James Tyson shares his experience of joining Zone as a data strategist.
- Who I am and what I do
I’m James and I’m a data strategist. I’m originally from Bristol but have lived all across the south of England and spent two years working in Seattle. When I came back from the US I knew I wanted to still work in a big city and so decided to look for roles in London.
2. Why I chose to join Zone
I first found out about Zone from a long-term friend (now colleague) who raved about the interesting work and talented people who work here. From the early interview stages I knew it was going to be a great place to work, as we were able to have an engaging conversation, as opposed to the standard interviewer interrogation format in some other companies. I chose Zone as I was excited to work alongside intelligent, friendly and passionate people.
3. I have mainly been working on…
My focus so far has been to support all the data-related activities, such as data measurement & reporting, on a large financial services client. This has been really rewarding as it has allowed me to work with various teams for the first time. I have also been working with the other data professionals at Zone to expand our data knowledge and collaborate on upskilling and developing data propositions.
4. The most important thing I have learned is…
There is a lot of opportunity for personal development, especially in the data profession. Zone has given me the ability to start working on some really interesting use cases of data that I had not previously experienced, and allow for the chance to train and develop new skills using training resources that can be then be used in real-life work situations.
5. The most surprising thing about Zone is…
The level of trust it has in its employees. When you start at Zone they have acknowledged you are someone they feel can fit the Zone culture, and therefore give you a large amount of trust. Flexibility has been something I have really appreciated from over the past six months, especially after moving back to the UK and bouncing around the country finding somewhere to settle.
6. My one piece of advice for other new starters is…
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and suggest ideas early on. This is the best way to learn fast and make sure you are contributing from the first few weeks,
7. Describe Zone in three words
Kind, clever & quirky
