Pros
I’d like to preface that I’m writing this review in the lens of someone who was a fresh grad in the midst of a career change before I joined. Some aspects here would be more suited to people with a similar background but I’d hope to capture the overall experience regardless I’ve been here since early 2019 and it has been nothing short of amazing. The past 3 years have been the most transformative years of my life; not only from a technical career standpoint but on a personal level too The main reason Saleswhale is such a great place to work in is definitely its great people. Not only that it’s a small tight-knit group who are open-minded and care for one another, the people here are very smart, fun, driven and full of radical candour. I won’t pretend that I don’t get uncomfortable at times being surrounded by very passionated people but they inspire me to grow while having fun doing it. Operating on a culture of transparency, there is rarely a time where I feel unsure of the company’s situation or lack the information about day-to-day dealings of teams. Although admittedly sometimes it gets nerve-wracking knowing all the challenges and risks we will face laid out unfiltered for everyone to see, it is empowering to be given that amount of trust Pair that with a culture of writing and you get an excellent stream of communication through memos and proposals that enforces structure thinking and bolsters cross-functional collaboration When I first joined I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious and hesitant of how things will turn out especially considering my background. My worries were immediately squashed after I have come to realise just how much management deeply cares about my well-being and everyone else's. From our wildly eccentric CEO and contemplative CTO, all the way down to my (clowny c:) friend of a manager, I feel that I am always taken care off and they have my best interests at heart. And with a new product solving an interesting problem backed by an engineering culture that encourages individual accountability and ownership, Saleswhale truly primed my environment for success through continuous improvement. If you’re looking for the perfect balance of fun and individual growth, I’d highly consider joining :D Might be a great decision for you! Heck it’s definitely one of my best ones joining here
Cons
In my naive and optimistic view, I’m almost tempted to say there are negatives but in the spirit of transparency, I’ll admit it’s not always been smooth sailing The company took a massive hit in 2020. We had to go through layoffs and subsequently people leaving due to the unsettling circumstances that followed. Morale plummeted and the culture dented. The negative reviews left by prior colleagues during that time were warranted and it’s painful losing great people along this journey. Even though we’ve bounced back and learned meaningful lessons from it, it’s tough not to argue that we lost a big chunk of what made us Saleswhale. On a more lighter note, processes here are relatively new so it’s expected to be trailblazing into the unknown. It can get unnerving and sometimes experiments don’t work out which can be discouraging. There’s a lot happening and they happen fast and you’ll have to learn a lot of new stuff to keep up. With our culture of writing, there’ll be a lot memos going around. If you don’t like writing or reading, this might not be a right fit. Regardless of all these challenges, I love working here. There’s always something new to learn and everyday is a joy working alongside great people.