Our team at TwentyPine is growing fast!
As we expand, and add more incredibly talented people we want to take a moment to introduce them to you. I find it inspiring to look at the individuals who make an organization successful, even when they come from such different backgrounds and share different skill sets.
One of our newest hires, Aaron Leeder, has a particularly interesting background; being a music composer for over twelve years. His passion and self-starter attitude was so impressive that Aaron got hired at TwentyPine in only three days.
I sat down with Aaron to talk about his hiring experience. And to remind other job seekers out there that you never know what opportunities are right around the corner. So always be networking and putting yourself out there!
Here is what Aaron had to say. . .
How did you find out about the position at TwentyPine?
I had been actively looking for jobs for a few months, specifically in SaaS. I had some interviews and opportunities presented but after some consideration – and advice from friends – I was guided into considering recruitment. I knew I wanted to enter the tech world, but the potential to also be working directly with people and building relationships seemed like a natural fit coming from my background.
Through my search, I was active on LinkedIn and I had interviewed at a couple recruitment firms. One day I saw someone within my network “Like” a post by Jason Kleinman [a Twentypine Principal]. I poked around briefly to see what he had written about the company and was immediately compelled to create more than one touch point. I ultimately reached out to the General Manager [Jamie Coakley], on that Wednesday, April the 26th.
Great! So what initially attracted you to the company?
The idea of working for a smaller firm was the most attractive aspect. I have a lot of experience working with small teams and I felt like the opportunity to be in a start-up atmosphere would better align with my personality and work ethic. The other firms I had met with were more established in terms of years they had existed and the amount of employees in house.
I was also super interested that TwentyPine only worked within the Salesforce.com Ecosystem. I figured that a company carving out a niche in one environment, rather than tackling the vast universe of IT, SaaS, etc. must have something special figured out for their trajectory.
Tell me a little bit about the interview process.
There is so much I could say about the onsite interview process because I met with four different people and had four unique but important conversations with all of them. If I had to choose a couple highlights, they would include that each person took the time to paint a clear picture of the day-to-day and what this role would take, especially my first interview with Max Hart, one of TwentyPine’s Principals. They all provided a brief history of their career too, so I truly felt like I got to know them instead of just focusing on me.
Something that stood out to me, was during my conversation with Jamie. She explained to me one of her basic rules when coming to work for a new company: “Would I be happy there if my manager – the person I’m working most closely with – quit the first day?” It struck me as an interesting technique as I felt she knew that she had roped me in, then threw this iron in the fire to make me think deeply about that possibility. This made me reflect differently about an interview than I ever had before. Sometimes in interviews you get so focused on proving yourself and selling yourself, but lose track of the fact that you have to make sure this really is the right opportunity and it is what you want as well.
Lastly, in my final interview with Max Maeder, the CEO, I was asked a challenging but very logical question, something I had never been asked in an interview before. He asked about how my wife would feel about this transition. That was when I realized that TwentyPine cared about their employees and the person I was more than I had seen with any other company I interviewed with.
What was your impression of TwentyPine after the interviews?
I immediately felt that this was the place where I wanted to work. As I walked straight to a final interview at another company, I already knew I wanted to come work with the people I had just met. I would be fortunate if I could have the choice between two companies and at the end of the day, that’s exactly what happened. You called me about 6 hours later and asked if I could start on Monday.
I was beginning a new career with a company I had learned of only three days prior, and my first day would be the following Monday, May 1st.
The manner in which they handled the interview process and the care that they all possessed for their company and their work inspired me. This was the place for which I was willing to change my life. That is how starting any new job should feel.
How has it been since you joined?
The first month was a whirlwind. Two other people (Carly Strunk and Peter McGraw) began their training with the company the same day. Something I really appreciated was the delegation of some of the training sessions. Whoever sends the best emails, that’s the person who will show you their technique. Whoever excels in workflow and day-to-day task management, that’s the person who explained how to most efficiently get the job done.
Every single person in the space is here to help each other, to listen in on a call and share their perspective. There is something to learn from every single person on the team. I am constructing my own style of how I interact with the candidates in my network, but getting the feedback and thoughts from my colleagues has been so essential.
Every week has presented new challenges and the pace is exactly what I needed. There is no time to feel bored. Every single day, there is always something to do.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
Music is my first love and will always be there for me. Although I do not have the freedom and time I had when running my own business, I cherish the moments even more now when I play piano, guitar or drums with my daughter on my lap.
Also, I can beat The Legend of Zelda on Nintendo in one sitting without dying once. It’s been a while, but the muscle memory is there.
Aaron Leeder is an Associate at TwentyPine, focusing on the West Coast Salesforce career market.
Hayleigh Kurtz is an Internal Recruiter at TwentyPine, looking to grow the team with the best people she can find. Apply to join the TwentyPine team here.