Pros
During my time at xTEN I gained several Microsoft certifications which are heavily attributed to the opportunities and expenses xTEN was happy to provide. They are more than willing to enable their team engage with tech meetups, conferences and online learning platforms, they see any investment into the team's knowledge base as a cost worth covering which is great. Alongside this, the projects the team take on both internally and for clients covers an awesome array of technologies, so work is not only continually interesting but you can build skills and gain confidence in the latest Azure services among other areas. Every Friday there is time set aside for training, where one member of the team will walk through a certain process they are familiar with to ensure knowledge is shared. The team are great, often in IT jobs you can come across an unapproachable member who keeps their cards close to their chest, but no one is like that at xTEN. Everyone is happy to answer questions regarding process or jump on a call and screenshare if anyone gets stuck. The team approach projects as a company task rather than an individual. While there are owners for projects, the ideology is that no one should feel like they're stuck and can't ask for help, as everyone is more than willing to get involved including Phil the Managing Director. The company operates a strong feedback loop and is open to changes in process to continue to build efficiency and job satisfaction. Staff are encouraged to criticise different aspects of their day to day, and from this I witnessed this shape the company approach to service and project management, improving the teams workflow and building stronger relationships with clients.
Cons
The company keeps itself lean, so if some are not used to self-management, task prioritisation and autonomy then it may initially be difficult to ensure projects are approached in the correct order. That said, there are daily check ins and and Work In Progress meetings for the team to catch up which gives ample room for any re-evaluations or questions regarding priorities.
