Starting a new job can stir up all sorts of feelings and questions including: “Have I made the right decision?” and “Will I fit in here?”
But it’s fair to say, we felt incredibly lucky to have been chosen to join Clarasys. The company has a reputation for not just looking after its new joiners, but also mentoring staff members throughout their time there. The Clarasys induction process and mentor scheme are features which drew us to the company and, once we had started, gave us confidence the move would be good for our careers.
Prior to joining, we were sent a clear agenda covering our first few weeks so we knew what we were doing as soon as we arrived. Additional material such as the Climb in Consulting podcast, was really helpful for understanding the leadership and ambitions of the CEO and his perspective on some consulting facets.
The new starters’ breakfast on the first day was a great way to meet colleagues, although not a lot was eaten – we were all nervous and had lost our appetites. Throughout the day, so many people introduced themselves and welcomed us to Clarasys. The friendly atmosphere in the office reassured us that we’d made the right choice!
The informal introductions each of us had with both our coach and buddy were a great way to ease us into Clarasys. It was reassuring to have a chat with them to hear about their experiences and gain helpful insights as well as introducing ourselves.
The induction trainers brought a personal and honest viewpoint to each session. They told us their Clarasys stories and why they were particularly passionate about the topic they delivered. They acknowledged our previous experience and asked us in advance of the sessions about specifics we’d like to explore. This tailored the training to our needs and allowed us to see how our current experience and skills could be applied and developed further in Clarasys.
It was clear the trainers believed in the Clarasys way of doing things but they didn’t just tell us which tools and methods we ‘should’ use, but also ‘why’. This made us feel like our opinions mattered and further emphasised the feeling that the organisation wasn’t rigid, but rather open to new ideas that could be explored.
From the induction agenda, the sessions can seem intimidatingly long, but they ultimately allow for facilitation of truly great stuff: questions, probing, exercises, examples etc. The trainers gave us an opportunity to put our learning into practice via collaborative exercises making the overall experience very interactive and fun!
We were surprised about the transparency during the induction process. This value was truly embedded and was, to be frank, shocking – in the most positive sense. Seeing the flat and open organisation was inspiring and this, twinned with the huge emphasis on collaboration, allowed us to really see what Clarasys stands for. Here, people are given the chance to help towards the strategic development and growth of the company, which is really empowering and motivating for a young professional! It became evident to us that Clarasys put emphasis on doing the right thing for staff, clients and successfully balanced those factors with business needs.
Another feature which stood out was the emphasis on personal growth and development. The company acknowledges that occasionally we may not get things right first time but that’s OK. By trying and sometimes failing we learn and grow. But at Clarasys, there is also a very clear sense of excellence.
During the induction, people invested time into explaining and pointing out particular facets of the office. Visiting the client sites were also very useful (Josh:#pillowcalzone). There was an overall sense of inclusivity – we were invited to attend a wealth of meetings (within reason) to get a better feel for the organisation. People were interested in our opinions and made us feel listened to!
Finally, the unofficial socials were another great way to make us feel like we belonged, as if we had been a part of the Clarasys team for ages!
Reading this, we know it sounds a bit too good to be true but our employer awards speak for themselves. Each of us believe this has been the best career move we could have made and we look forward to being valuable members of the team for years to come.