Joining a new company can be incredibly challenging — from meeting a whole new team, getting your computer set-up properly, building rapport with a new manager, taking on new responsibilities, learning new tasks; the list goes on… Now imagine making that transition while working remotely!
As daunting as that may sound, many employees at Nextdoor are proving the transition isn’t as difficult as it might seem! We are proud of our team’s consistent growth for the past year despite the many changes the global pandemic has presented. Now — more than any other time — we feel it is our responsibility to make the onboarding process as seamless as possible for new employees to feel welcomed to the Nextdoor community.
Since we have officially passed the one year mark of working remotely, we decided to ask some of our new neighbors to reflect on their remote onboarding experience.
Describe what your onboarding experience was like.
“My onboarding experience was amazing! I was so impressed by the Welcome Wagons and felt like they provided a great overview of all teams across Nextdoor. My onboarding class was a group of 5, so it felt very personable. I was amazed to meet some of the founders and Sarah within my first week. Meeting my team for the first time was so fun. Everyone was so friendly and tried to make me feel as welcome as possible!” Ashley Slavich, Recruiting Coordinator
“The warmest welcoming I’ve had in my professional career (26 years)! I was gobsmacked in the best possible way to receive the video hug greeting from my new teammates before I started, and then seeing and virtually meeting my fellow Welcome Wagon colleagues was a treat. So special and what sets Nextdoor apart.” Aisling McDonagh, Client Partner
What has been your favorite thing about working from home?
“My favorite thing about working from home has been the time saved from commuting. Compared to previous experiences when I’ve had to commute over an hour each way for work, having extra time in the morning to exercise and prepare for the day has been great.” Shaunt Attarian, Data Scientist
The ability to simply run around Lake Merritt between meetings to get that joult of energy from endorphins has been a game-changer! Feeling under the weather? Put on some jogging shorts & run! Second, probably spending all the extra time with fiancé + our corgi, Yuzu. Yuzu has been successful at lobbying us to push the start of his dinner earlier & earlier (pre-pandemic from 5pm to 2pm) so I think he’d also agree. Pawel Dlugosz, Fraud Prevention Specialist
How do you maintain a good balance between work and home life?
“I try to go on a walk at Lake Merritt immediately after the workday ends before I have dinner. I look forward to it every day as a way to close out the day — plus that’s also when it’s peak hour at the dog park so I always time my walks accordingly.” Jamie Li, Product Marketing Manager
“I have a 4.5 year old daughter who keeps me on my toes! I have incentive to stay as young and healthy as possible for as long as possible for her. I do a home HIIT workout before bringing her to school and then take a quick walk (grab a tea/coffee, walk to mailbox, etc), a walking meeting if possible or do something active at least twice during the day.” Aisling McDonagh, Client Partner
How would you describe Nextdoor’s remote culture?
“The culture is great! The welcome video really solidified that I had made the right decision culturally. People went out of their way to set up 1:1’s and Slacked me to introduce themselves felt like the equivalent of people stopping by my desk (in pre-covid times) to say hello.” Christie Day, Designer
“I really like how Nextdoor makes the space for conversations and events outside of our immediate functions. We have a great speaker series where notable guests come to share their thoughts and experiences in various industries. We have a number of communications channels where we share inspiring, funny or newsworthy stories and have discussions about them.” Jungmoo Kim, Product Manager
How have you felt connected with Nextdoor while WFH?
“I LOVE all the groups and ERGs at Nextdoor. It definitely makes me feel at home. I joined KIND, Jew-ish, and am in the non-profits group. I also love the value of mental health, and the opportunities to do and teach meditation and yoga!” Anna Akullian, Community Manager
“I eagerly look forward to Friday’s company-wide All Hands meeting. It’s informative and a lot of fun to have the whole company descend into one single chat thread on Slack and hash out with emojis. Last year, we held a Binge Madness (Nextdoor’s version of March Madness) where employees ranked television shows against each other. Events like this make me feel closer to the company. Despite the fact that I’ve been remote since the beginning, it doesn’t feel like I’ve only been working from home!” Magesh Vadivelu, Software Engineer
What advice would you give to a new employee joining Nextdoor remotely?
“My biggest piece of advice is to break up your day. It’s easy to stay planted in one spot and plug into work but giving your brain a break to do something else (even laundry) is important.” Jamie Li, Product Marketing Manager
“Ask lots of questions and dive in! If you have an idea, it will generally be supported, so think big, get creative and have fun. Also, put random coffee dates with folks on your calendar. The folks at Nextdoor are lovely and it’s been such a joy to get to know people on both a personal and professional level.” Anna Akullian, Community Manager
“You’re in good hands. A firehose of information will be opened up in those early weeks, but don’t feel pressured to absorb it all. Join as many Slack channels as possible, expose yourself to every aspect of the company virtually, make your presence visible. Don’t miss an opportunity to simply connect with your work colleagues via the mighty Donut plugin. Also, take advantage of Small Improvements Praise feature! It’s such a morale booster to people, just showing appreciation for things — small or big — that really stand out in the day-to-day.” Pawel Dlugosz, Fraud Prevention Specialist
We are incredibly proud of our new neighbors and their ability to adapt to the many unexpected changes this past year has introduced. From virtual happy hours, team “home-sites,” far too many Slack messages, and navigating the company from the comfort of home, we are excited and optimistic about the opportunity within the next few months to meet in person all of the wonderful new employees that joined Nextdoor during the last year.
We’re hiring! Come join #TeamNextdoor — check out our open roles here!
