This Week's Discussion
How Wilford Pivoted from Accounting to DoorDash
Learning at The Commons
150+ members started new Sprints this week! Early bird access for March cohorts will run until January 31st. New enrollments will be closed through February.
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🔥 Hot Topic: Team names!
✏️ Career Resource: CFJs with Introductions to Hiring Managers
✅ Community Reccos: Dealing with Reporting Changes
💭Thought Starter: New Job Scaries
💡Brain Teaser: 🧦
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RESOURCE DATABASE: We just launched a Community Resource database, a one-stop shop for all of the valuable resources shared in The Commons.
This database is a living resource, continuously being updated with more content as it is shared by the community. To start, we've included resources under 4 main categories: Job Search & Interviewing; Data Visualization; SQL; and External Resources - check them out here!
We're looking for members to help us create content & build this out further! Interested? DM Alex Palmer!
THE COMMONS SPOTLIGHT
Meet Wilford, a Strategy + Operations Sprint alum who pivoted from Big 4 Accounting to Finance & Strategy at DoorDash
To summarize Wilford's career path in 1 line: Accounting → EY Assurance → MBA → Finance & Strategy @ DoorDash (Manage US Restaurants business segment)
What's your current role & where are you located?
📍Finance & Strategy at DoorDash in Vancouver
You pivoted from accounting at a Big Four firm to DoorDash. Tell us about your job search experience.
The job search experience was a long one because I was completing my MBA at the same time. Throughout the process, I consulted with so many mentors and
members within The Commons and I can truly say I wouldn’t have landed my current role without their support.
During my MBA, I went into the program set on going into strategic consulting at a professional service organization. However, after joining The Commons that perspective changed because I realized I could realistically pivot into tech without going back to potentially a Big 4. I applied for only a couple roles and performed well on all interviews but ultimately decided to join DoorDash. I spoke with many community members who worked at companies I interviewed for to get their perspective and that was a crucial part of my decision process.
You know we love a sneak peak! Tell us about your role at DoorDash!
I’m one of 2 senior associates on the Finance & Strategy team at DoorDash focused on the US Restaurant business segment. Being that our team is very focused on strategic initiatives at the company, we get to work on a variety of projects with different cross functional partners. The focus of this team is to manage state performance of restaurants to different profitability goals. Restaurants are the core business segment at DoorDash so the decision we make and the projects that we take on have a tremendous impact on the overall business performance. (Check out the full blog post for what the interview process and first few months in the role were like!)
How has your thinking around career path changed over time?
When I was younger and still a student in undergrad, I got too focused on what other students were doing and all the prestige that came with going to big firms. It didn’t help that most other students wanted to be in the same place. But at the end of the day, whether you go to a Fortune 500, midsize or a startup, you make your own career by putting in 100%.
After working at one of the Big Four accounting firms, my focus is no longer on the name of the company but rather the role I have in a company, my responsibility, my teammates, and most importantly the learnings that will come with this next job. For me, learning opportunities are the most important attribute I look for in my career. I want to build a strong skill set both with technical skills and intangibles.
Why did you join The Commons? What were you hoping to get out of the experience?
I joined The Commons because I wanted to pivot my career into tech while establishing some strong technical foundations in SQL and Tableau. I was also hoping to learn more about roles in tech and understand which role I was truly passionate about.
What did you get out of the program you participated in with The Commons? Anything unexpected?
The experience at The Commons was so much more than I expected, but you do get what you put into it. I very much enjoyed working on a marketplace problem with my teammates, and what made it more fun was working with people who had completely different backgrounds from me but with the same desire to pivot into tech.
I now can say I have a solid understanding on various roles within tech and what each team does (which is very beneficial when I joined DoorDash because I work with cross functional partners daily). Lastly, the best part about being in this community are the people. Everyone is so willing to help each other you can feel that your teammates want you to succeed. It’s not often I get to be part of such a special group.
How do you keep involved with the community?
One of my passions is sports, mainly NBA, NFL and golf. I along with 3 other members help run the sports channel in the community. It’s our first year running this channel and we’re currently in the middle of fantasy basketball season. Being in a non-professional environment is a great way for members to meet remotely and chat about non-work related topics.
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Keep reading to see what the interview process was like and how Wilford has tackled the first 6+ months in the role. ⬇️
Read The Full Interview
What’s happening at The Commons
Upcoming events
Company Showcase: Jobber
Members of the Talent and Business Analytics teams at Jobber joined The Commons for a company showcase. We heard directly from them about the work they're tackling and roles they're currently hiring for.
Today at 12PM ET
Community Members Only
DM Charliepat for the recording!
Speaker Series: Chief of Staff Roundtable
Join us for this roundtable panel on Chief of Staff roles in tech, co-hosted by Clara Ma, Founder and CEO of Ask a Chief of Staff. Clara will be joined by a panel of four others, who have experience in Chief of staff roles at various staged companies.
Tomorrow - Wednesday, January 25th at 7PM ET
Community Members Only
Register here
Past events
ICYMI we recently hosted these events. Members can find recordings on our platform.
- Writing Bootcamp: Our community writing bootcamp has officially kicked off!
- Open House: Last week some of our mentors provided an overview of The Commons Sprints, and critical skills to succeed in generalist roles in today's tech landscape. Missed it? Check out the recording here.
- Speaker Series: Stuart Wilson from Hotel Engine: Stuart Wilson, Senior Director of BizOps & Strategy at Hotel Engine held a candid discussion on a range of topics including his career journey (pivoting from investment banking, BizOps at InVision, SurveyMonkey and Hotel Engine), advice on breaking into BizOps, typical BizOps career paths, and how BizOps teams vary depending on company stage.
January cohorts are officially closed. We're accepting early enrollments to our next cohorts - only 1 week left until we close enrollments.
Here are some admissions dates to keep in mind:
- January 31st - You'll have until January 31st to apply for an early-bird seat in our March cohorts. By enrolling now, you'll be able to join the community ahead of your Sprint. Apply via the waitlist links below.
- February - Admissions will be closed. We will not be accepting new members to join The Commons.
- March - Admissions will reopen for the March cohorts. Existing community members and waitlist applicants will have first priority to secure a seat.
APPLY EARLY TO THE MARCH COHORTS
Below are the Sprints running in March. Based on the sell out of our January Sprints, we expect these seats to go quickly. You have until January 31st to enroll before we close admissions for a while. By joining us now, you'll be able to join the private community immediately - well ahead of your Sprint kickoff. That means more events, more networking and more growth opportunities.
We're also now accepting a limited number of Community Only members. If you're interested in joining the community only (instead of participating in a Sprint), you can also apply via the waitlist below.
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JANUARY SPRINT ENROLLMENTS ARE CLOSED
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HOT TOPIC
🌶 Team Names
Our January Sprints have officially kicked off, which means members are meeting their teammates and diving into their projects. With that, has come some pretty epic team names. The creativity is on 🔥 so we just had to share some out! ⬇️
s/o to team Michael, Abdulaziz, Angelo, Joel, Roldan & Ross
s/o to team Frank, Jake, Julia, Madison, Nicole & Fernando
s/o to team Jeremy, Max, Michael, Mitch, Nolan & Rohit
s/o to team Christine, Frank, Nada, Prasanna & Tiffany(we always appreciate The Office references 😉)
s/o to Mia, Aaliyah, Erica, Kathryn, Rana, Neelam & Susan
s/o to Nice, Michael, Mitchell, Oshan, Phuong, Steph & Marie-Ève
s/o to Nicco, Charlie, Ify, John, Pawan, Saud & Sri
s/o to Emily, Gustavo, Kendall, Scott & Sarah.... there are SO MANY MORE great ones. If you thought this was your typical learning community, you're so wrong! We built this community to be collaborative, energizing ... and actually fun! 💫
Haven't Shared Your Team Name Yet? Hop Back into Slack!
Your weekly level up
CFJs (cool f'ing job) 💥 🌶
There's no better way to get your foot in the door than by being referred directly to the hiring manager (or meeting the hiring manager yourself!). Our job board has been filled with tons of exciting roles lately, with the opportunity to be referred directly to the hiring manager.
Non-community members can apply directly via the links below. Community members - be sure to reach out to the individual listed in Slack so that you can learn more about the role and secure that referral! Not sure how to make an intro? Check our our outreach template at the bottom of this post.
And now, onto the roles ⬇️
The biggest CFJ of all ... we're hiring for an Operations Manager!
- You’ll be leading Learning Programs, Community, and Mentor Operations. These are the three core pillars of our business - to say this is a big and critical role is an understatement!
- Remote role, Canada only - Preference for Toronto.
- We’ve built a 1,000+ person global learning community of ambitious professionals in Tech, who learn & build connections through interactive learning experiences. We raised a pre-seed round from awesome investors including Turner Novak, Panache Ventures and Eric Ries. We’ve reached product-market fit and we’re entering an exciting growth phase (see below for what lies ahead).
- We're hyper focused in scaling a highly engaged community, expanding our learning experiences, and launching new growth channels and we're looking for our next community-obsessed, process-driven, analytical teammate to join us!
And the other awesome opportunities...
- Hotel Engine is hiring a BizOps & Strategy, Sr Associate (Series B) | Remote, USA | For anyone interested - fill out THIS form and DM Loren C.
- Shaudko is hiring for a Strategy & Operations Manager (<20 Person Startup) | Toronto | Community, DM Alex P.
- DoorDash is hiring on the US markets team | NYC | Community, Pro tip: there are tons of DoorDash employees in the community. Check the #intros or #wins channel 😉
- Uber is hiring for a Senior Central Operations Manager, Growth Bets and Multi-Product Use role and Central Operations Manager, Premium Products | Amsterdam | Community, DM Praveen R. - this role is on his team!
- The Shopify APM Program application is officially open - closes Jan 30th | Remote, US & Canada | Community, we also have many Shopify members in the community!
- Vessi is hiring a Program Manager, Retail Operations on the Business Excellence team | Likely hybrid, Vancouver-based | Community, DM Justin C. to get connected with the hiring manager
- HiMama is hiring for a Revenue Operations Coordinator | Toronto or Remote | Community, check out this thread
- Dolly is hiring for a Strategy & Operations Manager | US out of FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, MT, OH, OR, TN, TX, WI, CA, NY or WA | Community, go work with Fairuz - check out this thread for more info!
- Hopper is hiring a Sr. Product Manager | Remote | Community, check out this post from Wafic with more detail!
Looking for more opportunities? Head to the community job board!
Dealing with Reporting Changes
[Additional context removed for confidentiality]
Thanks to Marlies F., Haley L., Jordan M. and Saumil S. for this advice! 💚
- Breathe + Pause! "Step One breathe, take some time to sit with this, it may not be easy to accept, but the more easily you accept this the easier next steps will be! I went through this and it was very tough and I wish I had sat with my feelings more!"
- Expectation Setting - "I totally get this and your feelings are valid! Is there a trusted mentor or your old boss you could talk with about this? I would frame it as setting expectations and ensuring you’re on the same page with what’s happening going forward."
- Get Internal Advice - "Your feelings are totally valid and show that you care. Agree on chatting with your old boss on what insights he/she has. And whatever you do - do not be afraid to ask to be involved in what you want for exposure."
- Communicate Growth Goals - "Have you also talked to your new boss and let him/her know what you are looking for? Before assuming all your previous growth opportunities will no longer exist, I would just layout to your new manager what you liked about your role and what you are hoping for moving forward. You will be surprised on how receptive new managers will welcome this feedback."
Do you have some advice to share? Add it to the thread.
New Job Scaries
Help this community member out - add your thoughts to the thread here.
If you have seven white socks and nine black socks in a drawer, how many socks do you have to pull out blindly in order to ensure you have a matching pair?
Check out the answer here.
Results are in! 🏢 vs 🏠
What do you choose? ⬇️
X WFH 🏠
You can also add your vote to the original poll here!
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