My first day at ZestMoney

It was in October 2018 when I officially became a part of the Zestmoney team. It all began with my quest for a job opportunity that would help me create a positive impact. Although, I had made my way up to a couple of amazing job offers, certain apprehensions kept me from accepting them. It’s true that not all that glitters is gold. I continued looking out for the right window of opportunity that could align with my interests like never before. That’s when ZestMoney happened.

Firstly, let me break the ground by talking about ZestMoney’s interview process, which was certainly not a conventional one. Apart from the interactions being focused on technical competency, they also looked out for other aspects such as a good personality and desire to work in a fast-paced culture.

The clarity with which the interviewers explained the agenda of the company was so positive and compelling that I believed in their vision right away. I was really impressed and wanted to learn more about the incredibly talented team at ZestMoney. All the employee reviews on Glassdoor endorsed things that were mentioned to me during my interview process. With an in-depth understanding of the challenges that I would be facing, I decided to embark on this promising journey.

I remember my first day at ZestMoney like it was yesterday. I entered the office and joined a small group of new joiners. After a short wait, we were guided into the conference room for the induction process. The HR Manager of ZestMoney, helped us understand the company’s vision, mission, journey so far and future targets. It was a wonderful feeling to have been welcomed with kits and goodies.

Despite trying hard to focus on the first day formalities I couldn’t help but be impressed by the design and architecture of the office. The colourful walls and themed decor fostered not only a sense of vivid creativity and art but instilled in us a sense of comfort and confidence. Also, the free food, games room and the choice of a Mac laptop, only sweetened the deal.

Being a young woman interested in the world of business and technology, it was impossible for me to contain my excitement on meeting the company CEO, Lizzie Chapman. It is not very often we see women building and leading a technology company from the ground up. I knew about her as the one with the unfathomable desire to revolutionise the fintech industry in India, the one who took the road less travelled to bring ZestMoney its success.

I then met the VP of the Engineering, Prashant Bhadauria who was my hiring manager as well. Knowing his immense passion for technology, I had prepped myself for my first interaction. However, he simply asked me to hear out a tech discussion between him and the team as I eased myself on a comfortable sofa, sipping my tea. That’s when I gauged the coolness quotient of Zest.

The day passed by and I met more people from different teams and learnt about the various futuristic technologies such as AI and ML being used. Thinking about the magnitude of knowledge I could gain working alongside such passionate and talented individuals, I felt delighted to have joined team ZestMoney.

So far, I have witnessed some of the best tech-trainings, town halls and inspiring tech talks from the co-founders of the company. ZestMoney is not about doing things the conventional way but it’s about constantly adapting to changes while giving it our best.

It has been a month so far and this opportunity has not failed to keep me on my toes. As a technologist, my contribution towards the technical aspect of the company is as was mentioned to me by the team. In addition to this, I was encouraged to take new initiatives contributing to various other aspects of the company’s growth.

I can definitely see myself growing along with the company. It’s always about painting the canvas of success together, as a team. All of it makes me believe so much more, that I am in the right place. ZestMoney turned out to be the window of opportunity that aligned with my interests like never before. It has been a profoundly satisfying experience so far but what’s even better, is knowing that this is just the beginning! :)

If there’s anything more you’d like to know about ZestMoney, my journey so far, or anything else, please feel free to connect.

My first day at ZestMoney! was originally published in ZestMoney Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.