What is it like to work at SiteHost? Hear about the opportunities and our culture straight from some of our team.
Fred joined our Operations team after moving to New Zealand from Canada. Like most of that team he started out solving customers’ support requests and has taken on a wider range of work over time.
How long have you been with SiteHost?
One year.
What appealed to you when you applied to join?
I was looking for an opportunity to kick start my career as I had graduated University a few years prior. SiteHost reached out to me shortly after I put my application through and I started the vetting process.
I didn't really know much about web hosting at the time but since web is so multi-faceted, I thought it would be a great opportunity to touch on a few different things all at once.
What have you learned, or gotten better at, while you’ve been working here?
I've gotten much better at handling myself in a Linux environment. I learned troubleshooting methods and processes so I'm organised when solving issues. I've developed my teamwork abilities and learned how to work on collective projects. I've also become resourceful and independent when presented with a problem which I need to solve.
Since we use a multitude of different tools/scripts written in different languages, I've been picking things up on the daily. I mainly work with bash, PHP and Python but also use Ansible and Docker quite a lot. I'm now familiar with CMSs such as WordPress and Silverstripe, as well as integrated Web hosting tools like cPanel and Plesk. I've also had to learn how domains and DNS work, along with networking and hardware.
What does a normal working day look like for you?
We have daily meetings with the team to discuss ongoing projects and debrief what has happened while we were away. When I first started, I was learning the ropes so I was mostly working on support tickets that came through and helping customers over the phone. Soon I was given larger tasks, like website migrations or improving our infrastructure. Not one day has been the same since I've started, which is awesome, and I've been improving my table tennis skills over lunch time.
How would you describe your team?
I think anyone who works here will tell you that the team is everything at SiteHost. It's evident that SiteHost puts people first because they nurture every individual who works here. There's a reason this business has stood the test of time: Things like listening to feedback, being open to change, and making sure every member of the team feels comfortable and challenged have all contributed hugely to its success. Everyone here is genuine and supportive of each other and I'm happy to have become friends with many on my team.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining the SiteHost team?
I was really green when I first started so I was worried that I might've bitten off more than I can chew. But if you're keen and you're not shy to ask for help, the team will support you and you'll surprise yourself at how much you can learn in a short amount of time.
Jenny is part of our Sales team. New customers rely on her advice and help, and current customers work with her to make improvements to their hosting. She works from home, collaborating regularly with Operations and other teams.
How long have you been with SiteHost?
One year.
What appealed to you when you were thinking about joining?
I didn’t know anything about the company in the beginning. I applied as I was working in Sales, and I have an IT bachelor degree (which I had never put into practice before).
What appealed to me when I was first interviewed by Nathan was the friendly atmosphere. It didn’t almost feel like an interview - it was chill, casual, but informative at the same time. I was coming from the UAE, where the work environment is so formal that we had to address everyone with formality, as Ms, Mr, Ma’am or Sir.
What have you learned, or gotten better at, while you’ve been working here?
Communication - I’ve always thought that I’m a good communicator but since joining SiteHost I know that I’ve improved my communication with colleagues and clients.
Organisation - With the internal systems implemented by SiteHost, everything is in place which makes it easier to find everything and focus on being productive.
Problem Solving - SiteHost made me realise that if a customer asks us if we can do something complicated then, yes, we can do it. The question is, is it worth doing it? During my tenure here, I’ve always seen how hard our team is working, trying to find a solution for customers even if it is beyond our usual services. I am always observing and trying to learn how to handle the same situation and I’ve gotten better at it :)
Self-confidence - We take pride in the quality of SiteHost products and services. I am always confident when I tell customers how well we are doing and that our team can help them if they face any issues. And that reassurance comes through in how I feel at work!
What does a normal working day look like for you?
My normal tasks are attending sales calls for SiteHost and MyHost, being on live chat for MyHost and Domains Direct, and answering inbound calls and tickets across the same brands. When there are jobs to do for a customer (like migrations or server upgrades) I create the provisioning tickets that hand those over to the Operations team. If I get more time, I’ll carry out some lead generation, calling prospective customers.
Even though I’m remote, there’s a lot of teamwork throughout my days. Everyone is so keen to help each other.
SiteHost cares for the welfare of their employees and they respect when people have to take the day off sick, or have some personal matters to attend to. The flexibility of working from home is great. I like how they sent care packages, organise gifts for Christmas (which we call cryptic end-of-year gifts), and care for one another (like a family) when covid-19 was rampant in Auckland. I wasn’t personally part of that but I love watching people help one another. It’s a healthy work culture.
On the other side, my workplace is our family room so I see my family (especially my 1-year-old daughter walking and giggling around) while working. Since I work 4 or 5 hours ahead of NZ time, when I say lunch in our team chat, that means breakfast for me. My working hours end around 2pm, which means I can still spend some time in the afternoon with my family :)
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining the SiteHost team?
This is a place where they encourage upskilling and growth, so if you’re the type of person that loves taking on new challenges, this is the right place for you.
Flynn, one of our newer recruits, joined SiteHost straight out of university. He is on an established paths starting in Operations, which is the best place to learn the ropes, on his way towards the Product and Automation team.
How long have you been with SiteHost?
Five months.
What appealed to you when you applied to join?
I liked the variety in the role. It sounded like SiteHost were working with some pretty cool tech and in a lot of different areas, so I’d have an opportunity to find what interests me. I also really liked the interview process which was a series of challenges, some programming and some Linux admin tasks which gave me a good feel for what I would be doing in the role.
What have you learned, or gotten better at, while you’ve been working here?
I’ve learned heaps over the few months that I’ve been here. Recently I’ve been doing some work with AWS and learning about filesystems. My knowledge about Linux and Docker has really improved. From not really knowing what Docker was before I started here, it is now something I use daily and feel confident with.
What does a normal working day look like for you?
If you’re the first into work, make sure the coffee machine is on. I’ll start off checking support tickets then have a chat with my manager about projects we’re working on, like data centre alert monitoring. He gives me some pointers about the direction we should go in, then I spend the rest of the day working on making that happen and checking tickets.
Also if it's a Thursday there's squash at 1.
How would you describe your team?
The team is hard-working and knowledgeable. If you ever get stuck you just need to ask around and someone will be able to point you in the right direction. Everyone is approachable and the knowledge gets shared around.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining the SiteHost team?
Be ready to learn heaps and work on some interesting projects.