Last week, online survey giant, Survey Monkey, visited the Claremont Colleges for an informational session. There was a generous amount of students from the 5C’s in attendance, with two from Scripps (get out there, ladies!).
What is Survey Monkey?
Aside from the numerous surveys I get from seniors (THESIS), I did not know much about Survey Monkey as a company and what services they offered. During the presentation, I learned that Survey Monkey is an incredible business based in Portland and Palo Alto, that specifically designs a platform to offer consumers analytical marketing and informational data collected from a larger audience.
Whether you are PepsiCo trying to figure out what demographics prefer Cola or you are a small business trying to gather feedback about potential new products, Survey Monkey is there to gather data efficiently, and at the fraction of the cost of hiring large consulting firms.
Fun fact: Survey Monkey’s CEO, Dave Goldberg, is the husband of business-extraordinaire, Sheryl Sandberg, the current COO of Facebook. AKA, the coolest woman alive!
Company Culture
Why work for them? If you met the recruiters in person, you’d know why! They are ridiculously cool and personable, not in the creepy cheery way! I really got the sense that they all truly love their jobs and that the company takes pride in treating their employees well.
They seem to like us, too = free swag (pens, notebook, and T-shirts)
Even though the company was established in the late 90’s from the founder’s college dorm, Survey Monkey only started expanding rapidly in the last five years. Rapidly is an understatement, more like skyrocketed into prominence. The company is turning global and established offices in Portugal and Luxembourg, with plans to expand further.
Survey Monkey is unique, since it has the feel of a startup, yet the benefits of a large corporation. Like a startup, there is a fast agenda and everyone there works at full speed. The office dress code is casual jeans and a shirt. Plus, people from all positions occupy the same space, sitting next to people from the CEO to your team leader. At the same time, the company matches all donations, 401K contributions (which is extremely rare at startups!), give free gym stipends, reimburse travel expenses (car and bike), and give flexible vacation time! Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.
Internships?
So at the moment, they do not have an internship program in place. They are awaiting a budget approval from the Board to hire interns and they won’t be ready until 2014. No fear! They are still looking for interns and are seeking students and recent grads in all subjects for the upcoming summer!
Interns they found successful in the past are those who has a deep level of empathy with the willingness to learn their product and optimize customer support. It typically takes interns at least 3 months to understand their company’s product, so the task seems more well-suited for college graduates rather than undergrads.
Ending thoughts.
The one piece of advice the recruiters had for us was urging us to find our perfect “fit.” At Survey Monkey, that is what they are primarily looking for. I don’t think you necessarily have to graduate with a Computer Science degree or have a “passion for survey-making” to be successful at Survey Monkey. Your ability to roll with the punches and possessing an undying passion for learning will make you a better candidate over the person who has a hard time working in a team environment.
To me, working at Survey Monkey sounds like a graduate’s dream job! I really hope y’alls do your research and really try to find a company that is a good fit for you!
Need more info?
Please contact me directly at SHsu9053 [at] scrippscollege [dot] edu.