You can’t always trust first impressions, but they certainly are important when it comes to setting the stage for a new job. We talked to new hires at a handful of Seattle tech companies from a range of teams and industries — engineering to recruiting, real estate to rewards programs — about how they were made to feel welcome throughout their first day, week and month in their new role.
Amperity uses artificial intelligence to collect and combine disparate pieces of data to form fully-fledged customer profiles, allowing businesses to act on granular customer insights and facilitate increasingly personalized customer experiences. The company bills its service as an alternative to legacy approaches to data management.
Principal Analyst Hilary Fagan started at Amperity in July, and gave us the lowdown on what it’s like to be the new kid on the block.
My coworkers were incredibly generous with their time and I was paired with a mentor from engineering who taught me a ton about what happens under the hood.”
What do you remember about your first day at Amperity?
Amperity sets aside some time to welcome new hires on Monday mornings, so I was able to meet the majority of the team over breakfast. I spent the majority of the day in training sessions with other new hires where we started learning about our product, how it works and how it creates value for our customers. A group of about 20 people joined the new hires for lunch, which made me feel welcome and helped me get to know people from outside my immediate team.
How did the team make you feel welcome during the first week? Did you get to work on any interesting projects?
Beyond the great welcome I received on my first day, the office dogs were all happy to get attention from new people and members of my team went out of their way to make sure I always had a lunch buddy. I also signed up to be randomly matched for a bi-weekly coffee chat with a new colleague, often from a different part of the org. Rather than immediately focusing on a single project, I was encouraged to use my first week as an opportunity to experiment with the product and learn as much as I could. My coworkers were incredibly generous with their time and I was paired with a mentor from engineering who taught me a ton about what happens under the hood.
What stood out most about your first month at Amperity? Did you feel confident in your ability to do your work based on your experiences during those first several weeks?
What stood out to me most during my first month at Amperity is that even though everyone here is busy, people make the time to help each other out. We’re all here because we believe in the product and we want to build something great, and Amperity is the kind of place where you can make an immediate impact. Three weeks after I’d started I presented a customer deep dive analysis to a client, which opened up opportunities for them to identify, understand and target customers that they'd never been able to access before. I’m excited to see what our team will accomplish in the next few months and I feel lucky to be able to work with such great brands as we help them improve their relationship with their customers.
Auth0 simplifies the often tedious process of setting up logins, enterprise integration, social logins, devices, API security, user management and two-factor authentication for businesses. Users simply choose their SDKs and APIs and the identity providers they need, and Auth0’s platform takes care of the rest.
Technical Support Engineer Kristine Babbish said she felt welcomed when she started at Auth0, despite the kind of first-day blooper we’ve all experienced in bad dreams.
I appreciated getting to meet (and laugh with) the CEO of the company on day one.”
What do you remember about your first day at Auth0?
On my first day at Auth0, they held an orientation for new hires hosted by a few of the more senior members of the company. Before the meeting got started, I greeted the person who was about to host and asked, “So, what do you do here?” I had a good idea of the answer when everyone started laughing! Turns out, it was the CEO, Eugenio. I appreciated getting to meet (and laugh with) the CEO of the company on day one.
How did the team make you feel welcome during the first week? Did you get to work on any interesting projects?
Everyone was very welcoming. Even before I started, they were making sure that I was included. There was a big team get-together at a local restaurant one evening the week before my start date, and I was invited to join in and meet people who had come from out of town. It was really nice getting to meet in person with people I would later be working with remotely.
Once I did start, I was given a tour of the office and people from all kinds of teams went out of their way to introduce themselves and ask questions about me, what role I'd be in and generally try to get to know me. As far as projects go, my first week involved a lot of getting to know the product, such as setting up a webpage with a login form and testing out different options and configurations.
What stood out most about your first month at Auth0? Did you feel confident in your ability to do your work based on your experiences those first several weeks?
As a technical support engineer, there was a lot to learn! I was very impressed by the level of knowledge both of my teammates and of our customers. The Auth0 product was new to me, so I needed to dive in and use the service myself if I wanted to get up to speed and able to start helping users. Of course, the rest of the team was there to offer guidance along the way. I was able to start fielding some questions pretty quickly and by the end of the first month felt like I was contributing positively to the team.
Tango Card makes it easy for businesses to create, send and receive online gift cards, with expert support and a donation catalog on hand. Founded in 2010, the company has raised over $50 million.
While we learned that full cycle recruitment leader Benjamin Rifleman was excited to get started right away, perhaps the biggest revelation here is the apparent scale and severity of nerf-based warfare within Tango Card’s West Seattle office.
What stood out to me during my first month at Tango Card was the amount of autonomy and responsibility each employee is given.”
What do you remember about your first day at Tango Card?
My first day at Tango Card was really something special. I arrived at my desk which had clearly been set up in anticipation for my first-day. There were various Tango Card swag items and clothes that really made me feel welcome. I also remember having two nerf guns placed on my desk and shown where my boss keeps her “extra-ammunition” — I certainly thought that was a unique touch! Throughout the day I got to meet just about everyone in the Seattle office and they welcomed me with open arms.
How did the team make you feel welcome during your first week? Did you get to work on any interesting projects?
At Tango Card, we are an HR team of two, but I truly consider each of the 90-plus employees here as my team members.
I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and speak with every C-level executive and department head on what it meant to be a good fit within Tango Card’s culture. It was amazing to see the importance placed on keeping a culture of transparency and caring in the office.
As far as an interesting project during the first week, I created a list of interview questions that would be unique to Tango Card and was handed over all open requisitions for the company. It was awesome that I was able to dive right into the main functions of my role.
What stood out most about your first month at Tango Card? Did you feel confident in your ability to do your work based on your experiences during those first several weeks?
What stood out to me during my first month at Tango Card was the amount of autonomy and responsibility each employee is given. You truly are given leeway to make decisions every day that impact the business in a major way. If you think you can improve a business process, management will take the time to listen and act on the idea.
As far as feeling confident in my ability to do my job after the first month, I certainly feel like I was given all the tools and decision-making ability to be successful going forward. The first month gave me a great understanding of Tango Card’s culture, and what traits in candidates mesh well with it.
FlyHomes helps average folks compete in the real estate market by supplying cash offers on a buyer’s behalf, then holds the property while the buyer figures out their financing. The company raised a $17 million round in May, and has received a lot media attention for its novel approach to real estate transactions.
Client Engagement Lead Rupal Mehta said she was pleased to find herself in a fast-paced work environment.
The amount of autonomy that was handed off to me in the short period of time also reassured me that I was in the hustle-hard, fast-paced environment I’d always desired.”
What do you remember about your first day at FlyHomes?
The second I walked into the beautiful Seattle HQ, I was welcomed by our amazing recruiter Elle and given a informative and fun orientation (with bagels and craft coffee, of course) about company values and goals. My teammates welcomed me with open arms and took the time to get to know me better and train me as needed. As all of this was happening, it was another coworker’s birthday, and I witnessed a team member setting up a mini piñata for as a super sweet gesture. I definitely felt right at home during my first day at FlyHomes, and didn’t feel afraid to ask questions or just purely be myself.
How did the team make you feel welcome during the first week? Did you get to work on any interesting projects?
During my first week at FlyHomes, our office hosted an Industry Open House where various real estate agents and front runners came to speak with us about our company’s mission and future goals. We were also able to give them the proper thank you for maintaining a symbiotic relationship with us throughout all of our transactions and interactions. I challenged myself to become accustomed to the process workflow of my role and take full ownership of everything that was sent my way. The amount of autonomy that was handed off to me in the short period of time also reassured me that I was in the hustle-hard, fast-paced environment I’d always desired. Moreover, I was able to meet every person in the office and learn something unique about them which was really welcoming, since I understand how busy everyone can be at the company.
What stood out most about your first month at FlyHomes? Did you feel confident in your ability to do your work based on your experiences during those first several weeks?
My first month at FlyHomes flashed before me faster than I could say the company’s name! We kicked off our social committee, hosted mini-milestone celebrations with ice cold beers and always kept each other accountable. I feel like part of the family here at FlyHomes, even during my short time with the company. The relationship I fostered with the company’s co-founders, my manager and teammates is unparalleled to any other environment I’ve ever worked in. I’m truly lucky to be a part of a family of such driven and hard-working individuals. Special shout-out to Built In Seattle for helping me find FlyHomes on their job boards — I wouldn't be here from the Lone Star State without y’all!
