Developing a strong team

Olivier may have joined SMART because he felt the products and company culture were innovative and interesting – but the primary reason he stays is that he feels supported and valued by his team.

Since his first day at SMART – three and a half years ago – Olivier says he's been given both respect and responsibility by the product development team, which has increased his confidence and motivation.

"Immediately, I was encouraged to bring my insight to the table – a different perspective. Just that confidence builder – it was enough to hit the ground running, it was a lot easier to get to know my new team, my new product," he says.

Olivier's job is to bridge the gap between the testing team and the product development team as well as implement automation testing for the product – a position that's both integral and unique.

He says that at other companies, software testers aren't always seen as someone with technical expertise, and the outputs from software tests aren't necessarily considered an essential part of the development process.

At SMART though, his knowledge and feedback is an important part of the discussion, and he also gets write code for automation testing.

"The sense of accomplishment that I get from my job is quite high," Olivier says, adding, "It's the combination of having that responsibility in the team, and expertise and support from the team to really push my own ideas on improving our product."

The opportunity to learn and take on new challenges has been particularly important for Olivier, as this is his first professional position out of university. He says that SMART offers a really supportive environment for learning new skills.

"If you are learning something new, your team is going to support you. So if you want to take something you've never played with and are curious about, someone who knows more than you about it will help you get to their level," Olivier says.

Celebrating accomplishments is also an important part of the product development culture at SMART. Olivier says that the completion of a new software upgrade or version is usually celebrated in some way – whether it's an evening of board games and food or by playing paintball or going to the movies.

While the celebrations bring a level of job satisfaction, it's what Olivier would say to his friends about his day-to-day work that tells the true story about starting a career at SMART.

"I would tell them it's rewarding. And I would tell them that the people they are going to work with are really supportive and really amazing."

Sound like something you'd like to be a part of?

Find out more about opportunities at SMART.