A New Job: I'll really be "Intuit"

I got the Job

For those of you who were at coffee when I was home alone, you know what I’m talking about.

For the rest of you, I’ll start at the beginning.

My wife left for the weekend. Hopped on a plane and headed to Vancouver for her brother’s wedding. The day after she left, I got an email from Graham Thompson, Talent Acquisition for Intuit, the makers of Quickbooks, Quicken, Quick Tax and I’m sure a few others. I figured it was a long shot for the job but I want a career in software development and they seemed to be a reasonable fit. C++ is their specialty, and it’s mine too, so we seemed to be a pretty good match.

Sunday came, and I had a 30-minute phone interview with Graham after I spent a few hours going over things I would say, trying to relax and trying to build up my confidence.

I kicked that interview’s ass.

Graham told me, at the end, that I sounded like a reasonable candidate for the position they were hiring for. I figured I’d get a second interview.

That Friday, I did.

When Kim sprained her ankle, I took two days off to take care of her, and that allowed me the opportunity to sneak off for a bit for a face-to-face interview with Jim Whitelaw, the hiring manager. It turned out that he interviewed me with a senior Software Engineer (though that may change soon if Apegga has their way). Partway through the interview, Jim turned to the senior man and said, “Do you have any more questions for him?” He said, “Yeah, but he’ll get them. Do you want me to ask them anyway?” At that point, I was fairly confident that I would get the job. They asked some good problem-solving questions, some programming questions and some about my history of conflict-resolution, predicting how long it would take me to finish a project and things of that nature. I had good answers for all of them. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure. I wasn’t ready to hand in my resignation, anyway.

Yesterday, I found out that they were going to offer me a package. Today I found out what the package was going to be. Either tomorrow or the next day, I’m going to go to Intuit and sign an agreement and I’m going to give my notice at the Big Red (hustling on!). The money is more than I expected out of a junior position and as much as I’m making now. With taking a car off the road, not using the gas, balanced by a bus pass, I’ll be taking home more than I was before and doing what I want to do for a living, not to mention that I’ll be at the bottom of the totem-pole, rather than at the top, so my opportunities for advancement will be more prevalent.

While 2006 started with a fairly nondescript aura, it’s turned out to be a fairly significant year. Thank god for the green years.

According to Intuit.ca:
Perks:

Fitness Incentive and Games Room:
Our Edmonton office has a gymnasium and associated equipment onsite. Our onsite fitness facility is complete with treadmill, weights, exercise bike, showers and towel service. Our games room is equipped with a big-screen TV, VCR, billiards and fooseball! We have nap rooms too - three of them; each with a bed, bedding, nightstand, reading lamp and clock radio. Calgary and remote employees are eligible to receive a fitness incentive to help defray the cost of a gym membership or monthly gym fees.

Tuition Assistance:
Employees who choose to continue their education through an accredited school may qualify for assistance with books and tuition. Intuit reimburses employees up to $2,000 per fiscal year for job- or career-related courses.

Computer Loan Program:
After six months of regular employment, employees can borrow up to $3,000 to purchase a computer. The loan is interest free and is paid back through payroll deductions.

Product Discounts:
Employees enjoy substantial discounts on Intuit products.

Corporate Giving:
Intuit encourages and supports employees' community involvement efforts through the We Care and Give Back Program. It includes two components:

Employee Volunteer Program:
Employees are encouraged to develop and demonstrate leadership skills by organizing team volunteer activities. The program includes financial support and time off to volunteer for corporate approved projects and programs.

Employee Matching Program:
Intuit provides matching funds to charitable organizations that employees personally support, and/or funds raised through an individual's personal efforts for a charitable organization. We match donations made by eligible employees, dollar for dollar, up to $1,200.

Adoption Assistance:
To help offset the cost of adopting a child, Intuit reimburses up to $4,500 (net) per adoption.

On-Site Cafeteria:
The Edmonton location has a cafeteria on site, which includes a sandwich-bar/deli, salad bar, soups, pizza, pastas, roasted turkey, beef or pork, desserts, fruit - just about anything.