After a long year and a half of Zoom university, I was not as excited to graduate as I had anticipated. The looming threat of a potential economic crash and the difficult hiring situation faced by many of the class of 2020 and 2021 made leaving college a scary thought. Like any Type A, anxious, soon-to-be graduate, I figured the best thing to do was to start early and approach the process with an overly detailed plan.
One portion of this plan was to decide what kind of company I wanted to join. I knew I couldn’t be picky, I was a 22-year-old with very little experience. I set the basic criteria: location, applicability of my degrees, benefits, potential for promotion. After that I began sending out applications that met those criteria. Following about a month of robot phone screens, four-hour-long data challenges, three-hour-long personality tests and finally in-person interviews with companies who clearly had no problem exploiting me for a significant amount of free labor, I decided to add another criteria to my job search: a good set of company values.
I found these values when I interviewed with Appcast. Not only was the application and interview process simple, I got to learn what it looked like to work for Appcast. For the first time the company respected me as an applicant as much as I respected them as an employer.
This has carried through my first two months of full-time work. In my first week I was put through an extensive onboarding process in which I was encouraged to ask questions and learn as much as possible. The industry was full of new things to learn, and I was asked to speak up if I found projects at the company that piqued my interest. This has allowed me to gain new skills from a group of wicked smart people. Of course with any steep learning curve mistakes are inevitable. Rather than being put down and discouraged for my mistakes I was given the opportunity to learn from them with supportive coworkers who have cultivated a healthy growth mindset within our team.
On top of a healthy working environment, the benefits package offered a lot of freedoms. As a U.S. employee I have unlimited PTO. At first I was leery of this option because it can lead to a poor work life balance but I have been constantly reminded to take time off by my boss and even our CEO. As a result, I come to work refreshed, having spent time with loved ones, knowing that the company respects me as a person as well as an employee.
My work from home status has been a blessing especially considering we are navigating a deadly global pandemic. I still experience many of the social aspects of work through our extensive Slack channels and Zoom meetings while also maintaining a safe physical distance.
Even as a remote employee I am still invited to visit offices for events like the Women in Tech luncheon where Appcast encouraged an open discussion about discrimination in the workplace. Having come from two male-dominated undergraduate majors this made me feel heard and also gave me a platform to voice concerns.
All together, I have had a fantastic first few months with Appcast. Unlimited PTO and work from home have given me the flexibility that I need to succeed and illustrate Appcast’s commitment to their values perfectly. I have been pushed to explore my interests within the company and constantly learn new things which keeps me sharp and engaged with my work. I feel respected here and look forward to continuing to grow with Appcast.