Football is a happy place for me

Socialising with people, playing sports and helping others – Tereza cannot imagine her life without these things. For the second year running, she has been responsible for finding new talent for teams at PwC, and in her free time she is involved in women's football. Among other things, she strives to improve conditions for young athletes, which was inspired by her own negative experience. “I wanted to turn it into something good for me and provide support to others,” she says.

You’ve been involved in recruitment and headhunting since university, but this is your first time in a corporate environment. How would you rate your experience at PwC?

I’m completely satisfied! I enjoy the international environment, the great team, and the constant contact with new people. The freelance headhunting I did before was a lot about business development, about trying to keep track of orders and clients myself. You don’t have to do that here because everything is under one roof. I’m also happy that I can finally use my English. For example, I’m looking for positions for the FinCrime team, and they don’t need Czech there, so I mainly come into contact with a number of foreigners during calls and interviews.

What are your responsibilities here?

Generally, I’m mainly responsible for recruiting for teams that deal with transactions, valuations, due diligence, and forensic services. Together with the hiring managers, we clarify who we are looking for, I post the ad, actively search for and contact candidates, assign online assessments, conduct initial interviews, and generally monitor the process until the final offer. It’s partly classic recruitment and partly headhunting, which I enjoy because I’m looking for people with different experience and each case is different.

Talking to new people all the time isn’t what everyone could handle. What is the biggest challenge?

I really enjoy meeting new people, so the real challenge is finding the right candidates for demanding positions within a reasonable time frame. There aren’t many of them on the market, and the process often takes a long time, so I have to look for other ways to resolve the situation. Communication and rejection calls are routine, but the hardest part is when it takes too long to find the right person.

So, is there a shortage of high-quality candidates on the market?

Generally speaking, yes, because the work my teams do is specific and the requirements are demanding. Candidates are often eliminated after case studies or online tests. There are positions that remain open for three or four months; at times even longer. Someone turns down the offer and you start from scratch. On top of that, what also changes are business needs. Sometimes the company wants a more senior profile; other times a more junior one. It’s dynamic and changes can occur within a fortnight.

How do you know if someone will fit in at PwC?

Mindset is very important. At PwC, as a consulting firm, there are lots of tasks, deadlines, and a focus on the client. Each of us must want to perform at our best and strive to grow. It’s not a place where you just exist. Even I am still discovering new roles here and trying new things. Communication is important because most positions involve direct interaction with clients. Analytical positions offer space for more introverted personalities. Every team is different, so managers always confirm the “culture fit”. They are in the best position to know whether they can imagine a given individual in their team.

In addition to your work, you are involved in many other activities, including the Trénujeme s respektem (We Train with Respect) project. What led you to it?

Sadly, it was my own negative experience in the sports environment, which I decided to talk about publicly. Then the current project director, Markéta Pluhařová, approached me, and I felt that this was exactly what could bring about change. We focus on creating a safe space for children and young people – where their health and happiness come first, not medals. The Czech Republic still lacks a system to oversee this, so we try to educate coaches, parents, and the athletes themselves.

Your personal experience must have been very difficult. What made you decide to talk about it publicly?

Unfortunately, I experienced long-term sexualised violence from my coach in athletics. The whole thing ended up in court and was a big case. I still live with it today, but thanks to therapy, I can function and continue to help others. I talk about it mainly because there is almost no one in Czech sports who would share similar experience publicly. I try to turn what I went through into something good – helping others, raising awareness, and showing that even with such a story it’s possible to move on with your life. Thanks to this, people who have gone through something similar turn to me. Some have been in contact with me for years, so I can see that it makes sense.

Are you succeeding in changing things for the better?

Definitely. We have obtained a grant, trained the first four official safeguarding officers, created an e-learning programme, which did not exist in the Czech Republic at all, and we are trying to raise awareness of safe sports in as many clubs as possible. Some of the big ones, such as Slavia football club, have even made training mandatory. We don’t cover the whole country yet, but the base of people is growing and progress is visible – though slower than would be ideal.

You’re still actively involved in sports, playing football, and doing well. Can you tell us more?

I’ve been playing football for seven years, and before that I did athletics for 12 years. I started in the third league, then played for the Prague Raptors in the fourth league, and with the team we managed to advance to the second league, where I’ve been playing for 5 years. Now we’re first in the table halfway through the season, and if we keep up our form, we could realistically advance to the first league. 

How often do you train and what is your team like?

We train three times a week and have games at weekends. The season starts in mid-August, so I’m on the field every weekend. Prague Raptors is a multicultural club, so we speak English and are made up of people from all over the world, which I also enjoy.

Can you say why you fell in love with football?

When I quit athletics at the age of 23, I didn’t want to stop playing sports altogether. After exploring various options, football appealed to me the most, but of course I didn’t expect to make it to the second league (laughs). I like that it’s finally a team sport where you’re not just on your own, like in athletics. Football is a happy place for me and I enjoy finally having fun with sport.