From self-directed onboarding to meeting the team and learning the role remotely, Jack shares his HowNow onboarding experience in this post. Read it here!

Hey blog readers! I'm Jack and I recently joined the Customer Success team here at HowNow. When the team asked me if I could put some thoughts from my first month or so into a blog post, there were two things I thought readers should really know: I’ve been completely remote and haven’t met a single person from the team and my background isn't in tech or L&D. In fact, my old set up was split between complaints in private healthcare and work as a Choreographer and Director.

So, having onboarded remotely and entering the world of tech with fresh eyes, I thought there would be some gems to share with you all!

The importance of being adaptable and ‘industry-less’ in CS

Working in this role and being so involved with all of our clients and users on a daily basis, I realised the importance of being almost ‘industry-less’. To be able to dip in and out of knowledge of different industries as well as being aware that every individual is using the platform’s capabilities in their own way. It’s made for a steep but exciting learning curve that's allowed me to pull from each of my previous jobs.

Getting to grips with the HowNow platform

In my interview, I was asked how I viewed learning, and I realised learning is a system and a method that hasn’t been upgraded or rethought in a very long time, hundreds of years even! So, to see what HowNow is doing with our platform behind the scenes, it's been very easy to jump on board and get passionate about the product - a real blessing in my eyes!Having worked in complaints previously, it’s fair to say passion for the job was sometimes lacking!

It’s been such a lovely change-up to see the care and excitement that goes into HowNow as a product every step of the way.

Why self-directed learning with a people focus has helped

My onboarding process has been pretty unique. I’ve not been rushed, it’s been very self-directed and with a real people focus. It felt like the mentality was for me to get connected with the team as a priority and get used to the platform by exploring freely and creating something for the team. It all started with a very internal approach!

This allowed me to get fully invested, learn at my own pace, and be truly motivated to do well for the team I already felt I couldn't let down. It's so refreshing to not have to be chasing certificates and SCORM courses from day one and getting a chance to learn more than presentations and the click through compliance courses that we all know and love (in the healthcare industries especially!)

Open-mindedness to ideas and skills

My last huge stand out is the open-mindedness to not only your ideas, but also your skills. Your department is not something to label you with - more of a base, so if you're in the meeting and you have an idea to share, it's valid. Being in a workplace where everyone is respected in this way and always given an honest answer regarding their idea is so motivating.

In my mind, it makes everyone feel much more engaged and part of the wider team.It was a huge shock to me in week one to hear talk of a project involving me in some video editing. I was brought in to lead it because of my experience in video direction, producing and editing from my work in the creative world. It's a skills win-win for everyone - HowNow gets to utilise every skill of its employees and I get to work in a varied position that keeps me interested and excited for my day to day tasks.If I hadn’t been asked to add all of my Skills onto my profile on day one - they may never have known my capabilities and skillset in video editing and this opportunity to keep the work internal may not have been known!

Moving from healthcare and creative industries to tech and learning

This has certainly been a jump and I was expecting to find quite a culture shock - but much to my surprise (and maybe relief!), my onboarding experience has been wonderful and far from the shock I had expected! The slower team-based onboarding, the genuine care at my talent as a person, not just my talent as a Customer Success Executive and the tracking of my range of skills has removed any departmental shock I could have experienced - and I can't wait for many more months to fly by at HowNow as fast as this one has. Next step - meeting the team in person!