Onboarding at Progress: An Interview with Sridhar Rambhatla, Software Development Engineer in Test

Sridhar Rambhatla is a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) on the OpenEdge team. He is part of the QA Center of Excellence (CoE), testing the quality and reliability of the application development platform used by thousands of enterprises globally.

How did you first come across the job opening at Progress and what made you apply?

I came across the job opening on the Careers page on the Progress website while looking for Software Developer Engineer in Test roles. As my previous internship sparked my interest in testing, and I’ve always had a passion for Software Development, I believed that an SDET role would be the perfect fit. I also knew that Progress would provide an excellent opportunity to develop in the role that I want. Furthermore, Progress's reputation as a people-first company also helped in making my decision to join easier.

How would you describe your interaction with team members during the interview process? How did these interactions impact your perception of the company?

The Talent Acquisition (TA) team was very helpful beginning with our initial conversation, providing a lot useful information regarding the role, team and product. The interview process was smooth and very informative. My conversation with the hiring manager was very insightful to understand more about the role and responsibilities which give me clarity and set the right expectations from the very beginning.

You had several job offers on the table; what factors ultimately made you choose Progress?

One of the major factors that influenced my decision was the interview with my hiring manager. There, I understood the responsibilities of the role and aligned with the manager’s vision. Progress employees’ online reviews regarding the work culture and work-life balance were also a huge factor in making the decision to join the company.

Once you joined, how have you been onboarded within the team and Progress overall? Tell us a bit more about the process and involved parties.

My onboarding started with the TA team giving me an introduction to the Progress products and general processes. The TA and IT teams did a fabulous job with setting up my financials, accounts and laptop. With their help, I was all settled in quite quickly. My manager and teammates were welcoming and my role-based knowledge transfer was also done very efficiently by my mentor. The onboarding process took 2 weeks, including all the role-specific training that was needed for my role in the team. I had a bi-weekly call with my manager where I received constant feedback on the onboarding process and overall performance.

What message or advice would you like to share with individuals currently going through the recruitment process with our company?

My general advice would be to just be authentic during the interviews and express yourself clearly. Apart from this, I would wish them good luck for their recruitment process with Progress and hopefully joining our team!

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