The Hippo Pod: Steven

In this podcast, Employer Brand and Employee Engagement Manager, Tannum, talks about Golden Hippo’s exciting and unique company culture with the people who know it best. This episode, we spoke with Steven, who has been at Golden Hippo for 5 years and is currently the Sr. Director of IT Systems Architecture. 

Here are some of the highlights of Tannum and Steven’s conversation:

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I went to UC Riverside, I have a degree in Neuroscience which I use none of. I went there thinking I’d be a doctor, but it turns out I hate hospitals. While I was there, I took a job as a computer tech. I ended up liking it so much more and started working as an IT admin at school. Once I graduated, I didn’t look for jobs in my degree, I just looked for tech jobs and was really focused on developments. Even though I don’t use my degree, I found value in learning how to dedicate years to studying a topic. Tech changes constantly, and we’re on the cutting edge of always wanting to learn about new things in the industry.

How would you describe the culture to a candidate?

It was very start-up like when I first started. I could tell that everyone was happy, the culture was so open, friendly, and positive, which was interesting coming from several different companies. I think that culture has been persistent, it’s always been “we can try everything.” The things that have changed are the things that really need to be more organized - the HR approach has been great, and I’ve seen our Supply Chain and Accounting teams really mature. When new people come in, it’s a welcoming environment.

Can you give us an overview of the Sr. Full Stack Developer role that’s open on your team? What does your ideal candidate look like, and what would they be doing?

A lot of what they’d be doing is integrations between systems, customizing across different languages. There’s a lot of front-end development with internal systems, as well as back-end help that we need. We’re looking for a jack of all trades. We’re building this company and we’re looking ahead for someone who will drive where the department goes. It’s a collaborative role, and we’re looking for someone who can lead a team. It’s truly the opportunity to make a big impact on the company. 

What advice would you give to jobseekers for this role?

I’ve done a lot of interviews, and showing your passion stands out to me. I get that it’s a job, but I like seeing people that want to build. You don’t need to show me a million projects, but show me the reason you want this job, what is driving you to this position. As someone who never had formal tech training, I think if you show you have that internal passion, that’s better than someone who knows it all and will just get it done.

If you’d like to listen to the full conversation, click here!

If you’d like to apply for the Sr. Developer, Full Stack role, click here!