Time flies - my first 70 days at Snowflake

Starting a new job during the pandemic, fully remote, looking at the same walls and windows of my home that I’ve come to know intimately since we moved in last July, is a slightly strange process. Something most of us didn’t expect to do or to even think about. My experience has been fantastic, though, so I wanted to recap the time since the 15th of March when I became part of Snowflake and joined the rocket ship ??.

A different Day 1

In the past I always started a job in the traditional way. You show up on day 1 and the newness overwhelms you while you also get that rush of adrenaline from meeting lots of new people, grabbing a coffee with colleagues and trying out a new lunch spot nearby. I lived in 3 different countries before moving to the UK, so each of those past experiences was also painted in the colours of the relevant cultural context as well as the stage of my life at the time. 

I started jobs while at university, jobs in New Zealand, jobs in Australia and jobs in Germany (as a teenager and as an adult). And this job I started at home, at my desk in front of a laptop screen. Sounds a lot less adventurous but I think it was a great opportunity for a different kind of experience.

When I joined Snowflake in March as their Senior Evangelist for EMEA, I came with a few ideas in my ‘bag’, some unspoken expectations and ambitions and the knowledge that I wouldn’t meet any colleagues anytime soon, at least not in person.

I was greeted by the most welcoming bunch of people I have met in my entire career. It was like they had been waiting for me at the station while I was on a train with a slight delay. It was pretty nice to be welcomed with open arms and it meant I got to work straight away. Why wouldn’t I? After all, I knew the setup of my home office, I had my daily routine, and I could fully focus my energy on this new gig.

Ramping up

And that’s what I did for the next 10 weeks, working with my marketing colleagues on various events, delivering webinars, presentations, roundtable discussions, getting involved in panels, holding a keynote and a masterclass and creating content for LinkedIn and Twitter.

I jumped at the opportunity to create and speak and tackle different topics along the way. It was, of course, a lot of work. Claiming otherwise would be a lie. But I couldn’t think of a better way to ramp up, connect with colleagues across the business, provide support, create, deliver and learn about our product and our company. It was also an excellent opportunity to cement my position.

Meeting in person - finally

With the easing of lockdown restrictions here in the UK, I have also had the chance to meet some of my colleagues in person over the past couple of weeks. Having worked in my role for over 2 months now meant that those conversations around the restaurant table didn’t feel like they normally do on day 1 when everything is new and unfamiliar. I already knew everyone from various virtual meetings and we had all been looking forward to catching up IN REAL LIFE.

It’s a strange thing to do all of this from home, but I have definitely recognised the benefits of the ‘flipped approach’, as I like to call it. An approach where you work first and then meet everyone in person. I like that it gives me a chance to show people what I can contribute and what they can count on me for, while it also leaves some time for me to figure out how things work. For my peers, who have been with Snowflake for longer, it then becomes easier (I think) to ‘fill in the blanks’ and help me with stuff I haven’t figured out yet and to connect me with others more easily, because they know my work AND me as a person.

This feels good

So it’s been a pretty good time all around, I have to say. I get to be involved in cool events, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead in the long-term. Especially as we resume more in-person meetings, events and activities. And the people are outstanding. They make this virtual workplace a fun place to be and I can’t wait to spend more time with them!