NØØb Status: My First Month at Unbounce
Starting a new job can be a very exciting (and scary) experience. Your first week is generally filled with memorizing new names and faces, protocols and job responsibilities – all while attempting to make a great first impression. The first three months are an extension of the interview process, so you need to be on your A game from day one. Talk about pressure!
I’ve been on this roller-coaster before, and recently had the chance to experience it all over again when I joined the Unbounce team in May. Generally, each employer tends to have its own separate on-boarding process, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. After going through the Unbounce process firsthand, I’m happy to say that this time I was blown away before I even started.
It all starts with the application. Rather than receive a plethora of resumes like most companies, Unbounce asks that you build your own landing page. That’s right, if you want to work at the company that pioneered an industry leading landing page builder, you have to actually use the landing page builder. How cool is that? You can take a peek at my application page (built entirely in Unbounce) here:
http://unbouncepages.com/hire-justin
Then there’s the open house. Once a month Unbounce opens its doors to the local start-up community for a night of laughs, drinks, introductions and mario-kart. This is a fantastic opportunity for potential Unbouncers to meet the team and build those connections early on. It’s also great for the team to see how you interact with the current employees. After all, a successful hire needs to not only be a hard-worker, but a team player as well.
This Fridays open house at @Unbounce will feature a Mario Kart battle. So stoked! PS. @Ryan_Engley is going down. http://t.co/zDxjGRmzx3
— Justin Veenema (@justinveenema) May 28, 2014
The first open house I attended was the day after my interview. It was a bit daunting to meet so many new people at once, but every person I met was incredibly friendly and accomodating. Not only did I get to meet a lot of Unbouncers, but I also got to chat with other people who were just as interested about working at Unbounce as I was. After hanging out with the team (and having a beer with the CEO) it was time to head out, and I remember thinking to myself “How awesome was that?”. I mean, how often do you get to hang out with your potential employers before working with them? It was super cool to see how down to earth everyone was and how stoked they were about the product. I was excited before, but the open house left me ecstatic.
Day One.
Fast forward to one month later. I arrived for my first day with all the excitement and enthusiasm still intact. After a morning of meeting my co-workers and getting my desk all set up, it was time for my first team meeting. It’s a tradition in Customer Success to celebrate when someone joins the team, so I was treated to an epic pot-luck style lunch and a goodie bag filled with gifts and Unbounce swag. I even received a musical Man of Steel card from the team!
The first day at a new job is usually pretty intimidating, but with a warm welcome like this, I felt right at home from day one.
The first day was fantastic, but did the first month live up to the hype?
Answer: Yes – without a doubt. Here’s why..
The Product
We already have a wicked product, but we’re working every day to make it better, faster and smarter. We’re super in tune with customer feedback, and we even give our fans the chance to suggest and vote on future features. The Unbounce landing page builder is in a class all it’s own, and every day we see firsthand how our customers are able to save time while reaching goals they didn’t even know they were capable of. It feels great to work for a product/service that you believe in.
The People
It’s truly amazing how the savy team at Unbounce are able to collaborate, communicate and tackle issues to push our company forward. Having worked in many different environments before Unbounce, it’s refreshing to see a lack of “ego” at Unbounce. When you come in to work you check your ego the door and just do everything you can to be helpful, useful and positive. Being around so many smart and dedicated individuals is kind of intoxicating, and there’s always opportunities to learn.
The Culture
You can tell that we’re big advocates of having a healthy work/life balance because everyone that works here is just so damn happy. Yeah, we kind of get spoiled with a handful of sweet perks (like 4 weeks vacation, a rad office and $500 networking credit to name a few), but the hard work everyone puts in makes it feel like we’ve really earned these things. The best way I can describe it is as a mutual appreciation. The company appreciates how hard each of us works, and the employees appreciate the opportunity to work for such a forward-thinking company. This type of ‘incubator’ culture is one of the reasons people stick around, and with a future as bright as ours, it will surely pay off for our careers. Everyone wins!
The Dog
Okay, okay.. this one is kind of a bonus, but I’m going to include it anyways. Izu is pretty much our office mascot and it’s an absolute treat to have her around. Whether she’s sleeping (90% of the time) or barking at the doorbell (10% of the time), it’s refreshing to have a furry little ball of joy in the office.
Fun Facts about Dogs in the Workplace
- Staff morale and worker productivity increased by bringing pets to work
- Increased camaraderie among employees
- Happier employees result in enhanced job performance
- Increase in sales reported by store owners who take their dogs to work
- Dogs can serve as a crime deterrent
All in all, my time at Unbounce has so far been filled with laughs, learnings and lagers (it wouldn’t be a start-up without beer fridays!). I’m confident in the product and the culture, and it’s inspiring to be surrounded by so many talented people. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for Unbounce, and I’m even more excited to tag along for the ride.
My first month at Unbounce was awesome. But don’t take my word for it, check out this nifty video and see for yourself.
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Justin Veenema
Customer Success Coach