Prior to working at RJMetrics, I worked at Wells Fargo Bank. I had positive experiences there and learned a lot, but I wanted more. I made a list of attributes that the optimal job would have for me and found a match with RJMetrics. I am loving my experience and I have tried to pick out the top three reasons others working in a more traditional job should consider working at a startup.
1. Rapid growth and how it will impact you and the company
As a startup, one of our main goals is to grow constantly and exponentially. It takes a wide range of skills that span across many disciplines and departments to successfully achieve the goals of a company. RJMetrics aims to achieve its goals with a small, dedicated team. I have found that my learning curve here is incredibly steep because I want to get better every day. I know that if I get better, there is a higher probability that we succeed and I know that all of my team members feel the same way.
I have been working here for a little over five months and have been involved in projects that span across marketing, sales, law, technology development, product management, UI design, SEO, social media, client relationship management, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes my role is very client facing and at other times it focuses on our internal needs. The range of skills I develop here is much broader than any previous job. It is an opportunity to reach my full potential, uncover talents that I didn’t know that I had and then strive to reach my full potential in those areas as well. I can’t think of a more fulfilling experience when it comes to an employment opportunity than the growth of the company and the expansion of your own personal skillset growing together.
2. Know what you are doing and why you are doing it
I understand our value and I am aligned with our vision. I didn’t walk in on day one with the full understanding but through my involvement in a broad range of projects, these things became apparent quickly. I believe in what we are doing, and this allows me to play a part in determining what my contributions should be and to accurately evaluate what kind of impact they are having. This level of understanding and transparency coupled with the ability and freedom to expand my skillset as needed makes me a highly effective team member. It makes us all highly effective.
It is obvious on a day-to-day basis that we are all working towards the same goals, and this establishes a high level of trust between us. I am much more willing to take the time out to share something with another team member because I know that that person is going to use that information to make a valuable contribution. The company is willing to invest in me because they know it is a sound investment, and in turn I am willing to invest more into the company. This makes us capable of achieving what it would take a much larger team to achieve whose members were not aligned with the vision of the company.
3. Constant communication
Communication is key and I have never been in a professional setting where it was as easy to do it as it is here. No red tape. No bureaucracy. Nobody is out of reach. Whether it be a complex question, a product improvement suggestion, a process recommendation, telling a joke or just yapping about something you find interesting everyone is accessible and ready to listen. The exchange of ideas, knowledge and insights is so easy that you can come in with an idea in the morning and be executing by the afternoon, having already vetted it with your team members. We are empowered by the ability to gain the knowledge that we need quickly and to put it to use to solve problems, to innovate and to become more efficient.
I give kudos to my colleagues here for putting together a team of talented individuals who have found common ground in wanting to see their company succeed and in their own continuous development professionally and as individuals. We are lucky in that RJMetrics is allowing us to achieve all of these goals simultaneously. If you think this is something you want to try out, you can learn a little more about us, a little more about our recent funding, why we call Philly our home, or check out our available positions.
Perhaps my experience is unique, I would be interested in hearing others’ experiences whether they be good or bad so feel free to comment away.
