4 Reasons to Work at Hootsuite
Like other great companies before us, we at Hootsuite discovered that culture is the gravity of a successful company. Our strong culture is the steady force that binds us together and keeps us focused and driven.
Our culture is what makes people want to come to work each and every day. Culture isn’t measured by ping-pong tables, free beer, or the number of dogs in the office — it’s measured by employee experience and growth.
We realize talented people like you — with the world at their fingertips — have a broad range of opportunities to consider. Continue reading to discover why many choose to bring that passion and drive to Hootsuite.
To make an impact and contribute to something big
At Hootsuite, we have a unique opportunity to play a huge role in the growth of an entire industry. Here, each employee has the chance to make a real difference.
“At Hootsuite, there are so many opportunities right now where I know I can have an impact and make the product better. That’s why I’m here.”
-Helen Park, Product Design Lead
Whatever you are working on, you know that it will have an impact on our 15 million customers. Whether it’s a line of code, a new marketing campaign, or a sales call, your work is making a difference.
Be a part of a B-Corp
Your potential impact doesn’t end at the office doors. We’re eager to connect with our communities around the world and give back wherever possible. In May 2015 Hootsuite became a registered B-Corp and joined hundreds of other companies using the power of business to address social and environmental problems.
Employees are encouraged to work for the greater good and #BtheChange they want to see in the world. We know employees are looking not only for a paycheque, but for a purpose and to work for a company that aligns with their values.
A dedication to inclusion and diversity
Over time, we have built a culture of inclusion, community, and support. Hootsuite firmly believes in workplace diversity and inclusion. Diversity is an ongoing and continuously evolving issue in workplaces around the world, and one area Hootsuite is committed to continually working to improve.
“One thing that has been helpful in the evolution of our culture has been our value of humility. Humility has kept us focused on constantly learning and updating our understanding of areas like diversity and inclusion.”
-Heidi Rolston, Vice-President of Learning, Diversity & inclusion
One example of this is Hootsuite’s participation in Pride initiatives. In 2017, a large group of empowered Hootsuite employees volunteered to march in the Vancouver Pride Parade as part of the #TechLovesPride float. Our participation marked a strong commitment to building a deeply diverse and empowered community.
The chance to work with great people
At Hootsuite, you get to work with interesting, smart, and open-minded people. They’re good at what they do because they’re truly passionate about it. More importantly, they take as much pride in sharing their knowledge as they do using it to solve problems.
Senior Copywriter Ric Mazereeuw shares “The people here are some of the smartest, most talented people I’ve worked with. There’s very little ego getting in the way. Everyone works to up their game and produce great work.”
Hootsuite graphic designer Brenda Wisniowski echoes these sentiments, “Working with Hootsuite staff you get to be with some of the most talented, hard-working and driven individuals who inspire you to come in and go above and beyond every day. Hootsuite is like a giant community where everyone has an open door and is willing to share and collaborate towards one common goal.”
The opportunity to learn and develop new skills
At Hootsuite we believe the world is your classroom. Here, you have the opportunity to gain invaluable, real-world knowledge at a customized pace. Our dedication to learning and development means you are getting years of career experience in a condensed timeframe simply by being part of this unique growth.
Lateral, diagonal, parallel — Hootsuite employees navigate career growth in different ways. Some of us have made the leap to other departments. Others have built new roles that didn’t exist before to fit their unique skills. You can hear more about this at our Career Paths Roundtable, where Hootsuite employees share stories about the unconventional ways they got to where they are.
Finance team member turned Software Developer Josh Lamb shares his career story:
“I was a few years into a finance career and even though I loved Hootsuite, I was felt like the career path I was on was not quite right for me. The Hootsuite Human Resources team was very encouraging of me going back into programming, and one of them even set up a meeting for me with a contact at a coding bootcamp in Toronto. Everyone I spoke to at Hootsuite told me to come back and apply as a Software Developer when I finished.
When I finished the program and returned home to Vancouver, I was instantly booked for an interview with the Dev team. A few short weeks later I was back at Hootsuite, doing what I loved and deploying code. The first few months were intense and occasionally terrifying, but the team did a great job at offering support and opportunities to fill in any gaps in knowledge. The value of really loving your day-to-day work really can’t be overstated. I didn’t know how much of a difference it would make in my overall happiness and well-being. I consider myself lucky to be here.”
The Stretch program
Creating a culture that champions growth means finding unconventional ways to expose our teams to new career paths. Our stretch program allows employees the chance to try out different positions — in different departments — all within the company.
Stretch employees spend about one day a week over a three-month period with another team in order to learn new skills and find out what kinds of projects they love (or don’t love). This helps them try out new roles and teams, while maintaining their current role, so they can gauge how a career change might suit them. Hootsuite is dedicated to our smart, passionate employees, and the stretch program is one of many areas where this is evident.
“With the stretch program, you can build new skills and explore new career directions without leaving your current role. This experience has been incredibly valuable for me. I get to learn one-on-one with expert practitioners, master a different side of Hootsuite’s business, and build new valuable skills. I feel really lucky to have this opportunity to learn from smart people in a different department. It’s challenging but I’m learning a lot in a short amount of time.”
-James Mulvey, Senior Copywriter and Stretch program participant
Our international community
Your growth isn’t confined to one part of the world. Hootsuite’s 15+ offices around the globe mean there are opportunities to travel and join teams in other regions. For example, Hootsuite employee Allie Russell had worked in the Vancouver headquarters since 2012, but in 2016 made the leap to our Singapore office.
Allie shares, “I am coming up to 6 years working at Hootsuite, so I’ve done a lot of learning and growing. I’ve had the opportunity to work on multiple teams, with different managers and peers, across different regions. Everyday I’m challenged and pushed, and everyday I get to laugh and collaborate with an incredible team of smart, ambitious people. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Each of our global offices have a rich and vibrant culture of their own, but are all connected by our strong, interwoven Hootsuite Values:
- Passion for Customer Success
- Grit in All We Do
- Lead with Humility
- Build a Better Way
Experience complete ownership in their role
You won’t just be a cog in a machine at Hootsuite. You’re able to dive into your role and customize it so that you’re owning every project you work on. Online Education Specialist Lauren Selden was able to pitch an innovative project and see it from beginning to end.
“I had the opportunity to pitch a project at our bi-annual Hackathon for a Facebook Messenger Bot. After our bot was successfully proven at the Hackathon, I continued the project, managing a team of developers and contributors through 4 months of development and production, bringing us to an official launch in August 2017,” Lauren shares, “Having the encouragement and support from my leadership team to reach out and take on this opportunity in addition to my official role at Hootsuite has allowed me to grow my knowledge of our company, as well as gain understanding and technical skills relating to the fast growing world of chatbots.”
Whatever your career needs, you have the chance to truly create and drive your own growth at Hootsuite. Check out our career openings to find your fit and help transform the way the world communicates.
Written by: Dara Fontein
Dara is a Blog Writer at Hootsuite. She writes about social media, technology, and Hootsuite happenings.
