Joining Clever Software Group from the Kickstarter Scheme

I joined Clever Software Group on Tuesday last week, to start work as a Project Administrator. This is a position I found through the kickstart scheme; before starting I had been in contact with the Head of Operations, Megan, after a successful interview who told me as much as possible about the role. Megan explained what my responsibilities would be, within the Project Administrator position, alongside any other information I might need, so I had a good idea of what working at Clever Software Group might be like.

The First Day

I arrived at the office on Tuesday morning, a little bit nervous but overall very excited and was introduced to the whole team. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, friendly, eager to get to know me and tell me about what they do at Clever Software Group. I settled in at my desk, set up my computer and headed to the conference room to meet with Megan for an overview of the company. During this session, Megan explained what I’m I would be doing throughout the week and addressing any questions I might have.

Once I got back to my desk, I had my first assignment: to test a piece of software and makes notes on any bugs to send to the development team. The software developers would then fix the issues before the software is shipped to the client. It was great to be able to get started straight away with a very interesting project. Everyone involved was happy to answer any questions, as well as keen to hear my feedback once I had finished.

During lunch I got to chat with my new co-workers more about their work and get to know them personally, which was a lot of fun. I took a walk around Ringwood to take a screen break and clear my head, before going back to the office for the last couple of hours of my day.

To finish off my first day, I took some time to become familiar with Teamwork, the software Clever Software Group uses to manage projects. There is a huge amount of documentation there that the team has compiled over the years, so I began to delve into it. I was able to learn more about the way that Clever Software Group projects are structured, who is involved on each one and the steps required in planning, developing, testing and reviewing software projects.

At the end of the day, I felt very comfortable in my new position, because of how welcoming the entire team were. From the moment I walked through the door, I was given all the information and resources I needed. I was able to steadily build a good understanding of what I will be doing here and how the team works together.

The Rest of my First Week

During the rest of the week, I was busy joining in on team meetings, working on tasks within client projects and furthering my understanding of Clever Software Group’s processes, so that I’m well equipped to fulfil my responsibilities as a Project Administrator.

On my second day at the bespoke software development company, I took part in a ‘speed networking’ morning. This gave me the opportunity to chat one-on-one with my colleagues about their roles, prior experience and what they like about working for Clever Software Group. There were also some non-related work questions, like the first CD we bought and what we would do in a zombie apocalypse. Being given the opportunity to interact with everyone like this in a fun team activity really helped me to both learn about how Clever Software Group (and the software development industry in general) work and allowed me to learn more about the personalities of the fantastic people I’m working with.

Other highlights of my week included starting work on a new project, that will help with the staff knowledge sharing process, testing software to identify bugs and meeting Megan’s puppy Noodle, who I’m now confident is my favourite member of the team.

Overall, I don’t think I could have asked for a better first week. The whole of the Clever Software Group team were welcoming, happy to help me learn about the company and incredibly passionate when explaining the projects that are being worked on. Having such an attentive group of people supporting me through my first week, has made me well equipped to face the challenges I’m sure to come across at Clever Software Group and within the future of my professional career.

If you are eligable and would like more information about joining us through the Kickstart Scheme, please contact us today. We'd love to hear from you!