No matter where you work, every team has its collection of stories that become part of the company’s shared history and values. Well, I’ve got a tale for you!
After living in New York City for my entire life, I decided it was time to flex and begin a new chapter. I decided to move to Richmond, Virginia, in the summer of 2017. I didn’t have a job and didn’t know anyone there. Talk about terrifying.
Being an adult in a new city was difficult, and I began to realize that maybe moving wasn’t the best choice. I couldn’t find local jobs that resonated with my values: allow other voices to be heard and trust people to do their work without a lot of oversight.
Around the time I was feeling down on job prospecting, I luckily saw Articulate’s posting for a customer support role. I knew the culture was right for me from the job description, and I was determined to show how my skills and goals align with those of the company.
I applied, and was thrilled when Senior Technical Support Manager Ashley invited me to participate in a series of interviews and a community audition round with her team! For the audition, I had to familiarize myself with Articulate’s software, and then seek out opportunities to answer real customer technical questions in the E-Learning Heroes forum. I had officially begun my interview journey at Articulate.
After a handful of interviews and the community audition, I anxiously awaited the next, and hopefully final, step in the process: a job offer. My stomach dropped to the floor when I got the final call from Ashley. At first, we spoke about the pains and wins from the community audition. I shared with Ashley that I was intimidated at first since I had never before used Articulate’s software. That feeling quickly subsided, though.
Ashley reassured me that I’d have the tools and resources I needed to grow quickly in the e-learning space. (Spoiler alert: I did quickly grow my knowledge about each authoring tool, all while sharing those new insights with the E-Learning Heroes community.) Throughout the interview process, I kept thinking that if I feel this empowered now, I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I worked at Articulate. Well, I was about to find out because Ashley offered me the role during that same call.
The New Job
On my first day, the Support team approached me with (virtual) open arms and made sure I was on the right path to success. Ashley worked with the team to craft a personalized onboarding Trello board! Their support played a pivotal role in my training and helped me find the answers I needed. People from various teams also reached out to say, “Hello!”
Once I got into the groove of my new role, the days flew by. I was absorbing tons of info, participating in various projects, speaking my truth, and fostering amazing relationships—all while moving Articulate and our customers forward. Articulate’s values did match my values because I felt heard and trusted to do my job.
The Proposal
A month later, my boyfriend, Chris, and I took a trip back home to New York City. (Another perk of working remotely: You can work anywhere with Wi-Fi!). That weekend, we decided to revisit the days when we lived in NYC and would walk over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn after work instead of sitting on the train during rush hour. When we reached the midpoint of our walk, Chris got down on one knee and popped the question on the bridge’s pedestrian walkway. My answer was, “Yes!”
I couldn’t wait to share the news with my family and friends—and my team at Articulate! That Monday, I announced the engagement in my team’s private Slack channel. Virtual confetti erupted everywhere. I only knew these folks for a month, but it felt like I was celebrating with close friends. As time inched closer to the wedding, my team checked in on my wedding planning progress, shared inspiration on just about everything, and most importantly, reminded me to keep things in perspective. (Fun fact: My boss, Ashley, used to be a wedding planner, and I used one of her planning templates!)
More Than a Team
The Support team’s values are Trust, Autonomy, Communication, and Grace. These values flow into both our workspaces and personal lives. Inviting coworkers to a wedding can be awkward and can sometimes feel like an obligation—but not here. I work with a talented, supportive group of humans who uphold the team’s values, so it was a no-brainer to invite them. And we had a blast! That’s #SupportTeamToTheT! (Also, we hired three new folks to the team this summer, who are just as amazing!)
I see this team as one big group of friends and teammates. I’m so grateful that they could celebrate my special day with me in person. Here’s to many more years of friendship—old and new!
That’s Ashley using her skills to make sure the flowers stay in my hair!
Customer Happiness (and partners) group photo!
And that’s not all: The team helped set up all the small decorations on each table!
Our wedding!
