Proven Development Program Q&A – Henry Grimes

Below is an interview with Henry Grimes, one of our business intelligence developers who recently completed the Proven Development Program.

How did you hear about The Proven Method?

I was actually discovered by a recruiter from The Proven Method on a career search website.

Can you describe your experience with The Proven Method’s hiring process?

The process was great! My recruiter had great communication with me from telling me about the position to keeping me informed about interview details as well as what to expect afterwards. It was incredibly quick from when I first was contacted to when I was given my offer, maybe 2 weeks!

Can you describe the mentoring program you participated in, called the Proven Development Program?

The mentoring is the most important aspect of the program. The senior developer that I was under was onsite with us 95% of the time. He actually is still where I have been hired on fulltime and continues to mentor me to this day. He was incredibly helpful in our development as consultants, both on the technical and consulting side. I was given a book on the programming language we would use and we went through it for a couple of weeks under the instruction of the mentor, and then went onsite to the customer and got our hands dirty right away to begin true work.

What were the advantages to you participating in the Proven Development Program?

I was given an opportunity, with little to no experience with the software we were working with, to show that I could pick up something new and begin to flourish quickly. My mathematics degree was seen as a high asset, which gave me the opportunity to be brought into the PDP. I was selected for my potential.

Who was your mentor in the program?

My mentor was Todd Lyman. He is an incredible Senior Consultant. He always drops what he is doing to help out. He always pushes us to think outside of the box and really dive into what the customer wants, not just needs. He taught us to always think of adding more value to whatever we are doing.

How did your mentor help you during the program?

Todd always stops what he is doing to explain to us what he is doing or to help us out on anything we come across. He also is a great example of someone who is always thinking about how to better what we are doing and have done.

What are some specific concepts you learned while in the program that you didn’t learn in your college classes?

I learned more how to work in a group setting, under the Agile methodology. Teamwork was stressed in college, but there were never really any good hands on classes that put this into practice.

What project did you work on during your time in the Proven Development Program? What was your role?

I was a BI Developer for a large retail company. My job was to extract data from the company’s databases, manipulate it, and present it in a clear, concise and actionable manner.

Did you accept a position with the company where you were placed during the program?

I accepted a position about 8 months after the start of PDP.

If so, which company? How did the Proven Development Program help you with adapting to the company’s culture?

Aaron’s, Inc. I started off the PDP working on site at Aaron’s, so I was already immersed in the culture, so it was quite an easy transition; my seat didn’t even change.

Do you think the program got you up to speed right out of school more quickly than you would have otherwise?

Oh absolutely! I have learned so much. I mostly have learned how much I don’t know! I also have found my passion and plan to continue on with what I was hired to do during the PDP. I have made great connections and know I will flourish, which is due to the PDP.