5y
Dear colleague,
Reading your scathing review saddens me, especially because it is obviously authentic. I’ve been employed at think-cell for 18 years now. While I cannot simply dismiss your criticism, I do have a different perspective, which I'm hoping might be helpful to provide some context.
First off, according to your review, you are still working at think-cell. If you are, please talk directly to our employers and share your concerns. In my experience, they are absolutely willing to be helpful. You are also welcome to talk to me any time. As you have probably guessed already, my name is Volker, and if you work at think-cell, you’ll know how to get in touch.
Let’s assume you tried this and for some reason, talking didn’t help. Trying to put myself in your shoes, if I'd find myself in a place that doesn't work for me to the degree that I'd call it "toxic", I think I'd go looking for other places where the "chemistry" is better for me. Given that you passed think-cell's rigorous hiring process, you could surely find another job. If you haven't left, I wonder if there is something to like about think-cell after all?
Which brings up the hiring process itself. I know that this is taken very seriously at think-cell, which is why (as you know) all interviews are conducted by the company owners, who will also be your supervisors. The entire hiring process is carefully designed and tweaked over many iterations with one main focus: To save you (and the company) from the situation you apparently find yourself in now. You may not have noticed, but your interest is actually perfectly aligned with think-cell's in this regard: There is absolutely no point in hiring someone who is not going to stay, for whatever reason. It's the purpose of the hiring process to avoid exactly this. To this end, the hiring process tries to be representative of the actual job. Apparently, it failed in your case. If you have suggestions how this could be improved, please let us know.
While I do see some valid points in your review, I cannot relate to your paragraph about our CTO being unavailable and without emotional self-control. You are right, at any given point in time, he is talking to some developer, precisely because he makes himself available as much as physically possible. To get a slot in his schedule, just shoot him an email and he will usually get around to talk to you within the same day. This isn’t a secret and as far as I know it works well for everybody (except you, obviously). Also, his communication is very direct and I understand that it can be received as disrespectful at times. On the other hand, you can talk to him openly and directly, too, and if your arguments hold water, then he won't hesitate to change his opinion and recognize your point. If he gets impatient, in my experience that's because I insisted on an argument that wasn't coherently structured.
Of course, if you feel the way you describe it, then that's totally legitimate and even my best moderating efforts won't change a thing. To me that is indication that, indeed, the chemistry is just wrong between the two of you, which can happen between people, I guess. Anyway, we take your review as a chance to reflect upon and improve the work culture at think-cell.
I wish you all the best for the future, at think-cell or elsewhere.
Volker
