Week 2: 6/7-6/11: Organizational Culture

Week two at Porter Isaac has given me a lot of insight on how the organization operates, the attitudes and expectations of the company, the cultural norms of the company, and really how Porter Isaac functions as a whole. To begin, Derick Simmons, the CEO and my site supervisor, runs the company on a very casual and colloquial basis. Derick is an extremely extroverted and friendly person, and immediately made me feel extremely comfortable working for him, even though I do not have any previous experience working in recruiting. Derick made me feel welcomed, and he also assured me that there are no dumb questions in this process. Actually, throughout the week he continually complimented me on the questions I was asking and told me that my questions were very impressive and that I had a good ear for detail. This showed me that Derick is very detail-oriented and also cares deeply about his employees; he wants me to have a good experience as much as I would like to have a good experience. Because my internship is remote, this is very important for me to get a sense of company culture and also have good relationships with other employees and my boss. Another major aspect to the dynamic of Porter Isaac is that it is an extremely small company. It is only made up of Derick and his VP, Mike Miller, who also happens to be his partner. This means that their work dynamic is very informal, as they live together and openly talk about all of their ideas and insights. Their only other employee is Cassidy Bennetti, a Richmond and Jepson graduate! Cassidy won’t be starting until July so as of now it is just myself, Derick, and Mike. In general, Derick and I talk on Zoom once per day. These Zoom meetings, while very informative and professional, also can be fun and informal because we talk in a conversational way about the topic for the day. For example, if we are talking about a potential new client of Derick’s he will share his honest, candid opinions of them and also ask me for my own ideas. I think this makes for a very positive work environment where all employees feel comfortable, important, and heard. The only recommendation I would have as of now for enhancing Porter Isaac would be to expand the company! Derick and Mike work very hard and could certainly use some help, so I think the addition of Cassidy will certainly benefit the company. I’m very excited to continue to learn more about the dynamics of Porter Isaac!