dagger?index=..%2F..index#0">Using Dagger in your Android app - Kotlin&nbsp;</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Kotlin coroutines:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/kotlin-coroutines/#0">Use Kotlin Coroutines in your Android App&nbsp;</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Kotlin StateFlow, SharedFlow and Flow:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/codelabs/advanced-kotlin-coroutines#0">Learn advanced coroutines with Kotlin Flow and LiveData</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/kotlin/flow">Kotlin flows on Android</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/kotlin/flow/stateflow-and-sharedflow">StateFlow and SharedFlow</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Application architecture guidelines:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/jetpack/guide?authuser=1">Guide to app architecture</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Additional Android learnings:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udacity.com/course/advanced-android-with-kotlin--ud940">Advanced Android with Kotlin</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.android.com/courses/kotlin-android-advanced/toc">Kotlin Andrid Advanced</a></li></ul>&nbsp;If you know most of the above technologies, you can try doing codelabs from this list:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://codelabs.developers.google.com/?cat=Android">https://codelabs.developers.google.com/?cat=Android</a></li></ul>&nbsp;If you want more challenges and you know most of the technologies above, you can try to contribute to our open source libraries on GitHub:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/vinted/coper">vinted/preferx&nbsp;</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/vinted/actioncable-client-kotlin">vinted/actioncable-client-kotlin</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://github.com/vinted/coper">vinted/coper</a></li></ul>

<h2 class="p1">iOS Engineering</h2>&nbsp;<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/">Human interface guidelines</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/referencelibrary/GettingStarted/DevelopiOSAppsSwift/">Start Developing iOS Apps (Swift)</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.appcoda.com/iOS-programming-course/">Learn iOS Programming</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/ios-13-app-development-bootcamp/">iOS 13 &amp; Swift 5 - The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://medium.com/ios-os-x-development/ios-architecture-patterns-ecba4c38de52">iOS Architecture Patterns</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.raywenderlich.com/6004856-building-an-app-with-only-code-using-auto-layout">Programmatic UI</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://clean-swift.com/">Get Started with Clean Swift</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://swift.org/documentation/#the-swift-programming-language">Swift Guide</a></li></ul>

<h2 class="p1">Site Reliability Engineering</h2>&nbsp;Tools:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://learn.chef.io/">Chef</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://prometheus.io/docs/introduction/overview/">Prometheus</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://learn.hashicorp.com/collections/terraform/aws-get-started">Terraform</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://terragrunt.gruntwork.io/docs/#getting-started">Terragrunt</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.runatlantis.io/guide/">Atlantis</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://kubernetes.io/docs/tutorials/">Kubernetes</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://docs.docker.com/get-started/">Docker</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.tutorialspoint.com/unix/index.htm">Linux</a></li><li class="li4"><a href="https://go.dev/doc/tutorial/getting-started">Go</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Blogs:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://sre.google/">Google Site Reliability Engineering</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://increment.com/">Increment</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.robustperception.io/blog">Robust Perception</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/">Cloudflare Engineering Blog</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://engineering.fb.com/">Engineering at Meta / Facebook</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://vinted.engineering/">Vinted Engineering Blog</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Other:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://roadmap.sh/devops">DevOps Roadmap</a></li></ul>

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List of useful resources for aspiring Engineers

We have a selection of paid entry-level programmes which are designed to support new graduates or career changers just starting out in the workplace here at Vinted. These entry-level programmes are currently divided into two categories: Academies and Internships.&nbsp;The Engineering Academy programme was specifically designed to accelerate new starters’ tech careers at Vinted; plunging them into our world of exciting work at the forefront of innovation, to collaborate on cutting-edge products with our experienced (and brilliant) teams. Read on to deep-dive into this intensive and exciting career start at our tech-heavy scale-up.

&nbsp;The Academy in a nutshellThe Engineering Academy is a 12-month programme designed to support people at the beginning of their tech career at Vinted. For the first two months, you’ll work through a challenging training programme, which is then followed by ten months of career development. By the end of the programme, you should have a solid enough foundation of knowledge and experience to hit the ground running in your work. That’s right! Engineering Academy participants are paid employees. You’ll continue to be employed at Vinted even after the 12 months, putting your new learnings to good use as you progress in your career.The routes into the Engineering Academy differ with each yearly intake, depending on requirements. Some of the areas which we’ve welcomed talent into include: Backend, iOS, Web, Quality Assurance, Site Reliability, Security and Data Engineering areas. But who knows what we might lean into in the future!

&nbsp;A hands-on technical inductionThe initial two-month technical induction is led by our own teams, consists of hands-on training sessions, and covers a wide range of activities. We host a mixture of general engineering workshops (e.g. best practices with Git, how Kubernetes works at Vinted) and area-specific training (e.g. how to develop for iOS at Vinted). During this time, you’ll get to see first hand how our value of co-creation is fostered in everyday working life, as you’ll be collaborating as a team with other Academy participants to develop real-world and hypothetic tasks. You will also receive regular 1:1s with your assigned mentor in the first two months to ensure that you’re on-track, and happy with your progress.

&nbsp;Career development supportAfter the intense training comes the development plan. By now, you’ll be working in a product or tech team, but for the next ten months, you’ll continue to be supported by our People team with personal skills training that will help you in advancing your career. Everyone receives information differently, so with this in mind, we designed the Engineering Academy to be conducted in a variety of formats, including in-person training, online streams, some self-study, and a lot of practical hypothetical and real tasks. Not only will you continue to develop your tech skills, you’ll also have the opportunity to develop your interpersonal and soft skills by participating in development workshops: Managing Yourself, Becoming a More Agile Learner, Sense, Decision Making and Dealing with Complexity, Driving your own career, and Influencing Others.

&nbsp;A unique entry-level programmeAside from our structure, we’re unique in our approach to working at Vinted. Employees don’t just work, they collaborate, co-create, and nurture one another. And this approach grows great professionals, not just in formal skills, but from a personal development perspective too. The same goes for our entry-level programmes. Academy participants are supported by team members and mentors and encouraged to co-create with their peers while doing group projects. It’s an environment where everyone is listened to, and everyone is heard. Every idea or thought is valid and important, and we think that it’s this attitude that makes us thrive together.

&nbsp;Who should applyThe Vinted Engineering Academy is open to everyone with the necessary background knowledge or skills – it’s not somewhere where you’ll learn the basics. Just like the people we build our products for, we’re a diverse bunch, and we believe that the coming together of many different backgrounds makes us stronger.&nbsp;We’re here to nurture future tech talent. From iOS, Web, and Backend Developers, to Security Engineers, our academy is a blend of students, recent grads, self-taught people, and those with some professional experience in coding skills. Whether you learned from university, or by coding in your free time, if you live and breathe engineering, this is right up your street.If you’re a university student, we’ll support your studies by accommodating your schedule as best as possible, but we would expect you to dedicate at least 32 hours per week to the academy. However, the Academy is not solely for students and graduates. We welcome applications from people who are requalifying or changing careers at any life stage. It doesn’t matter to us how you got here, what matters is your coding skills, and passion for all things engineering.

&nbsp;The selection processThis consists of several stages. When the Academy Programme is open for intake, you’ll be able to apply via the job ad. Here, you can answer some general questions, and attach your CV or links to your GitHub, portfolio or projects that showcase your technical skills or code.Selected candidates will then be asked to carry out a scenario-based Vinted Value Assessment, which was developed by psychologists to determine if your values align with the Vinted ways of working.&nbsp;The next stage is a technical task to demonstrate your skills and analytical thinking, which you can carry out in your own time.The final part of the selection process is the interview. You’ll get the chance to meet your future team, who will find out more about you by asking questions relating to your skills background, your motivations, and how you approached the homework task. This will be an hour-long online interview, and you’ll be left with plenty of time to ask the team your questions as well.

&nbsp;Think you’d be a good match?Together, our dynamic teams and our culture of aiming high, taking ownership, co-creation, care, and growth make us the perfect environment to foster creativity and professional development while contributing to our positive global impact. We can’t wait to welcome our next batch of tech talent into our teams, who will join us in our mission to make second-hand the first choice. For updates on the next Academy intake, or just to see more of what we’re up to, take a look at our <a href="https://engineering.vinted.com/">Vinted Engineering blog.</a>

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Vinted Engineering Academy: everything you need to know

Changing careers is never easy, and often involves requalifying, battling feelings of self-doubt, and rebuilding self-confidence. Despite the challenges faced, Justina Šiaulytė, has done just that. In this article, we sat down with Justina to find out more about her remarkable story of transitioning from a video creator to an iOS developer at Vinted. Read on to discover how she adapted and used her resilience in the face of this formidable challenge, and learn more about how we at Vinted welcome career changers into our dynamic teams.

Meet Justina ŠiaulytėJustina Šiaulytė is an ex-video operator turned iOS developer. After making the brave decision to switch career paths in her 30s, and pursue her dream career as a software developer, she arrived at Vinted via our Engineering Academy –&nbsp; our entry program and technical induction designed to support junior engineers during the first leg of their career journey at Vinted. How did she get on? In her words, we’ll find out more about her career-change journey, and what the transition from learning at home alone to becoming a team member in a global tech unicorn was really like.The Career Shift DecisionBefore becoming an iOS developer, I’d been working as a video operator in a drama theatre for almost a decade. I enjoyed my job, and the feeling of holding a camera in my hand and filming, but also yearned to do something more creative and less physical. I wanted to learn something new, so I went back to the drawing board.I remembered how much I’d enjoyed programming at school and decided that there was no reason why I couldn’t go back and pursue this. My friend suggested I try iOS development, because he thought it was the easiest to learn by yourself. He lent me a book on the subject, but I found it really hard to follow. Then I stumbled upon a video course on Udemy for €12 and I decided that it was worth giving it a go.&nbsp;Self-Taught JourneyBefore making the switch, I started teaching myself about iOS development at home in my free time after work. I never went to any live courses, and I only watched online courses. I would spend almost all of my spare time creating apps for myself. Looking back, it feels like a dream to be working on a real product now.&nbsp;

Overcoming Self-DoubtMy career transition was gradual. After I turned 30, I decided that I wanted to learn something new, and it evolved from there. It wasn’t a decision that I took lightly. Making such a big life change and moving from a totally different field, with no background (not even studies) in the tech industry was terrifying. I was scared that I’d chosen the wrong career to start over in, or that I wouldn’t be very good at it. I wasn't actually sure if anyone would take me on, and dedicate the time to teaching me.&nbsp;&nbsp;When you start a new career, that feeling of “I know what I'm doing and I feel confident about my career” is non-existent. In the beginning, I felt like I knew nothing – like the rug had been pulled out from under me. Even now, some days it still feels like I don’t know anything, but I always willingly battle through the challenges. It’s a bumpy ride. Whenever I experience a setback, I have to pick myself up, try again, and learn more. This happens over and over again, but knowing that I can show up, push through, and rise up when I fall is empowering. The fact that I really enjoy programming makes the struggle even more bearable. It’s interesting, it's challenging, and it's really satisfying when you overcome even the smallest of hurdles. The whole process is really rewarding, and for me the constant perseverance has paid off.Toughest Part About Changing CareersThe hardest part about changing careers was not knowing when I was ready. Being self-taught, I had no idea if my technical knowledge and skills were up-to-scratch, so I didn’t know when to apply for jobs. I spent a year sending out CVs and getting stuck into a loop of learning, learning, and learning, because I wasn’t sure if I was good enough. If I saw an open position, I gave it a go, but I never managed to get past the application stage because requirements for junior positions are really high. I told myself to keep going, and that I would make it there eventually. Thankfully, the Vinted Engineering Academy was just around the corner.

Vinted Engineering AcademyThe Vinted Engineering Academy was a great way for me to enter the engineering field. There were no requirements for experience, so applying was a no-brainer.&nbsp;After my initial application, I made it through to the next stage, which meant working on some tough practical task scenarios. I found this part particularly tricky, as there were no right answers, but I managed to pass through this stage by being methodical and open with myself in my approach.The homework task was nothing like I expected, in a good way. It was challenging, but we had enough time to finish it.I actually found the final stage of the recruitment process – the interview – the most exciting part. Here was my chance to meet my possible future colleagues, and we got on really well. When we talked about code, it felt like a discussion.. All suggestions were valid, and none were considered ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. I loved this collaborative approach, and I decided then and there that I really wanted to work here with these people.From the approach, to the people, through to the tasks,&nbsp; everything that I experienced during the selection process in my daily role now. It was a good indicator of what it’s like to work here at Vinted.Joining Vinted&nbsp;I joined Vinted along with all the other Academy participants, and we went through an onboarding week first, rather than having to start working on something straight away. We started off by listening to some interesting talks from different team members on different elements of the company, its infrastructure, how things are approached, and why some programming languages are chosen. Then we took part in workshops on the design system and testing. I think this was one of the most important parts, as we found out the key information about how things are done here.What’s great about the Academy is that each person gets assigned a mentor. It’s really helpful to have a person nearby who can answer all of your questions. I was taken aback by how the company deals with management, as I’d never experienced this approach before. Our managers regularly check in one-on-one, to make sure that everything is ok, and that there’s no niggling issues or problems. I feel really heard. It’s really refreshing to be part of an organisation that listens to you and takes action when things are wrong or not going well.&nbsp;Code Review and Collaboration&nbsp;I’ve come a long way from the days of learning by myself. Now I know a bit more about iOS, and I like it even more because you can see it building in real time, and you can see how your every input changes the output. Another one of the crucial things I’d never experienced when working alone is how necessary it is to review other people’s code. If I need to write some code, I have to read a lot of other code in the process. It has been a steep learning curve, but such a great experience to see how other developers work.&nbsp;Vinted's Mission and AtmosphereWhen I think about working here at Vinted, I’m not only enthusiastic about the practical side of my day-to-day role. I also really resonate with our company mission to build something useful worldwide, not just locally. The fantastic atmosphere here is evidence of how much we care for our people, and the planet as well, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.ConclusionOnly when looking back at my career-change journey, can I fully appreciate the many hurdles and obstacles that I had to overcome to get where I am today. I faced a daily battle with my self-confidence, and being so isolated when learning in the beginning was a challenge. I’m so glad that I persevered, and had the opportunity, along with the necessary support and positive working atmosphere at Vinted to make my big career transition a positive one.

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Career Shift: Video Creator to iOS Developer at Vinted

<h2 class="p1" style="text-align:center;">Vinted expands to Kaunas: starts hiring staff and will open an office</h2>Vinted, Europe's largest online peer-to-peer platform for second-hand fashion, is expanding to Kaunas. The company has more than 30+ open roles and will open a local office in the near future.&nbsp;“We have ambitious plans for Vinted’s expansion - our sustainable business model allows us to expand, based on our business needs, in these turbulent times. We invite the strong community of professionals in Kaunas’ technology sector to join us in our mission to make second-hand items the first choice worldwide. This year we are taking the first step here, and we are planning further expansion in Kaunas next year as well,” says Titas Norkūnas, Senior Director of Engineering at Vinted.

This year, Vinted plans to hire mainly engineering professionals in Kaunas - software engineers (backend, web, mobile, data, privacy, security, site reliability) and managers.&nbsp;The company already employs several dozen professionals from Kaunas, who will be able to choose whether they prefer to work from Vilniaus or the new Kaunas office, the details of which are currently being finalised. In Kaunas, as in other Vinted offices, the work will be on a hybrid basis."The hybrid working model has allowed us to continue to employ Kaunas residents to this day - the new local office will help us to better meet the needs of our colleagues. The new colleagues will not only help reach Vinted's mission but also work on solutions used by tens of millions of community members - opportunities to work with an audience of this size are still quite rare in our market," says Ieva Kuniejūtė, Director of Tech Talent Acquisition at Vinted.

Since the start of 2022, Vinted Group has employed more than 500 people and has more than 1,500 professionals working in the organisation. In addition to Lithuania, the company has offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Prague. Currently, Vinted has more than 70 open vacancies in engineering, data science, marketing and other fields in Lithuania alone.Vinted has more than 80 million registered members in 18 markets in Europe and North America.&nbsp;In March, Vinted presented the results of its first <a href="https://company.vinted.com/lt/sustainability" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate impact report.</a> The report, which was compiled in 2021 and 2022, shows that buying second-hand fashion goods through Vinted instead of buying new, demonstrated an emissions saving of 1.8 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kgCO₂e) per item on average. This means that in 2021, the Vinted platform saved 453 kilo tonnes of CO₂e - roughly the same amount of carbon emissions generated by 275,000 flights between London and Los Angeles and back.

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We Are Expanding to Kaunas

Meet Aistė – Director of Engineering here at Vinted. She shared a story about her return to Lithuania, career path to leadership, attitude towards sustainable living, and female leaders in the tech industry.

Vinted blog