Employee Story - Benas Liniauskas

Drawn by VA-Imaging’s welcoming community, Benas found his internship rewarding and memorable, especially attending a major industry exhibition. Transitioning to account manager and now operations, he values teamwork and hands-on impact.

Table of contents
Why I Joined VA-Imaging
So, for me, the thing that attracted me the most was the community, and the people. Specifically, it was Rico. I originally joined Fonty’s career events, and I had what they used to call “speed dates.” I had a “speed date”, and Rico was a genuinely nice person.
I had multiple “speed dates”, and a lot of companies was more just like “Did you see our assignment? Did you have any questions? No? Nice to hear.” That's it, it was a very bland conversation, but with Rico in this case, he was interested in me, and we had a proper conversation about me, about our free time, about what they do. It was a genuinely pleasant conversation.
After that, what influenced me to further choose the internship, and especially to stay after the internship, was the community. It's the people, especially the different nationalities and how people perceive stuff. That was my main attraction.

A Memorable Experience
As an intern, it was the research that I did, because I had invested a lot of time in it. So, of course, I'm going to remember it for quite a while. An event that got stuck with me was the exhibition in Stuttgart, that I went with the company which was during my first year here as an employee.
I don't remember the exact name of the exhibition, but it was the one we went to Germany. It was very fun, and very big. I have never been to an exhibition as big before, and it was very interesting to see how many different companies you can find in this type of industry.
We were there for three days. The trip with colleagues, working there together, gathering leads and having part in it, was incredibly fun and very memorable. I mean it is not exactly like a project, but it's an event that really got stuck with me.

Adjusting from Intern to Full-Time Employee
When I was transitioning from an intern to an account manager, I didn’t have many big challenges. I received quite nice training during my internship period for it, and I already had a few customers that I worked with during that period. So, for me, that transition didn't feel super challenging, because I already had the basis for it. I guess the only factor that was a bit challenging was getting used to it, as you are constantly working on thesis then company stuff, then switch again. It feels a bit weird when you don't have the thesis anymore, and then you have a full day of just work and nothing else. So, it took me a little bit of time shifting that gear and realizing, okay now it's full on, full-time employee.
Then you learn that you're going to work from 9 to 5 and rescheduling your whole schedule that you are used to. I didn't use anything specific of how to deal with it; it was just sitting down, thinking about it, and asking questions. I used to ask people for advice, like my senior account managers or, for example, Max, the COO. He gave me particularly useful tips on planning, how he plans his day, what he does, how he filters out stuff, and that helped me overcome this mini issues well.
Skills Gained for Operations
Although I am shortly at my current operations position, I think the main skill that has really helped me is understanding the actual product. So, for example, if I get a new purchase order or something needs to be processed, I can see the connection between the products faster. Let's say if someone sends me an order, I can quickly take a look if the camera lens would match. If I notice something that's out of the ordinary, I can always let an account manager know.
When choosing or deciding on certain products it also helps because, for example, when my colleagues in the operations see the product, they just read the code. For me, the code means multiple things. So, understanding of the products helps quite a bit, and it helps a lot in certain procedures. For example, for deliveries and understanding what efficient delivery time is and what is not for that product.
Since I was part of sales, I have already got the sense for it. It's not hard to remember and learn certain aspects of delivery times, what customers expect and what the customers want to know. You have already witnessed it or in some from or shape, and you had to help with it.
Why I Moved to Operations
I've had no problems with being an account manager. The main reason I wanted to switch is that I've always been fascinated a bit more about the internal side of the thing, the company and how they work. Making sure that the actual products are delivered, purchasing, collaborating with suppliers, just the whole internal aspect of the company. It always fascinated me, and the sales, from my perspective, feel a little bit more of an external thing. Account managers are bringing revenue and working with companies abroad, and there are not many tangible things happening in that perspective, apart from the revenue you bring. So, I just wanted a little bit more hands-on, seeing stuff happen and helping these stuff happen. I was also thinking that if I ever wanted to grow for an opposition, I found myself that I would enjoy more growth in operations.

What Excites Me Most About Operations
What excites me the most is the tangible aspect and seeing stuff happen, and the tasks themselves are nice for me. I enjoy it a lot. In sales, you also have a team and everything but especially in operations, teamwork is really important. You really need your team to function. Since like a long time ago, I've always liked working in teams, even from my "restaurant days", it just feels very natural to have a team where you can constantly collaborate and discuss how we're going to plan our day. So, it’s about helping each other and having someone to lean on. It just makes me happy in the position that I am in, especially when you have a nice team like I do. It makes the job nicer, so that's the most exciting for me.
Advice for Future Team Members
My advice would be first, just enjoy it. Don't stress about it. Sometimes, especially when new employees or interns join, they get a little bit nervous about how many new things there are and how interesting industry is, so it can be scary as you don't know anything about it yet.
My advice is don't stress about it too much and don't try to memorize everything. If you're going to learn, learn to understand why. When you reach new products and such, always ask yourself, okay, why is it like that? Why is this product the way it is or why does it work like that? When you start realizing the why, everything starts clicking in place. For instance, if someone asks you a bit more of a complicated question, you won’t be able to answer it properly because you only memorize these things that you know, but if you understand why, you can genuinely give a proper explanation of things.
Coming back to the first point, just enjoy, internships are meant to be fun for you. I would also give advice to interns to clearly voice what they want. I'm not saying that people will do it or won’t do it, but it's just advice I always follow myself. It's always nice to tell how you're currently feeling, what you want to do, what works for you and what doesn't work for you, and so on. I think honesty is the best policy.
My Future Goals at VA-Imaging
I want to become the COO, Max, and I'm coming for you! I am joking of course, I really like the company itself, and I like people. So, I would like to help the company grow in numerous ways. Of course, to help that, you need to be in a little bit of a more leadership position, so I don't know what that position will be in the future exactly. However, I would really like to try to grow into a one of the decision makers.
Well, this company is growing a lot, and I can see that my input and my skill set can be quite useful for them in helping them grow. That is where I imagine myself in the future. I really would like to, and I will strive to get more opportunities to get more responsibilities and show that I can be valuable asset to the company. Hopefully then in the future, it will take me into a more key decision maker role.

Erik in 't Groen
Sales director
Erik joined VA-Imaging inspired by its rapid growth and dynamic approach. As Sales Director, he leads a global team, values vibrant teamwork, and celebrates quick wins—like landing a major client in 24 hours. He thrives in the inclusive, ever-changing culture and encourages others to join.
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