Timely’s Summer of Tech Success

Summer of Tech Internships are full-time, paid, entry-level technology or design roles, that run from mid-November to mid-February. We were impressed with how well the programme was run, and overall it ticked many boxes for us – including:

1. Interns can get involved with the neat things we’re making and learn new skills by working on these under mentorship  
2. Internships often lead to full employment – a fantastic way for the next generation to enter the workforce 
3. Interns bring fresh ideas, perspectives, diversity, and culture – this leads to better outcomes for our team and our customers

It goes without saying that we wanted to do it well – ‘Execute like a boss’ is not one of our values for nothing! We spent hours prepping to make sure our interviewing, hiring and onboarding processes were rock-solid. After locking down our hiring plan – we decided to divide and conquer with two sets of teams going to both the Auckland and Wellington meet-ups. It was our first crack at it and understandably we were a bit nervous but mostly excited!

We met hundreds of brilliant students and were blown away by the talent and tenacity of everyone we spoke to. A further round of “speed interviews” led to a smaller group of students attending a meetup event in our Wellington office, and from that we were delighted to offer internships to two exceptional students – Helen and Isaac!

Here is a little about them in their own words.

Hi, my name is Helen.

I was born and raised in Ukraine. I like to be a part of a multicultural environment, explore new places, culture. This is one of the main reasons why I moved to New Zealand. I fell in love with programming because of my teacher. He was extremely strict with very high standards of knowledge that can be accepted at all the exams and projects. Looking back now I appreciate so much all his efforts in helping us to become better. As a result, work brings me a sense of purpose and structure in my life. I always wanted my work to be meaningful and contribute to my personal growth. And I am very happy now that I found the job of my dream.

Hi, I’m Isaac.

I went to Tauranga Boys’ College and studied ALL the sciences; chemistry, biology, physics and… computer science! I fell in love with the subject with the help of some awesome teachers. I decided I wanted to study computer science at a tertiary level and moved down to Wellington to do so at Victoria University. Furthermore pursued a career in tech and ended up in my dream job as a software developer!

In my spare time when I am not coding I like to play video games, board games, cook meals, and bake muffins! I love learning new ways to cook my favorite meal and ways to improve it or learn something completely new.

We are so lucky that these two have agreed to join the Timely rocket ship on a permanent basis! We asked them a couple of questions about their experience with Timely over the last few months and would like to share it with you too!

Enjoy!

Tell us what interested you about Timely’s SOT Internship?

Helen:

I was very conscious about my choice of the company I wanted to join. I had a clear understanding of the environment, image of the team members, and work relationships I would like to have. I wanted to join a company with a great culture and collaborate with the team of people who are open to feedback and always ready to communicate through all the work-related issues. I was really impressed by the people from Timely that I had the luck to meet during the recruitment process and attitude towards the applicants.

Isaac:

A combination of everything! The role was right up my alley and something I always really wanted to do after finishing university. But it mainly came down to the level of preparation that the Timely team had done for the Summer of Tech program. They were exciting and enjoyable to talk to at the meet and greet. They had a project ready to go for the interns and their internship role(s) sounded amazing just by reading the descriptions. It was definitely a company I wanted to be in and what interested me in applying.

There are lots of businesses that offer similar summer programs – what sold Timely for you?

Helen:

While carefully examining all the job and company descriptions, what really amazed me is the description of Timely values. The key thing that was outstanding for me is that the company is very people-oriented, putting a lot of focus on the development of great team culture and collaboration.

Isaac:

I think what sold it for me was the get together at the Wellington office. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and loved being a part of the discussions and friendly banter. They made us all feel welcome there and I had great conversations around work life and company culture to name a few. That definitely made Timely stand out from the rest for me and made me eager to join.

What did you enjoy most about your Internship with Timely?

Helen:

The orientation process seemed to pass so flawlessly and effortlessly, which helped us to become an integrated part of the team in a short time. During this period we had lots of fun tackling all the tasks and facing challenges. It’s impossible to overestimate the efforts of our mentors and how carefully they shared experience and sincerely wanted to help us grow.

Isaac: 

The flexibility to manage my work and life balance how I wanted to. I love the positive image Timely has around this with one of their core values being #timelylife.

What are you most looking forward to in working for Timely moving forward?

Helen:

I truly enjoy being a part of a dynamic learning process with my teammates.

Isaac:

I look forward to soaking up as much information and experience as I can. I’m highly fortunate to have the opportunity to start my career in such an amazing company. I want to push myself with developing my tech skills and learn as much as I can from my peers around me. Also looking forward to continuing to work with the best bunch of people ever!