Welcome to OG! Find out what it is like to join our engineering team.
Ordergroove’s engineering team is growing and as everyone knows, great tech talent is in high demand in NYC right now. We feel very fortunate that Steve Burchfield and Mackenzi McGuigan joined our team in October! Each shared their respective stories about the interview process with the engineering team and why they chose to work at OG.
What first interested you about working at Ordergroove?
Steve: I really connected with the mission of the the company. OG is tackling problems that we all face every day, and they’re finding interesting ways to solve those problems. The thing that really piqued my interest though is that the recruiter that first told me about OG really focused on the value of the people at OG. He told me that the people here are a dedicated team of talented people working together to solve complex problems, and that was really what I was looking for.
Mackenzi: I came across the Ordergroove job posting on Indeed. After doing some research, I realized OG is solving a pain point that I personally have: Needing to remember to repurchase an item, figuring out where to get it, that takes time out of my day that I don’t have. And I’m lucky I live in the city, it would be even more time consuming for people outside of metropolitan areas.
What was your interview process like?
Steve: The process was surprisingly comfortable with OG. It felt like I was solving problems with the interviewer as opposed to trying to impress them with my coding ability. I could tell that they cared more about how I thought and how we worked together as opposed to whether I found the most optimal solution. As I got further into the process, I was impressed with how involved OG was in the interview process, even the CTO took the time to speak with me to make sure I understood the vision and that it was a good fit. It felt like a place that shared my values and was working hard to hire people with similar values and passion.
Mackenzi: It was remarkably straightforward. Other companies I interviewed with were more convoluted and people asked some real obscure questions (when would that ever be relevant?!). It was clear my conversations with OG were more about how I think and how I problem solve. I was given a logical question to answer and then we would walk through the problem step by step.
What made you decide to come to OG at the end of the process?
Steve: I felt a connection with OG that I didn’t find anywhere else. I turned down offers at other companies because OG was such a great fit for me. Everyone that I interviewed with was someone that I wanted to be on a team with, and they have not disappointed. OG is also in a very interesting inflection point in its growth where they have proved their worth and are now trying to scale and grow the company even further, and I really agreed with the company’s vision for how to get there.
Mackenzi: So many people I spoke with had been here a long time, three to five years. I realized if this was a company that didn’t care about their employees or that burnt out their team, they wouldn’t stay. That was very important to me. Every time I came in, everyone was so nice, easy to talk to, it was obvious from walking through the office this was a nice place to work.
What has surprised you (good or bad) since you started?
Steve: First of all, the people have been even better than I could have expected. Everyone is extremely smart, and they’re all passionate about the work we’re doing. Not only has everyone been incredibly willing to offer help and answer questions, but they have also been extremely welcoming and friendly. I felt like I was part of the team on the first day, with people inviting me to play games and go out for drinks. It truly feels like a team, both during and after work. I came from a big company, so I was also surprised with how things operate at OG. The work is a lot faster paced, and product and development work very closely together to make sure we’re working on the right things to accomplish our goals.
Mackenzi: This is the one of the first places where I have been happy to come to work (and I don’t even really know what I’m doing yet). The amount of camaraderie, frequent communication both within [product development] and cross-departmental, ideas are discussed so freely here is impressive. On day one I was asked what my opinion was, I didn’t even have one yet, but was glad people wanted my voice so soon.
Finally, what advice would you give someone considering joining the OG engineering team?
Steve: Be ready to dive in and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The company is fast paced, but everyone is more than willing to help. We’re all on the same team, and there is no expectation that a new hire is going to know everything on their first day. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you don’t know something, or if you have ideas for what we could be doing differently. Everyone here is working towards the same goals, and we’re all passionate about the problems we’re solving, so definitely feel free let your voice be heard.
Mackenzi: If you are looking for “not just a job”, but a sense of community, this would be a great place for you.
Thank you Steve and Mackenzi for sharing your interview and day one stories. Read more about the problems we solve on our company blog, “Beyond the Shopping Cart”. You can join Mackenzi and Steve and the rest of our engineers who are creating the future of relationship commerce. Check out our careers page at www.ordergroove.com/careers
