Join us in this series where we are shining a light on one of our Upstarters. Come take a closer look at the people inside the company who are tirelessly working to provide access to affordable credit.
Meet Avi Solkoff (he/him), Technical Sourcer at Upstart!
Avi is a remote Upstarter working from Chicago, Illinois. As a Technical Sourcer, Avi finds the best people to fill a position for Upstart’s open roles. He conducts research and helps potential candidates through the initial stages of the interview process with his recruiting team.
Why did you join Upstart?
Avi: I joined Upstart as I believed wholeheartedly in the mission of the company and felt that I could use my skills to help the company grow to new heights in recruiting/sourcing, as well as grow my own career and capabilities with help from who would become my amazing colleagues and managers.
What did you do before working at Upstart?
Avi: Prior to Upstart, I was the sole Technical Recruiter for a startup company called Civis Analytics.
What is your favorite thing about working at Upstart?
Avi: Flat out—my recruiting team. We are an incredibly smart, dedicated, creative, diverse, fun-loving group and I’m so beyond blessed to be working with everyone on my team.
How would you describe the Upstart culture?
Avi: The culture of Upstart is very reflective of our 5 values; we do the right thing even when it’s hard, we make very clever use of numbers, we are smart and open-minded but admit when we are wrong, we are always pushing the boundaries of what we can do never assuming it can’t be done, and we for sure make every second count.
We are also a modern company and recognize that work isn’t everything and very much respect work/life balances and treat each other with the utmost respect and care for everyone’s unique situation.
How does your team stay connected with Upstart being a digital first company?
Avi: We are very big on Slack—always communicating back and forth with each other. We try to have virtual happy hours at least once a month and utilize in-person get togethers—not only for work purposes, but also to connect on a social level as much as we can.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received since working at Upstart?
Avi: Recruiters are notoriously bad (at times) when keeping their own work/life balance in check. As simple as it is, the best piece of advice I’ve received since working at Upstart: Work isn’t everything, truly take time for yourself and break up your day to give yourself some recharge time.
How would you describe the leadership team at Upstart?
Avi: The leadership team is very goal-oriented as well as numbers-driven, but they are also realistic. The leadership team is constantly trying to push the boundaries, but are cognizant and create realistic expectations, timelines, and processes for said goals to be completed.
From a humanistic perspective, each member of the leadership team that I have interacted with has been quite compassionate for not only my individual state of being, but also for the group and company as a whole; they can be leaned on as the need arises.
Which Upstart value resonates with you the most?
Avi: Be smart, but know you might be wrong.
Why does the Upstart value you selected above resonate with you the most?
Avi: Collaboration and acknowledgement of other ideas as well as being clever in our approach to recruiting is such a big part of my job as a sourcer and that is why I feel it resonates most with me.
What advice would you give to candidates who are currently interviewing at Upstart?
Avi: Be open and honest and collaborate/connect as much as you can with the interviewer you’re talking to as you may be working with them directly or indirectly in the future.
What is your favorite way to decompress after work or on the weekends?
Avi: After work: Being creative in the kitchen with ingredients I have available on hand.
Weekends: Playing tourist in Chicago, doing new and fun activities with my wife.
Tell us something most people would be surprised to learn about you.
Avi: From the age of 5-18, I did American Mixed Martial Arts, receiving my blackbelt at the age of 10!
