People experience: Joining the projects team

Taking the next steps in your career and joining a new company can be an exciting yet very daunting experience. That’s where Junaid Sarfraz found himself  just over three months ago having selected to move to Datel from another Sage business partner.

Ben Smith, Datel’s HR Advisor, caught up with him to understand more about his experience and what it's been like to join the Datel team.

Ben: It's great to speak with you Junaid, and understand more about what it’s been like to move to Datel. With over 20 years of experience in project management, quality assurance and software development, you must have had a lot of options available to you. Why did you consider Datel and what did you look for?

Junaid: When I am looking for a job, money is not everything. It's also about the company and if I’ll be happy there. Datel is a company that I was interested to get to know as I’d heard about them from within the Sage reseller channel.

As part of my job search, I looked at a few companies in and outside the industry, and spoke to friends and trusted advisors. I looked at reviews of Datel, Companies House data, and LinkedIn, amongst other things. I wanted to get a good idea as to what the company is like, if your values and culture align with mine, and where the business is heading.

A projects role at Datel was of interest to me as the longevity of the role and opportunities within it appealed to me.

Ben: And so, what’s your experience so far? Have we lived up to what you expected? 

Junaid: What really appealed to me about the role was working collaboratively with a group of friendly, helpful people who share their knowledge and expertise. That’s certainly been my experience so far.

From the very start of the recruitment process to today, I see how supportive teams and individuals are. The HR team were great through the interview stage, sharing details around the role, the offer, rewards and benefits, the people and the business. The hiring managers were great at giving me an insight into the role and the team, and the conversations I had with different people made this feel like the right place for me.

The interview process demonstrated how professional, but personal the organisation is and how you really look for the right candidate to fit the role in terms of expertise and how they fit within the team. The managers also showed empathy and understanding within the interview process, which for me was very different to the outside perception of Datel that some people had warned me to be cautious about.

Along with my research and first impressions, a respected close professional contact called me and recommended Datel as a good company to work for. So, I thought I’d go ahead with the opportunity.

Ben: What have you learnt since engaging with us?

Junaid: What I discovered is that Datel people are very well looked after. For example, if we have a workload that is too much, we can just raise it and the team and manager listen and consider our wellbeing. This is supported by the overall culture, and the practical wellbeing resources available for Datel staff.

Every single person that I've spoken to, from the executive team to my immediate team members, and beyond, are extremely professional and have been very supportive.

Ben: And what are you enjoying about your role at Datel now you've had some time to settle in?

Junaid: What I particularly like about how the team works is their commitment to quality.  They would rather deliver quality and success the first time, than to have multiple passes on a project. I like the commitment from the company to the customers to deliver the right solutions for them. Time and effort is spent getting things right the first time and quality is never compromised.

So, the experience I have right now is that Datel people are very supportive. Everyone looks out for each other. And for me, that's what I was looking for from my new role. I’m happy to be here and looking forward to the future at Datel.

If you are interested in Datel as the next step in your career, take a look at our current vacancies or get in touch. We’re always keen to hear from experienced project managers and consultants to join our growing and experienced team. Just get in touch and ask for me, Ben Smith.