A candidate can tell a lot about a company from the interview process.
Rich Boothe, a software engineer at AffiniPay, can vouch for that. Boothe said that thanks to the company’s one-of-a-kind product and cohesive team culture, he knew during the interview that the fintech organization was the right choice for him.
Katie Daly, a principal UX designer at literature technology company Literati, had a similar experience during her interview. In fact, Daly said that when she heard the business’s pitch and long-term vision, she wanted to accept the position right then and there.
Turns out, Booth and Daly aren’t the only candidates-turned-employees that had such positive interview experiences. Built In Austin rounded up leaders from four additional local companies that are actively hiring to gain some insight into what made them decide to join their respective teams and what they’re excited to accomplish in their roles in the future.
What they do: Customer experience management platform (CXM) Sprinklr helps brands engage with their customers through a variety of platforms. Meaghan Hurley, associate director of inside sales, said that growth is expected to continue at the company as they update and innovate the product.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
Aside from the amazingly talented team that I get to work with every day, my biggest reason that I have stayed (and will continue to stay!) at Sprinklr is our product and technology. Sprinklr is truly best-in-class in the customer experience management space. Our development team never stops working to update and improve our existing platform, which means that Sprinklr is able to innovate and change just as quickly as the modern channels we support.
I’ve stayed at Sprinklr because I believe in our product and technology.”
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
As excited as I am about how Sprinklr has grown since its inception and even in my time here so far, I am really excited about Sprinklr’s continued potential for growth. We are just beginning. Additionally, Sprinklr truly understands the value that the SDR team brings to the entire company and ensures that we have everything we need in order to achieve our goals. As our CEO Ragy Thomas always says, “the best is yet to come.”
What they do: FloSports is a sports streaming and original content media company dedicated to delivering high-quality underserved sports content and programming via digital platforms to fans worldwide including cycling, motorsports, wrestling, rugby, gymnastics and more. Because there’s something new to work on every day, Associate Content Manager Ryan Holmes said that he’s always able to grow and develop his skills.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
I decided to join FloSports because the company allows me to take ownership of my role while learning and developing new skills. FloSports also makes it obvious that it trusts in me to fulfill my job responsibilities and I can do so while feeling independent. Direction and goals are set but I am allowed to be creative and chart my own path. Lastly, we get to work with some of the top athletes in the sports communities that we cover and prove that we belong among the top content and coverage producers in the industry, which is extremely motivating.
We get to work with some of the top athletes in the sports communities that we cover.”
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
In order to be truly disruptive in our industry, we have to stay agile and lean, and that atmosphere gives me the opportunity to be creative, versatile and impactful in my role. When it comes to FloSports, there’s something new to work on every single day. That’s very exciting for me because it allows me to grow and build upon my strengths while developing new skills. My coworkers impress me by raising the bar with their work, which in turn, makes me want to do the same.
What they do: Literati is a literature technology company and subscription service for adults and children. Because the pandemic has brought about tough times for many, Principal UX Designer Katie Daly said that she’s looking forward to finding new ways to create a sense of connection and community through literature for users to help lift their spirits.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
It was a no-brainer to accept the opportunity at Literati. It was the first time I’d been able to find all my career aspirations in one single company, even after having spent eight years across some of Austin’s top places to work. I was looking to make the jump from a small player at a large B2B company to a leader at a mission-minded consumer startup.
Exceptional culture has always been my number one criteria and Literati felt like family from the beginning. Everyone I interviewed with was not only exceedingly brilliant and talented but also embodied a genuine, humble and soulful energy. They were truly a bunch of adventure seekers who joined for the mission — a chance to inspire, unite and elevate the mental wellness of readers everywhere — and were using collaboration and endless puns to bring it to life.
It was also refreshing to see a leadership team committed to and living out that same mission so strongly. When I heard the pitch and long-term vision, I honestly wanted to accept the job on the spot.
When I heard the pitch and long-term vision, I honestly wanted to accept the job on the spot.”
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
The importance of connection, community and reading have definitely been emphasized during the pandemic, during which we have heard stories from our customers about how much reading and connection have lifted their spirits. We’ve also observed changes in the way people are interacting online and beginning to hold the top social platforms to a higher level of accountability.
In order for Literati to build an experience that elevates literature and community in a magical fashion without the anxiety, addiction and bias of existing apps, we are ruthlessly trying to answer questions like: “What forms of online connection are genuine and worthwhile? How do we bring books to life in entirely new ways? And, how do we foster a diverse community that thoughtfully uses literature as a way to transform perspectives in a chaotic world?”
I’m looking forward to the opportunity we have at Literati to use product and design methods to take on such ambitious challenges.
What they do: Orchard is a marketplace that aims to make the homebuying and selling process less painful thanks to a combination of tech and human services. As the leader of the title and closing operations team, Stephanie Brower said that she’s excited to continue to identify ways to set her team up for success so they can focus solely on enhancing their customer experience.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
The deciding factor for me was the way Orchard uniquely addresses home buying and selling pain points for customers. Further, I was impressed with the caliber of the team at Orchard. Everyone I met with was truly mission-driven and focused on the customer.
I could tell during the interview process that employees are serious about solving problems and genuinely interested in the diversity of opinions to solicit the best solutions for our customers and our team. I’ll admit that when I first took the call about joining Orchard Title, I had no real intention of leaving my former job. But, as I met one incredible person after another, I was too impressed not to take the plunge and join the team. I can now say confidently that this is the A-squad and that the commitment to serve customers is paramount for every person at Orchard.
As I met one incredible person after another, I was too impressed not to take the plunge and join the team.”
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
Orchard is growing quickly in markets across the country. This means that I’ll be growing my team to keep up with demand. Growing the team and our customer base while continuing to improve and iterate is a challenge I am passionate about and excited about. Also, as a team leader, I’m excited to continue to identify ways to set my team up for success so that they can focus solely on the customer experience. I’m fortunate to work alongside some of the best in the title business. Collaborating with them on a daily basis gets me up in the morning.
Additionally, I relish the opportunity to coach, mentor and uplevel my team. While that can be done in any environment, periods of rapid growth naturally generate more opportunities for stretch projects, innovation and career progression.
What they do: Overhaul is a supply chain integrity solutions company that provides users with end-to-end visibility and risk management software solutions. The company allows shippers to access data that can trigger corrective actions like temperature control and handling requirements. VP of Revenue Marketing Jen Anderson said that she’s most excited to debut a project her team plans to launch this spring.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company, and why?
The people and the intentionality of the culture, hands down. I was impressed by their passion for the business, their intense focus on integrity and the way they all truly valued how they achieved outcomes. Integrity, empathy, kindness and respect are not only valued but non-negotiable. I have never experienced an environment like this and feel very fortunate to be a part of building the future of this company.
We are creating meaningful solutions to real problems in the market.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
I love our intense focus on innovative solution design. We aren’t just creating technology products to turn a profit. We are creating meaningful solutions to real problems in the market.
I’m most excited about our new product called Insurance Cloud and how it’ll help both motor carriers and insurers mitigate risk and reduce premiums. It’s a solution that will serve both sides of the marketplace, helping to drive down the spiraling cost of cargo and auto liability insurance. It’s going to be a game-changer for these companies. Being able to deliver a solution like that is both a rare and truly thrilling experience.
What they do: AffiniPay creates payment-based practice management tools for professional service markets. As a result of the company’s rapid growth, Software Engineer Rich Boothe said that he’s excited to be able to build new products and experiences that will further allow users of the platform ongoing success.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
I’ve been lucky in my career as a software engineer in that I’ve had many great teammates and coworkers at former companies. So when I jumped back into the job search, I was looking for an opportunity that would allow me to grow as an engineer and a team that would allow me to grow as an individual. I had many great opportunities, but AffiniPay’s interview process exceeded the others. In speaking with the team, I realized those talented individuals were building an incredible product and relationships. My team is full of intelligent, motivated engineers. Their empathy, kindness and ability to share their experience made me choose AffiniPay.
My team’s empathy, kindness and ability to share their experience made me choose AffiniPay.”
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
I’m excited about increasing the value of the current products AffiniPay users consume. There are a lot of opportunities to develop new features and experiences and update software that will make end users value AffiniPay’s software even more than they already do. The rapid growth of the company also provides opportunities to build new products and new experiences that will further allow users of the platform to be successful, which is gratifying when considering the high volume of users who rely on and trust AffiniPay’s services.
