The tech industry is known for its focus on collaboration, which means that when it comes to the job search, finding the right team is as important as finding the right company and role. But how do you know when you’ve found the perfect fit? To answer that question, we spoke to four local tech workers about what they look for in a team and how they knew they’d found “the one.”
Trunk Club offers a curated and customizable shopping service designed to make staying stylish easier. Senior Software Engineer Ugochi Ofoha recently joined the company and said finding the right culture and using technologies that are modern and common are two of the biggest things she looks for in a tech team.
What do you look for in a tech team?
The most important thing to me in a tech team is the culture: one that is collaborative, communicative and open to different ideas. I want to be part of a team that has fun and genuinely enjoys working with each other. For methodologies, what’s very important is the foundation for writing software. I try to get a sense of the maturity of the company by asking questions about things such as how often code is pushed into production, what test coverage looks like and the production monitoring in place.
Within the first week, I was also able to deploy code to production.”
How did you know you made the right choice in choosing the team you’re part of now?
In the first week, we had a team lunch where I got to know everyone better. It’s important to me that my team is not solely focused on day-to-day work, but also on how we work well together. Within the first week, I was also able to deploy code to production. This indicates that there are good continuous integration and continuous delivery processes in place. Considering the evolution of the product itself, it feels as if there are so many opportunities to provide a ton of business value. The things we work on have been planned for, and success is measured accordingly.
ReviewTrackers knows how important reputation is. Its platform helps companies monitor online reviews across over 100 sites, and provides tools for engaging customers and driving more feedback. Senior Software Engineer Steven Bromley, who joined the company in March 2018, said the ReviewTrackers’ engineering team stood out to him because of its emphasis on trust and collaboration.
What do you look for in a tech team?
Teams that have a great rapport with the rest of the company, because that provides valuable context and feedback on our work. Context provides a sense of purpose and understanding of my team’s impact, while feedback is crucial to understanding task priorities. Collaboration is also important because it improves overall performance.
Shared knowledge reduces the bus factor, a measurement that determines the jeopardy of a project if specific team members are “run over by a bus,” and it’s key to maintaining long-term success. I also want every team member to be comfortable with sharing their ideas in their own voice. Some of the best personal and team growth comes from the proposal and debate of diverse ideas.
Getting an opportunity to tackle problems that have an impact on the business is extremely motivating.”
How did you know you made the right choice in choosing the team you’re part of now?
It comes down to trust. I have the autonomy to dig into problems, make proposals and implement solutions throughout our solution suite. Getting an opportunity to tackle problems that have an impact on the business is extremely motivating. This team is also willing to help me. Whether the issue is technical, procedural or functional, I can always get ahold of a few coworkers for a quick discussion.
I never feel alone or tasked with solving something in isolation. Being able to reach out for help at any time boosts my confidence and productivity. Another major indicator is that we can get things done as a team. There’s an overall sense of pride in the work being done here, and that makes each day very fulfilling.
Shitfgig’s platform connects businesses in need of extra staff with hourly workers on demand. Data Architect Yogesh Kakodkar said a shared philosophy regarding the tools teams use and the ability to shape the company’s data technology strategy were two of the biggest reasons why he joined Shiftgig.
What do you look for in a tech team?
The technology landscape is ever-changing, with new platforms and frameworks introduced all the time. Teams need to be flexible, adaptable and smart about when and how to incorporate these changes. At Shiftgig, we are always open to new ideas and approaches to solving the challenges we face.
My team uses the latest data processing technologies like Spark and Presto, along with data science platforms like AWS Sagemaker to develop these features. The people aspect of a tech team is also very important. A team is effective when there is camaraderie. The data team at Shiftgig welcomed me during the interview and after I started. We have a lot of common interests outside of work and tend to bond well over those, too.
At Shiftgig, we are always open to new ideas and approaches to solving the challenges we face.”
How did you know you made the right choice in choosing the team you’re part of now?
During my interview, the discussion concentrated on challenges with data security, processing and storage. While tools are important, understanding their strengths and weaknesses is also very important. The team shared my philosophy that tech teams need to be flexible about the use of different tools. This was the main reason for picking Shiftgig as my next challenge.
The data team and the technology leadership stressed that I would have a lot of ownership to drive Shiftgig’s data technology strategy. All of our team members actively participate in the data product vision and work toward bringing it to fruition. After my onsite interview, my interviewers took me on a tour of the office and we discovered our mutual interest in board games. Every team at Shiftgig has its own unique way of bonding and celebrating success. My team organizes team dinners due to our common love for gourmet food.
Over 25,000 organizations and companies use Sprout Social’s social media management and analytics platform to manage and enhance their online presence. Software Engineer Shreya Patel said the opportunity to learn from others, specifically when pair programming, factors heavily into what she looks for in a tech team.
What do you look for in a tech team?
Open communication, collaboration and diversity. Engineers often juggle multiple projects at once, typically under a tight deadline, which makes it imperative to have coworkers who feel empowered to share their ideas, provide support and bring different perspectives to the table. Additionally, I crave opportunities to learn from others, and enjoy working on teams that focus on pair programming. This enables me to expand my knowledge quickly in areas I am not as familiar with and find new ways to approach my work. When a team is invested in the product and each other, it functions as a healthy unit and produces a product that everyone is proud of.
When you come to work excited and leave feeling rewarded, you can’t help but know it is the team for you.”
How did you know you made the right choice in choosing the team you’re part of now?
I know I made the right choice in joining my team because I truly enjoy working with them on a daily basis. Even better, we have fun creating a product that has a positive and lasting impact on our customers. Beyond the people and product, the technology we use is efficient and user-friendly, which can often make or break an engineer’s experience on a team. When you come to work excited and leave feeling rewarded, you can’t help but know it is the team for you.
