Why I Joined a Start-Up
For the past couple of years of my professional career I had been working for large
organizations. I often found myself feeling like an easily replaceable cog within a giant machine. I would have one main function and I would work within that capacity all-day-every-day. My voice was limited, my ideas held within the confines of my function, and thus so was the impact that I could make. It was demoralizing.
I then decided to do some research to try to figure out what kind of work style would best suit someone with energy, goals, and a hunger to learn that reaches beyond what a large compartmentalized company could provide. I came to realize that working in a smaller organization would provide me with an opportunity to wear many hats, to make a greater impact, and to have my voice heard. And if I could find a place like this…that is where I would experience true growth both personally and professionally.
Set Apart
The thing that really made Kilby Solutions stand out to me occurred early on-during the interview process. The team scheduled a web conference interview where, one-by-one I would speak individually to each team member. When it was time for the interview to begin, my old MacBook was giving me technical difficulties and I couldn’t get my video to work for the interview. Luckily at least my audio worked. I was terrified and embarrassed thinking "There is no way I’m gonna get this job they are just going to say sorry too bad and hang up." But I went on, they allowed me to continue the interview, and I did my best.
We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto
Later on, I received news that they would like to move forward and I was thrilled. I realized, none of the team members had ever seen me. At all. All they were staring at was a black screen asking questions to it and hearing a voice of someone that they had never looked in eyes; yet they still appreciated what I said. This could only mean that they were actually listening to me. In that moment I knew that this was a team-a focused company, that would genuinely value my input, listen to my ideas, and have respect not just for me as another teammate but with the respect for another professional. This was exactly what I was looking for.