Every Avantee leaves their mark on our culture. Sean, we’re proud of everything we did together and we know you’ll keep thriving! You’re in the Avant Alumni Club for life.
Sean Neidig
Former Communications Senior Analyst for the People team
With 2019-2023
What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Sean for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:
1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?
The first thing I’d say is we’re collaborative. Something the company does really well is connect Avantees to each other, both socially and in terms of our work and our projects. People can be as independent in their work as they want to be, but Avant also knows how to get everyone to move together, in the same direction. And we’re encouraged and empowered to find new solutions, even if it’s something that hasn’t been done before.
I would also say we’re respectful. People are respectful of each other’s identities, each other’s boundaries, each other’s talents. People accept each other, and it’s really cool to see.
2. Why are you happy/successful here?
The big thing is that I feel valued, by the company as a whole and by the people I work with. Everyone’s always super encouraging to try new things, apply my specific skill sets to whatever problem we’re facing. I feel that people value not only my skills and my talents but me as a human being. There’s a time for work, there’s a time to talk about things that are non-work-related, and there’s also a time to not be working at all. Everyone at Avant is bought into that. That work-life balance is very important to me—being given the freedom to really take advantage of that has been a big part of why I am happy here, and why I feel I can be successful.
3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?
I get to have a lot of visibility into what people across the company are doing. It’s one of the things I get excited about and am really thankful for. Interacting with so many different people and all the different functions, and learning along the way about what other people and departments are doing, things that I really have very little knowledge of—it never feels stale. It’s cool to see how other people work, and to help connect all of those projects and people across the company. So many Avantees have that achiever mindset, and everyone is striving to do their best. I really enjoy seeing up close how we’re working to solve complex problems.
4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?
I get a lot of personal satisfaction from taking time for myself and doing things that aren’t tied to my job. I like communicating. I like watching sports. I like reading. I’ve always been someone who doesn’t want to be thought of as an employee first. I think that’s actually one of the things that makes me successful in my job. I don’t tie my identity or my self-worth to my performance review. What I‘m doing outside of work has always been what helps me find joy in everything else. I’m a laid-back guy just trying to do something that feels rewarding and makes me happy.
5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
The first ever job I wanted to do was I wanted to be a cowboy. I thought Woody from Toy Story was the coolest. I would dress up in the hat and the vest and I thought it was awesome.
