Last year, Montreal Inc recognized BeatConnect as one of the most innovative and promising startups. So we invited Nicholas, the Cofounder & CTO of BeatConnect, to speak at Le Wagon Talk series and share his story. Fast forward to 2022, our relationship grew from a speaking opportunity to being a hiring partner we enjoy collaborating with. That’s how they recently hired Cameron, Web Development graduate, as a QA Engineer.
What is BeatConnect? What inspired you to create your own company?
I always liked building stuff, and the pandemic started when I was losing a bit of my passion in my career. I also enjoy playing music with my friends, but we didn’t have a tool to play remotely. Here was a problem I was passionate about, and I could build a solution exactly the way I wanted. That’s how
BeatConnect started.
The application aims to connect musicians and allow them to make music together while being remote. Every musician has their own digital audio setup, which is not always compatible. BeatConnect enables musicians to collaborate remotely while keeping their own setup.
What does the QA Engineer role consist of, and why did you hire a bootcamp graduate for it?
The Quality Assurance (QA) engineer role consists of automating tests as much as possible so that we can quickly detect errors in the application development process and prevent them from occurring again.
To be a QA engineer, you must know how to code and have good problem-solving skills. You're essentially a developer even if you don’t work on the same tasks as a traditional development role. Tests follow the same software development lifecycle as other tasks within the company. So much of what is taught at Le Wagon is helpful for this role.
How was the hiring process for the QA engineer role?
I participated in Le Wagon’s Career Day - a networking & recruiting event organized by Le Wagon for companies to meet recent graduates and alumni.
I met eight Le Wagon students and was very impressed with the talent level and variety of profiles.
I gave a homework assignment to the profiles that interested me, which consisted of writing potential tests for Google Sheet. I wanted to see how detail-oriented they are and how they think. Two candidates did very well on the assignment, and it was hard to decide who should get the position!
We ended up hiring Cameron, a super bright guy with many different interests and passions. He’s a musician, and he loves the music industry. He was perfect for the role!
What is an essential trait to work at a startup?
Believing in the missing of the company is very important because there’s always a risk when you join an early-stage startup. It’s not as stable as working for a well-established company, but you have the ability to work for something really motivating and passionate.
What is Le Wagon graduates’ differentiator?
What I like about Le Wagon graduates is that they come from very different backgrounds and all decided to make a career change because they’re very excited about working in tech.
One of the candidates I spoke to used to be a bricklayer, and he said, “I used to build things with my hands. Now I want to build things with my mind”. That’s such a great way of thinking!
Many people who go through traditional educational paths fall into a job after graduating. they are not always passionate about what they do, whereas doing a bootcamp comes with a very active choice. Bootcamp graduates have decided to make a change for themselves, and they truly put themselves into it.
What is your main advice for bootcamp graduates looking for a job?
Capitalize on that passion that pushed you to enroll in the bootcamp. You’re just starting to learn, and that feeling never goes away.
Don’t be scared to reach out to the companies you’re interested in and start building relationships.
It can be a tough market when you’re a junior, but you should use your passion and personality to differentiate yourself.
