My experience with Pythian was like a co-op fairy tale. As a 4th-year student entering my last co-op term, I was looking for something more than just a regular administrative job. I was seeking a role in which I could grow as a person and professional while determining if recruiting was where I wanted to build my professional career. What I didn’t expect from Pythian was to fall in love with my job, my team and our company culture.
On my first day I was greeted with a warm welcome from the entire HR department including the VP of HR, my manager, and from my international colleagues working remotely. The team demonstrated a genuine excitement for not only my presence but my development. From the start, I was pushed out of my comfort zone and was encouraged to make mistakes in the process. This environment accelerated my growth and after 2 weeks, I felt like a fully contributing member of the team. My determination continued to be fueled as I worked very closely with my teammates to ensure that our roles were being filled each week. As I began to feel a growing sense of confidence, I requested to work on process improvement projects. The team was extremely responsive to my suggestions and gave me the autonomy to work on projects where my perspective could add value. I felt a great deal of accomplishment and pride as I was able to apply my knowledge gained from school into Pythian policies and processes.
My team never treated me like a student or a short-term personal assistant. They continuously demonstrated full confidence in my ability to execute tasks which in turn boosted my motivation and commitment towards our team’s success. I was invited to intake meetings, introduced to hiring managers and VP’s and was set up for success beyond my four-month co-op. I was given the opportunity to build close relationships with our technical team and gain insight into their perspective on our process. I gained both technical and non-technical skills as I shadowed my coworkers and learned about the work and projects they were executing. The Talent Acquisition team has a wonderful amount of group synergy and I wholeheartedly agreed with the emphasis placed on supporting one another.
Pythian’s corporate culture is quite unique. On the surface, it seems to be straight out of a student’s dream. Coffee machines, breakfast options, beverage fridges, a ping pong table, rooftop patio… the list is never-ending. Above all, what makes it so special is the people. From the very start, countless employees recognized me as a new face and introduced themselves, offering friendly advice such as the best coffee in the office or where the tasty lunch spots are in the area. Individuality among employees is encouraged however I was shocked by the connectivity of such a large group of global employees who were able to share interests such as sports, fundraisers or even annual geek days.
Near the end of my term, my manager presented me with an offer to rejoin Pythian upon my graduation. I was extremely excited by this offer as it meant that I did not have to say goodbye to my amazing team and that I could continue to grow and develop alongside my talented teammates. I was very fortunate to have had such a great experience with my employer and not have to face the anxiety of a frantic job search upon graduation. Now that I am officially a full-time employee with Pythian, my goal is to continue to develop our co-op program and attract students who are looking for a place to call their co-op home.
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