What To Expect As An Intern At TribalScale
Written by: Alison Brewster, HR Coordinator, TribalScale
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Being a co-op student at TribalScale is an exciting and rewarding experience. I wanted to share my experience to help future co-ops feel confident making their decision to work here!
Interviewing
I am currently working as an HR Coordinator Co-op at TribalScale for the Fall 2022 term. I applied for this position through my school’s job board and I actually got the chance to interview in person with the HR team! My interview was very comfortable, it felt like a conversation with my future co-workers. This was one of the things that made me know I wanted to work here. Most co-op interviews now happen virtually, but you will still experience the same conversation-style interview questions.
Here are some tips to prepare for an interview with TribalScale!
- Do prior research on TribalScale.
- Our website includes case studies from past projects.
- You can also check our social media pages and LinkedIn for any recent events that we attended!
- Know the role you are applying for.
- Dress appropriately! Business casual is my go-to.
- Ensure you have a clean and professional background. Sitting in a quiet place with limited distractions is ideal!
- Make sure your internet connection is strong.
- Make sure your camera and microphone are working properly. Login to your call early to ensure all tech is working accordingly and all permissions are set!
Offer
A couple of weeks after my interview, I was thrilled to receive my offer! Since I applied for the position through my school’s co-op rank-match system, I received my offer there as well, but for any co-ops who don’t go to Wilfrid Laurier University or the University of Waterloo, you would get a verbal offer call from the HR team and the offer letter sent via email. It was an easy decision for me to pick TribalScale because of the positive interview experience and I knew from research about the company that the mission, values, and culture aligned with my own.
Once I had officially accepted and signed my contract, I didn’t hear much for a couple of months. This is normal because co-op recruitment happens so early on but onboarding doesn’t need to start until a couple of weeks before the start date. I used this time to do a lot of research into TribalScale and my role specifically to learn as much as possible and get excited about the term!
Onboarding
A couple of weeks before my start date, the HR team reached out to me to coordinate tech delivery and first-day logistics. Then, a few days before my start date I received my laptop in the mail, account login information and some onboarding resources. This allowed me to log on to my laptop, set up all my accounts, upload my direct deposit information, and do all of the other fun first-day-a-new-job stuff. I felt much more prepared heading into my first day having all of this ready to go.
One thing that is really cool about the co-op program at TribalScale is that even though it is a fully remote company, they host an in-person onboarding day in Toronto for any co-ops who can make it. Mine was a really fun day where I got to meet the other co-op students and watch onboarding presentations that shared a lot of important information for my term. We also got a delicious lunch and snacks. For co-ops who live far from Toronto, don’t worry, there is an option to join via zoom to be still involved!
Throughout your first week at TribalScale there are a series of calls with each department to understand TribalScale’s processes and to understand how your role collaborates with the other teams. This is a great time to ask questions and really get an understanding of the company’s operations.
During my first two weeks, I had a lot of calls with my manager to learn what my responsibilities were and how to do certain tasks. Official training will vary from role to role and manager to manager but, every co-op will get some form of training on your role!
Day-to-day work
The best part, I would say, about being a co-op at TribalScale is the responsibility and how we are empowered to do meaningful work. We are treated just like every other employee and we have the opportunity to work on meaningful projects. For example, I was already conducting my interviews in my first month! The trust that my team had in me meant a lot and empowered me to do my best work. Here are a couple of quotes from other co-ops as well:
“I felt most empowered when I was brought onto an internal project as the Head Designer. Previously, I had always been working alongside the Head Designer to execute their vision for the project but with this internal project, I was given a level of autonomy I had never experienced before as a co-op. It was up to me to determine the most suitable strategies to achieve my vision instead of just following what someone else told me to do.” — Joyceline Nathaniel, Product Designer Co-op (Fall 2022)
“I felt empowered to work on the TribalScale Website on my own for a few weeks while the Senior was on vacation. The team let me to do my thing and trusted that I knew what to do which made me even more confident in my skills and abilities!” — Seerat Parmar, Agile Software Engineer Co-op (Fall 2022)
Something interesting that I didn’t know coming into this role is that the Engineering team at TribalScale practices pair programming. All of their work is done in pairs with one person being the “Driver” who writes code and the other being the “Navigator” who reviews the code in real-time. All of our Agile Software Engineer Co-ops participate in pair programming which is an excellent way to learn from more experienced team members!
Once you start settling into your role, TribalScale continues to support your transition into your new role in several ways:
- Weekly 15Five check-ins are virtual check-ins with your manager to see how you’re feeling at work, what you’re working on and they can better support you. These check-ins aim to prioritize your work for the week, identify any challenges, and put your best foot forward.
- Weekly/Bi-weekly meetings with your Manager to stay connected and up-to-date. This is a great time to share your goals for your co-op term so that they can help you work toward them!
Here are some tips from myself and other co-ops on how to make the most of your time here at TribalScale:
Ask questions!
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t know something and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions! Working in Tech means lifelong learning because new technologies and software are always coming out. Co-op placements are super short and are intended to be opportunities for growth, so if you are feeling challenged that’s actually a really good sign!
Be engaged!
Speak up in calls, participate in slack conversations, attend coffee chats, and more! These are all things that are really encouraged at TribalScale and you should definitely take advantage of. They will make your co-op placement so much more enjoyable and the more you put into it, the more you will get out!
Set goals!
Set specific goals for your placement and continually bring them up in your 1-on-1s with your manager. Sometimes you will be on projects that don’t align perfectly with your specific goals, but keeping your manager in the loop ensures that when an opportunity arises, your manager can reallocate you to something that will help you work toward your professional goals.
Network!
Get to know other people! Set up quick coffee chats with your coworkers and try to chat with people outside of your specific team! Everyone at TribalScale is super friendly and always happy to chat. Networking will benefit you down the road in your career, but it also just makes remote work so much more enjoyable!
Alison Brewster is an HR Coordinator at TribalScale, her work has been focused on supporting the HR team with 360 recruitment, onboarding and our large co-op program, as well as other HR responsibilities. When she’s not working, she enjoys going for walks with family and friends and curling up with a good book.
TribalScale is a global innovation firm that helps enterprises adapt and thrive in the digital era. We transform teams and processes, build best-in-class digital products, and create disruptive startups. Learn more about us on our website. Connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook!
