Jeromy Hastings joined the Bold Penguin team as a Customer Success Advocate in 2018. In his two years here, he has not only excelled at making transfers happen for small business owners but also obtained his insurance license. 

“Jeromy is extraordinarily thorough. He came to us with enterprise customer service experience and applied that every day in his work,” said Josh Kohlschmidt, Director of SMB Experience at Bold Penguin. “He exemplified our ideal of delivering an amazing SMB experience, taking the time to provide excellent service and get each Business Owner paired with the agent that could provide the best solution for them.”

This past March, Jeromy was promoted to a Quality Assurance position. In his new role, he works with a variety of teams across departments-- both internally and externally--to test products and map NAICS codes. Sam Weaver, Digital Product QA at Bold Penguin, has been showing Jeromy the ropes. “At Bold Penguin we have a saying: ‘Penguins adapt.’ Jeromy is the epitome of that statement. He was able to quickly transition into a role that requires you to swim at 100mph to stay afloat. He isn't just doing well in this role, he is thriving,” said Weaver.

Here is Jeromy’s reflection on the past few months in his new role.

What brought you to Bold Penguin?

I was looking for a change, and I had two acquaintances that worked here and both spoke very highly of the company. But what really drew me in was that, since Bold Penguin was young and growing, I felt there would probably be opportunities to perform different roles and experience different things, if I remained dedicated. I had been working in the same types of roles, most of my life. Having a chance to stretch a little and apply myself to new things was a big deal to me. I can’t express how excited I am that things worked out and I am in this new position!

What is the most fulfilling part of your new role so far?‍

Learning! I have learned so much more about the company and what we do; and so much more about our products and our partners. I’ve also learned a great deal more about software engineering, our processes, and the tools we use. The exposure to those things has been very rewarding.

What has been the biggest adjustment about your new position?

This is very challenging to answer! Everything is so different, it is hard to single out a specific adjustment! So much has changed: the subject and nature of my work; the pace; the people I interact with, or assist; the perspective and approach to problems, etc. If I had to choose one thing, it would probably be the vocabulary. The work I do now is not only deeper in the realm of insurance, but also very tech focused. Both fields have their own languages. And sometimes, different parties may use different terms for similar products or processes. So, I have had to absorb a tremendous amount of new language and evolve my lexicon.

What is your career philosophy or mantra?‍

It’s probably a little naive and simple but, it’s basically the Golden Rule “treat others as you want to be treated”. Or a slight riff on it, “Do work like what you would want others to do for you.” I always try to be mindful of the perspective of others in how I approach my work and my interactions. What would I expect, or desire, from me if I was a customer? If I was a business partner? If I was my teammate, or my supervisor, or someone who reports to me? It usually boils down to the same things: giving my best effort by being fully engaged and thorough; being honest and genuine; communicating well; and being sympathetic to others and doing my best to make their goal, my goal.

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