Building a successful onboarding experience for globally distributed teams is certainly not a new topic in the HR arena. More than a year into a pandemic that forced most teams to be distributed, there are organizations still struggling with facilitating an Onboarding System that accomplishes its main goal successfully: integrating a new employee into company culture, as well as providing new hires with all of the resources and information needed to become a productive member of the team.

For Zype, remote work began before the global pandemic. Zype already had Zypesters globally distributed in March 2020, and was taking steps to incorporate more distributed team members. The new reality brought on by COVID-19 accelerated the process, reinforcing the confidence that it can be done successfully with the proper tools, procedures and buy-in from stakeholders.

Having personally been through the onboarding experience over the past three months as Zype’s new Director of People Operations, I was able to see first hand the importance of this program. I was able to live it from multiple perspectives simultaneously, as a peer of new hires, as well as the leader responsible for onboarding in our PeopleOps team.

This also gave me the opportunity to share my perspective on our Onboarding program, with 14 new Zypesters joining in 2021 so far!

So, how do we onboard our distributed team at Zype?

At Zype the onboarding starts way before the first day. It starts with a focus on the understanding that we are not only choosing a new team member, but that we are being chosen by the Zypester as an employer, as a place to work, as a manager, as a mentor, as a coach, as a career development opportunity, and as a team. So, for the first part of the onboarding goal: “integrating a new employee into the company culture”, we are focused from the very first interview in sharing all that we can so the cultural fit can be established both ways.

This is done through a thoughtful and transparent hiring process and, once an offer is accepted, through a welcoming and interactive experience before the first day of work. A few days ahead of the start date we send a fun, fact filled introduction of the new Zypester to the full Zype team, so everyone can get to know the new hire and welcome them into the company. 

Then day 1 comes--- it’s finally here! The most important thing is that all newcomers have an awesome experience, regardless of role or location. We all know that having a thoughtful onboarding process builds the roots of engagement so we are focused on having a process and a team that becomes a support system that will help navigate the first months smoothly.

The journey starts with a “Zype Buddy” that will help the new Zypester learn the tools, shared routines and meetings, and specific information hubs, and that will be available for any questions. Remember the person who used to show you where to find the coffee and the fastest way to the bathroom? Yep, that’s your buddy!

People Ops (yes probably me or someone on my team!) will be part of the orientation too, and will host a live meeting to go over  all of the available tools, general procedures and a detailed map of who to ask for what. And links!

And last but not least, the Zypester’s manager  will set up 1:1 meetings with you every day of your first week, and almost every day of your second and third weeks, and at least once every week after that. Yes, EVERY. 

After this, the new Zypester will have 2 tracks of self-administered learning available to them. Week 1 focused on Zype, our culture, our teams, our strategy. A checklist of [mostly fun] tasks will guide you through our video learning library and our tools, history, and mission, and the Zypester will also be scheduling  “coffee breaks”  with Zypesters across the company that can help answer many questions outside the context of formal training. 

Month 1 will be focused on your specific department onboarding. The team manager will develop a thoughtful plan with you, as well as confirm the job description and deeper job mission that will ensure alignment on expectations for your first year at Zype. 

After each track ends,  PeopleOps will reach out to check on your progress, and after the first 90 days we will check in again and ask the Zypester for their feedback on the process, your experience and advice for improvement. And giving you feedback of how we see everything is going too! Onboarding will continue, no one is fully ramped up in just 3 months, but the basics are covered and then there is a timeline to take actual ownership of the different responsibilities of the role.

So...why is an Onboarding System so important?

A well thought out, interactive, and feedback driven Onboarding System ensures your most valuable asset - your talent - is set up for success as soon as possible in their career journey at your company. For Zype, we aim to set early expectations about what the new hire is being asked to deliver, and provide them with the environment in which they can be successful accomplishing it. To that end, my advice as a PeopleOps leader is to be extra resourceful and make sure you are giving all the resources you can to this effort. 

But it’s not only about the what and the how, it is also about creating meaningful interactions, especially in a globally distributed team. An Onboarding System that promotes frequent interaction creates a network of permanent communication and relationships - even if the team doesn’t sit in the same office together every day.

Empowering distributed teams starts by putting in place a detailed, cross functional and pertinent onboarding that will help build relationships between coworkers and peers. Dare to assign a buddy from a different department, dare to give liberty from day one to navigate the organization, dare to make it fun!

Want to learn more about our hiring process, company culture, or interested in joining our team? Check out our Careers page here. 

How We Onboard Top Talent In Our Globally Distributed Team With An Onboarding System

The Zype Onboarding System: How We Onboard top Talent in Our Global Team

Building software teams that produce amazing outcomes is hard. There is plenty of competition, many different areas of expertise, and in this “remote-first” world we now live in, there are few opportunities to meet someone face to face, whiteboard or socialize with them, and get a sense of their personality and whether they would be a good fit for your team. 

At Zype, we know a thing or two about developers and engineers. We've hired our own fair share of super talented ones, plus we build tools for them to use everyday. So here are some tips for executives and management teams that want to build a culture of awesome hiring in engineering:

As we wrote back in 2018, I still believe that two of the most important qualities of a software engineer are:

However, when committing yourself or your People Ops team or Engineering leadership to hiring, there is more to be done to prepare, execute, and ensure long term success for your company, your management, and the team member.  

It is so important to discuss values early in the hiring process. From the job description, through the content of every interview, you should make sure your hiring team knows that values matter, especially when hiring highly skilled employees like engineers.  Ultimately, you are doing the candidate a big favor by focusing on values. If they are aligned, it will likely be a great relationship. If they are not, they will likely not proceed in your process (either they’ll opt-out or you will). Focusing on values upfront saves you and potential candidates so much time and energy in the long run.

For example, one of Zype’s core values is Courage. We might ask in an interview, “Did you ever have a situation in which you knew that the software you were shipping was going to be substantially late, and there were many other team members and customers depending on its delivery?  How did you deal with that? Can you tell me a real story where that happened in your career?”

The answers to this sort of question - the theoretical and the actual real story - will tell you so much about how the individual aligns with your values.  No wrong answers - just insight.  

Engineers love technology. Your engineering team probably has many amazing acronyms and codewords - SQL, API, Scrum, Terraform, JQuery etc - that they are super proud to be experts in.  That said, managers need to look beyond the acronyms and into the aptitude.  

Is this engineer dogmatic or open to new technologies?

Is there corollary experience that relates to our needs that we can coach up on?  Maybe someone has Oracle experience, but not PostgresQL. Is that okay? Probably.

More importantly, is he/she an amazing problem solver? We make sure to ask about problem-solving in our interviews and dig in for stories about real challenges candidates have faced and overcome in their careers.

Finding a candidate with experience that exactly matches your current team and technologies, is incredible, but unlikely, so it’s important to get a sense of whether or not this person is eager and willing to learn and adapt. 

If you don’t look like a company that has an awesome engineering culture (even if you do), you’ll miss out on so many great opportunities to work with talented engineers. 

Does your team publish anything in open source communities or in Github (publicly)?

Are you talking about engineering at your company outside of your own four walls?

Is your company participating in any industry forums that have engineering communities? If not, give your engineers the tools and support to show off their work and engage in these community discussions. This type of organic discovery is priceless when it comes to finding new talent. 

Once you have a candidate, are they meeting other great engineers at your company to give them a sense of “home” that they can buy into? 

Lastly, but possibly the most important: are you asking everyone you speak with - “can you recommend a great engineer?” I’m sure a large percentage of your contacts probably know someone that is looking for a new challenge. Just ask.

Finding and hiring software engineers and developers is difficult, but there’s no need to over complicate the process. If you lead with company values, search for aptitude, and build an engineer friendly brand that is welcoming to new team members, you will find awesome individuals to join your company. 

Bonus tip: if you haven’t already, ask your own engineers--why did they join your company? How did they find you? What about the product or team attracted them? No one knows better than your own people, so be sure to tap into these resources as well. 

How to Hire Awesome Software Engineers and Developers

Zype's CTO's take on how to hire awesome software developers and software engineers for your team

If you ask me what I like to do, oddly enough one of my answers will always be I like to work. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely get Sunday scaries every once in a while and I dream of a point in my life where I can sleep in on a daily basis, but really I love having something exciting to do every day. Obviously having a job you love makes a load of a difference, I’ve definitely found myself in workplaces where I’ve felt stuck and unmotivated. I’ve actually been on the search for a perfect job since I was 15, and honestly, I think I may have finally found one to be close enough because really there is no such thing. 

I started working at Zype a little under two years ago as an Account Manager and I’m grateful every day that this job found me. Zype is a SaaS tech company headquartered in NYC with employees in the US, Latin America, and Europe. As a fast-growing company, we’re always looking for top talent to join our team. So if you’re thinking of applying, I thought it might be helpful to tell you a little bit about why I value this job as much as I do, and why you might too.

A Product Worthy of Your Time and Energy 

One of the most important things I recommend looking at when applying for a new job is to take a look at the products or services offered by the company. Zype has an end to end video content management system and I must say after working here for over a year, I’ve learned it’s truly world-class and it continues to improve on a daily basis. What does a good product tell you? First, it’s sellable, there’s definitely fun challenges to selling our product but in this case, that’s only because what we offer is so extensive, and there’s a great amount of technology behind it as well. Second, great products are made by great people, and that’s definitely true here. The people behind Zype are all talented and intelligent individuals that know how to work well together and are always looking for ways to make improvements. It feels good to be part of this team. Lastly, the best products continue to advance, and that’s usually the case with technology companies-- if you don’t continue to evolve, you are out of the game. This continuous innovation makes working at Zype especially exciting.

One of the main reasons I was interested in working at Zype to begin with was because of the great work-life balance our company offers. I was looking for a remote job at the time as I’d spent two years away from my family and partner while working at my previous job, and it was taking a toll on my mental health. At the time not everyone at Zype was working remotely, but they did offer remote Fridays (which due to Covid, has turned into remote everydays). Having a remote culture says a lot about a company, but most importantly, it signifies trust.. In my eyes, when a company trusts you to do your work on your own time without micromanaging, it motivates you to do more and work harder. I’m thankful for the trust, and therefore I try to reciprocate that by doing my best on a daily basis so it goes both ways. 

On top of the remote culture at Zype, we also offer unlimited vacation time as well as Summer Fridays, both of which allow you to refresh and replenish your energy and mind when needed, keeping you at your best self both in and out of the office. 

Zype’s a smaller company but there’s still a lot of room for growth. I myself started as an Account Manager and was recently promoted to a Senior Account Manager. It’s important to recognize accomplishments and our team definitely doesn’t shy away from that. This to me is very meaningful because although I know I’m a hard worker and am always trying my best I still run into moments of doubt, which can be easily shut down when your team makes note of your efforts. Growth comes in many forms here at Zype, a promotion being just one of them. I think one of the best parts of my job is that I’m always learning new things; there’s really never a dull day. I learn a lot from our Zypesters, and I love that I can ask questions without fear of judgments. Apart from day to day activities, we also have an education budget which can be used towards Udemy courses or certifications and so on. So as long as you're willing, there’s always a chance for you to advance and master each role. 

I’m proud to be a Zypester and I’m happy to be part of our growing team. The impressive offering, the amazing benefits and culture, and the exciting opportunities for advancement are just a few of the many reasons why I truly love my job. We’re always adding on new members to our team, and I must say, each person who gets hired has a vast amount of unique qualities and knowledge that continue to add to the growth and success we’ve had thus far. 

If Zype sounds like your kind of Company, we look forward to hearing from you. Please check out our open positions and apply!

Why I Love Being a Zypester (and You Might Too)

As a fast-growing company, we’re always looking for top talent to join our team. So if you’re thinking of applying, I thought it might be helpful to tell you a little bit about why I value this job as much as I do, and why you might too.

I’m not going to lie. I love the spirit of a growing company. I’ve been fortunate in my career to work for several of them.  There was Globix, the computer reseller that morphed into an early internet and streaming giant in the days of dial-up, thePlatform whose vision was that one day everyone would be watching video on the internet well before  everyone watched video everywhere, and You.i who is revolutionizing the way broadcasters develop their apps. The thing that all of these companies have in common is that they led fearlessly, embraced change, and most importantly listened to the market, their customers and their employees to drive innovation. In an industry that is in many ways is still in its infancy; risk taking, openness to change and willingness to listen cannot be underestimated.

Around 2006 my wife Nancy asked “when is this streaming industry going to take off?” At the time I was 6 years into a frustrating career choice but one where I knew that the opportunity was in front of me. The question was just how far.  Without even thinking I replied, “the day our parents can seamlessly watch video the same way they browse a website; without the need to download anything.” To say we have come a long way since then is an understatement. At the time it was hard to envision just how much streaming would change our world, how disruptive it would become to linear television, how it would transform how people communicate and how it would birth new business opportunities. This doesn’t even take into account the effects that a global pandemic would have on video consumption habits.

Let’s face it, the OTT revolution is still in the first inning. While many companies are making huge bets on its future, there is still a ton to figure out. This is where Zype fits in perfectly. We are a nimble company with an outstanding API-first technology stack that provides product teams with the foundational tools to build and run a successful OTT business with the openness and flexibility needed as the market continues to evolve. As a later entrant into the Video CMS space (first customer launched in 2014) our platform is built with both today’s and future challenges in mind, architectured for scale, tuned for performance and is modular to allow customers to leverage the offerings that fit best with their overall video stack. 

With the streaming industry on a rapid accent, why did I choose to join Zype? Actually the choice was not a difficult one. Having spent over 11 years working for thePlatform/CTS, there were certain traits that I was looking for. First I wanted to join a company that put the customer first and understood that the journey that begins with the initial call -- the beginning of the long term vendor/client partnership. Secondly I was looking for an organization with a high streaming I.Q. that was not afraid to “lean in” and ride at the crest of the technology wave. And lastly, the guiding principles of Zype are summed up in a single acronym: C.H.A.R.T. This stands for Courage, Hard work, Awesomeness, Resourcefulness and Thoughtfulness. The culture guided by CHART is evident to anyone that has come in contact with this team. I have heard it from my industry colleagues, Zype partners, customers and most importantly have seen it for myself. When people row a boat in the same direction with conviction, you succeed in reaching your destination and do so efficiently. People notice. 

I am happy to be on the boat, along for the ride and am proud to call myself a Zypester! 

Interested in joining our family of Zypesters? We're hiring! Check out our open roles here

Why I Chose to Join Zype

Zype's new SVP of Sales on why he chose Zype

It’s a wonderful thing to work at a forward thinking company. In the tech world if your company isn’t catching ahold of the latest trends or creating new ones, it probably won’t last long. This doesn’t just pertain to the products and services you sell, but also to the way you build and evolve the inner workings of your business.

I’m fortunate enough to be an Account Manager at Zype, a company that is always innovating both internally and externally. One of the latest trends we’ve adopted is this idea of a distributed workforce. We’re in the process of building out a global company, but instead of opening offices, we allow our distributed employees to work remotely. Currently we have some of the best people located in a variety of different countries including the US, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Japan, and Brazil.

As someone who has worked remotely in previous jobs, coming into this distributed workforce world wasn’t a complete change of pace. However, that’s not usually the case for most, as working remotely is a fairly new trend.

If you are just starting to dip your toes in the remote world, or considering a remote job here at Zype (we’re hiring!) there’s a few best practices that you should take into account so you can be successful.

One benefit of working remotely is you get to choose the environment you work in. You don’t have to put up with working in a cold office, with bright lights, and loud people. Instead your office is what you make of it, you’re in control. Setting up your workspace is both an exciting and daunting task as it’s key to having self-discipline, staying motivated, and being productive. It’s okay to take your time to get it right.

For me it was important to separate my workspace from my homespace. I made one of the small rooms in my apartment an office, and I usually lock myself in there during work hours. I’ve also used two screens in my previous jobs so I went down to my bodega to get an old screen and a printer. The printer hasn’t been touched but the screen I use everyday.

One of the best parts of setting up my workspace was decorating. For some reason I feel more motivated working in an aesthetically pleasing environment. Everyone is different so it’s important you understand what you need to succeed. If you prefer being around people maybe a home office isn’t right for you, there’s communal work spaces like WeWork all around the world. Whatever you decide, run with it and don’t be afraid to try something new.

A lot of people view working remotely as if it were a fairytale, imagining someone on a different beach each week, with their always fully charged computer, sipping piña coladas, and closing deals left and right. The reality is it’s not as easy as it looks. What you really need is a routine that can help you get things done.

In my case I try to wake up at the same time everyday right before work to drink a big cup of coffee. I then put on something that’s appropriate for “the office”, this helps my brain distinguish from being lazy at home, to being productive at work. I am on my computer the minute work has started. I first take time to say goodmorning to a few of colleagues I work closest with, then get started on my list of to do’s ( Track your activities using Trello). I also make sure my calendar is up to date, if there’s something important I need to get done I often times set due dates so I can remember.  All these little things help me stay on pace. Unlike people working at an office I don’t have someone reminding me to get things done, I really have to keep myself motivated and on top of my own tasks. So having day to day activities that you are used to and comfortable with can really make a difference.

I think the most important factor for success while working in a distributed workforce is communication. It’s a completely different world working by yourself as opposed to being surrounded by your colleagues, which means the way you communicate changes too. The good news is you have more control over your time, that being said so do others. So when it comes to getting answers, feedback, or help, you need to really take advantage of your conversational time with your co-workers.

There’s a few ways to go about this. The first is using a face to face conference line. At Zype we use Zoom to communicate and we try to keep our camera turned on. This makes for a more personal conversation. It’s a very effective tool to use during 1on1’s and team meetings. The next tip is to be patient, understand that not all questions need an answer right away, but also prioritizing those that do. Those that may not need an answer right away can be sent through a chat channel like slack. The cool thing about having questions answered in writing is that you can always look back at them. The last thing you need to remember is to take notes on calls, it’s a waste of both your time and your colleagues time if you have to have the same conversation twice.

Having a job that allows you to work remotely is an amazing thing. Not everyone gets this chance and it can really bring about a lot of benefits to your life. This is why you need to treat your time spent working from outside of the office with care and use the benefits you are gaining as a reason to push yourself forward. As Dwayne Johnson once said “ Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” So use these tips and be consistent. Also don’t be afraid to ask for advice from people you know who are in the same boat, we are all in this together, so let’s do our best to make this work.

Remote Work Best Practices: Tips from a Zypester

Good afternoon. Welcome to the Zype Blog! We’re excited to have you. Can we get you some water or coffee?  How’s the temperature? We want to make sure you’re comfortable while you prepare to meet your new teammates and enjoy this post.

One of my favorite hats to wear at Zype is the talent discovery and acquisition snap-back. I love collaborating with hiring managers to understand team needs and ensuring those needs align with the best outcomes for the business. I also enjoy giving Zypesters the opportunity to execute our awesome hiring process ( take a look at how we hire) and meet great people.

Over the last 24 months I have conducted roughly 500 interviews and have listened to a myriad of stories from candidates across the globe, with a range of expertise. Many stories prove to be interesting, some rehearsed, a few confusing, but most inspiring.

Do you know what it takes to prepare for an interview? Here are my recommendations:

Do your research : Have you read our blog, checked out our press, tuned into a webinar, subscribed to VideoFuel, and met the team?

Tell a good, concise story : We want to know about your career progression, what motivates you and why you want to work at Zype. Other details we can save for a later conversation.

Remember what you did : What were you hired to do at your last role? How’d you do? Why is it relevant to the role your to at Zype?

Have a plan : What are your goals? How can we help you? How will you help us?

Come with questions : Demonstrate interest in the team you may join and how you can best contribute. Do you really know everything?

Most importantly... Be yourself and take pride in your Ls and Ws : Your true self is what we want to uncover. It’s the most valuable thing to our team and should be the only thing that matters to you.

Interview Prep: The Basics

Zype Wins Third Stevie Award for Customer Service and Support

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How We Onboard Top Talent In Our Globally Distributed Team With An Onboarding System

How to Hire Awesome Software Engineers and Developers

Why I Love Being a Zypester (and You Might Too)

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Interview Prep: The Basics

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