The first 12 months in a new role is a crucial time full of learning, building new relationships and establishing yourself within a business or organisation.
Kevin Lau, Software Test Engineer at Nimble Approach, recently told us about his journey into the role and how the first year has gone so far.
Name: Kevin Lau
Company: Nimble Approach
Job Title: Software Test Engineer
What’s your professional background and interests?
Just an ordinary graduate who was trying to look for a job after Uni, I was able to land a job in the financial industry as a processing clerk. But it wasn’t for me. I was happy to land a role in testing as what fascinated me the most was, how do I break the system, in a good way so the systems we use today are more robust and secure.
What attracted you to this role and company?
I wanted a new challenge after working in the banking industry for 8 years, and after completing my ISTQB foundation I found out the testing I was doing was only scraping the surface of what we should be doing. By working with Nimble Approach one of the most attractive parts of the company to me is they give me time to learn, and you will never get bored as there’s always lots of different projects and clients, so there's definitely always new things to learn there.
P.S. There are always great social gatherings within Nimble, they do not disappoint.
What does a typical day look like?
I can say every day is definitely not the same besides having a nice cuppa coffee in the morning. Usually join client standups to check what needs doing on a JIRA board, and us testers will work with the devs making sure things are built correctly before they are deployed into the test environment. If the development and the 3 amigo session goes well, this is where the fun part begins “TESTING!”. Don’t forget to reach out to the test team to see how people are doing and there is always time for a quick natter.
What are the key challenges in your role?
One of the challenges I faced during my first 12 months in the role is how much I needed to learn. Everyday I’m learning something new and I am grateful that the client and Nimble Approach provides me with support to ensure I have got the right resources and knowledge to do the job.
What has surprised you most in the last 12 months?
I was very surprised with how fast pace consultancy can be. E.g. One day you can be with a client who wants us to use a technology which I’ve never been exposed to, the next we can be helping another team to upskill and advise their testing teams. This has resulted in upskilling my people skills (using the correct language etc) as well as my technical abilities and knowledge.
What are the best bits about the role?
Definitely the people in Nimble, we are a big family who leave their ego at the door before coming into work, everyone is so supportive. Each practice has their own Community of Practice (CoP) . This means if we do not know how to approach a situation or even the way to learn a new tech, there are these channels of communication to help support us. This was best part of my learning from trying to learn new tech/language and transition from a manual tester to an automation tester.
How would you describe the company culture?
Nimble Approach puts their people first, in terms of monthly feed-back about the company (what can be improved) and actually slowly implement change to make the company a better place to work for. They also put mental health as a high priority and do not shy away from talking about it. During the mental health month in 2022 we received so many gifts (physical and digital) to ensure our mental mental health is in check, I thought it was Christmas. Nimble has a work hard play hard culture but we also have flexible working, which means that I can have a good work life balance. Even though everyone in Nimble might be on different clients, we definitely will not decline a good social session and catching up.
Can you share details of one project/achievement you are most proud of since starting in this role?
One of the main things for me is to get recognised for all the hard work you do with the client, it is rare to find a company that values personal growth and appreciates hard work. I would definitely recommend Nimble Approach to anyone if they are looking for personal development and will accept a challenge because you will 110% be supported.
Thank you Kevin!
Learn more about careers at Nimble Approach here.
