Who: Julia Squiers
Position: Business Analyst
Start Date: Originally, I started in February 2015 as a Marketing Intern, then participated in the Silverline Academy in the summer of 2015 and started as a Business Analyst in July 2015.
Fun fact: I have flown a plane. For my 21st birthday, I got a class bundle to go fly a plane, I went to a class and got to steer and land a small plane with a certified pilot next to me.
What was your experience in the Silverline Academy?
Silverline Academy is a really great opportunity for people interested in Silverline’s career paths to gain hands-on experience. As part of the Academy, I got to spend the summer working on internal projects at Silverline. We refined and enhanced the product support department, worked as product support members, and did various internal projects to really learn Silverline’s methodology, and work on our skills in Salesforce and Consulting. I was very focused on the Engagement Manager path when I was in the Academy, and I got a lot of opportunities to utilize relevant skills. It was interesting being the only girl in the Academy, but it was a really great group of people to work with, and I had a lot of support at Silverline.
What is your current position at Silverline?
I currently work as a Business Analyst at Silverline, which involves assisting on projects and taking key roles in smaller projects such as Engagement Manager or Solutions Architect. I’m really working on defining my career path and developing the skills that I need to eventually become an Engagement Manager. The work varies, I could be doing anything from building things in Salesforce to working with clients, creating client documentation and mitigating risks. I’m trying to become a Jack of All Trades and learn a little bit of everything.
How did you originally find out about Silverline?
I was looking on Linkedin for jobs that had to do with Data Analysis because I have a background in Psychological Research. I found Silverline and was reading about the Marketing Intern position, and although it wasn’t research it was definitely very interesting, so I just decided to apply and ended up having a great experience.
How did you find out about your current position?
Within two months of working at Silverline, I decided that this is where I wanted to work full-time. There was a little joke in the office that I gave them no choice other than to hire me. I asked around for different positions and started interviewing people for the Day in the Life of a Silverliner blog segment in order to learn more about different positions and figure out what I wanted to do. Then I learned about Silverline Academy and realized it would be a great track for me to eventually become an Engagement Manager. I spoke with everyone involved in the Academy, and the day before Super Day Jonathan approached me and invited me to interview for the Academy the next day.
What is your average day like?
My average day consists of a lot of meetings, documentation, coordinating multiple aspects across projects, and configuration work. I spend a great deal of time talking with clients about project statuses, risks, and general advice to help the project become a success. My day is not always a typical 8 hour day. It changes from each week. As a business analyst, you do so many different types of work that every week is different.
What motivates you?
Definitely what motivates me is the people I work with, and getting to face new challenges. One of the great things about Silverline is how willing everyone is to help each other, and how much people are encouraged to take on challenges to improve their individual skills. I love a good challenge, and I find at Silverline that every week there is something new that I don’t know how to do, and I get to spend time attempting to tackle that problem, but I always know that there are resources available if I need assistance. I’m really motivated by the challenges that working at Silverline brings, and the opportunities to learn and grow.
What are some of the day to day challenges that you face?
Some of the day-to-day challenges are mitigating client risk and developing strategies to help the project run smoothly. For example, one recent project I worked on was with a company that had eight sub-projects. A challenge can be balancing all of the sub-projects and making sure nothing is getting neglected, and that all the teams are working together smoothly.
What do you like most about the work that you do?
What I have always loved about Silverline are the unlimited possibilities to learn and experience new things. Over two years ago I never expected to be where I am now or to know what I know. As long as you are open-minded, working at Silverline creates so many great opportunities.
What do you think makes Silverline a successful company?
Without a doubt, the people that work here make Silverline successful. Everyone loves what they are doing, and it’s a group of really intelligent, passionate individuals. There’s a sense of cohesiveness among a group of people who are all passionate. Everyone really cares about keeping the business going strong and continuously exploring new opportunities. It’s also a very diverse group of people with a lot of different skills.
What new things have you learned while working at Silverline?
What haven’t I learned? I’ve cultivated my event planning skills, learned how to interact with a variety of people, how to help a project run smoothly and identify risks, data management and configuration skills, and negotiation skills.
What is your favorite perk that Silverline offers?
The flexible schedule has definitely been the one that’s come in handy the most. The mentality that Silverline has, where as long as you let your team know when you’re available and get your work done, you can really adjust your schedule to fit your needs. The flexibility really helped me when I was in graduate school because it allowed me to attend classes and finish my degree while working at Silverline.
What is your favorite memory at Silverline?
The Academy as a whole was an amazing experience. Learning everything I did, forming bonds with people in the office, and working with my team for the summer was a great experience and definitely one of my favorite memories.
What do you hope to accomplish in your future at Silverline?
I would really like to continue working with clients and build the skills necessary to end up in the Engagement Manager position. I want to be able to help project teams be successful, and be a great team member, as well as being able to help out with clients.
If you had a friend who was considering working at Silverline, what advice would you give them?
I would tell them to think about their strengths and interests and identify what weaknesses they want to work on. I would tell them to go through all the roles, even the ones that aren’t currently available because if they are a great fit for a position and really passionate, and willing to keep learning, there are a lot of opportunities at Silverline. The interview process can be long, but I would tell them that it is completely worth it, because the people who work here really love what they do and the people they work with, so good things definitely come to those who are patient.
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