‘Why Qualtrics’ – Natalie Cass – Recruiter – Dallas

My journey with Qualtrics started just over 4 years ago. A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn and I didn’t think much of it. I figured I would at least hear them out. After learning more about the company, I was hooked. Hooked enough to relocate from my hometown state of Ohio where all of my friends and family were to embark on a new and unknown journey with Qualtrics in Utah.

When I started I was working out of our HQ in UT carpooling into work with a colleague that I had just met. I lived about an hour commute away from the office. First thing at the office - coffee. No one wanted to be the first to put on the one old school drip coffee machine. Our Recruiting team was a total of 7 I think and Qualtrics was hovering around the 400 employee mark. Our team continued to grow as did the company. One office after the next started popping up and before I knew it I was being tapped on the shoulder for an opportunity in our new Dallas, TX Sales office. I loved Utah, being in HQ with my team, and the functions I was recruiting for at the time but the opportunity to be the first recruiter in a brand new office was too good to pass up. I took the opportunity, leaving my fiance behind in Utah, for my next adventure.

When I started in Dallas about 2.5 years ago the total team was about 20 people. Today we are close to reaching the 90 employee mark. I was the only Recruiter here for about a year before growing our team to 3 recruiters in Dallas today. During that year solo I could have felt like I was on an island, but the sales team took me in as their own.

Today I walk to the Dallas office from my nearby apartment. Still getting that coffee first thing, but we have way better coffee machines. No more waiting for drip coffee to brew! We now have 30+ global recruiters and Qualtrics just surpassed the 2k employee mark with 17+ offices.

Oh how the times have changed!

Why did I join Qualtrics?

What got me excited to join Qualtrics are some of the very things that keep me so satisfied in my role today. The people I met with throughout the interview process were not only the nicest people you’ve ever met, but some of the brightest. I thought that it would be a privilege to get to work alongside them. The opportunity of course was exciting. Working for a tech company wasn’t really what sounded appealing to me, it was the opportunity for growth and ownership within a thriving company that seemed to also have a great product. Lastly, the culture. Beyond the people, just the way the company operated was right up my ally. It seemed fun, relaxed, but also a highly motivating place to work. These things on top of all the great benefits and perks Qualtrics offered made it a no brainer for me and I accepted on the call when our Head of Finance, Chris Beckstead, extended me my offer.

Why have I stayed here for 4-years?

• The people: The people are eager to learn, willing to teach, and are some of the most impressive individuals you could possibly work with. People genuinely care about one another. At the end of the day, a company is only as good as it's people.
• Stability: A deceiving word because Qualtrics has been accelerating more than ever and growth, change, and opportunity comes with that. Stability in the sense that this is a company you can bet on. You don't have to worry if you'll have a job in 1-year or 10-years. We will still exist and be better than ever and likely with an entirely evolved product. When you have leadership like ours you don’t ask what the future holds, you just know it’ll be somewhere incredible.
• Opportunity for growth: There's enough opportunity here for 4x the amount of employees. If you see something broke you're encouraged to fix it. Personally, those that feel like they hit a ceiling aren't trying. You learn to push yourself and be pushed by those who see your potential.
• Family: Qualtrics is my family and supports my family. When you move to a new city with no prior network you become grateful that your colleague’s can be some of you best friends. Every trip that my actual family has made to visit me in both locations has of course involved an office visit. They love it! When I moved to Dallas my manager knew my boyfriend (now husband) was staying behind. He made it possible for me to come back and work from UT every couple of months so I didn’t need to take time off to visit him. Finally, he was able to move to Dallas with me. He’s just as much a part of the Q family with me today and always begs to have some of my Summer & Winter SWAG order for himself.

I’ll never forget my first Thanksgiving in Dallas. I had been traveling a lot and wasn’t able to go back to Ohio to see family or to Utah to see my fiance. I thought I would be spending Thanksgiving solo. As soon as I told my colleagues that, I immediately got a few invitations to join them and their families. I have never felt so grateful to work with such thoughtful and generous people. Of course I joined them and had TWO awesome Thanksgiving dinners.

I could go on and on with this topic. Like how my dog Brady basically grew up in the Provo office, how my manager sent me home during a trip to HQ for training because my dog passed away back in TX unexpectedly, getting my first pair of cowboy boots from the Dallas Sales Manager when I moved to TX, and so much more. All in all, I am grateful for the family I have here at Qualtrics.

	Natalie Cass Aubin is a Senior Corporate Sales Recruiter & Account Executive Recruiting Pod Lead in Qualtrics’ Dallas, Texas office. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communication as well as a Certificate in Public Relations from the University of Cincinnati.