Get to know the South African graduate experience through our very own current and former graduates – Tapiwa Matare, Vasan Naicker, and Esmari Swart. Learn about a unique program that provides a second-to-none rotational experience preparing you to make the right choices in kickstarting your tech career, built within a culture of respect, belonging, support and development.
Apply for graduate positions here.
Meet our graduates
Tapiwa Matare – Graduate, Technical Associate
I like being active, going for hikes and things; it’s always been my lifestyle as a competing athlete throughout most of my adolescence into adulthood. I really enjoy competing in the high jump – the focus it takes and the two or so seconds you spend suspended in flight!
Vasan Naicker – Graduate, Technical Associate
I love fishing and I enjoy listening to music. I like to make creative DJ videos of my routines, and one of my personal goals is to build a homemade fishing drone.
Esmari Swart – Associate Automation Test Engineer
I am a game enthusiast turned aspiring multi-title esports commentator/caster and host. Some of the events I’ve worked on include PUBG-Mobile Global Championships, Incredible Connection All Stars, Girl Gamer, and a plethora of local events. My interests also extend to music and tech, in addition to being a little bit of a motorhead.
Why did you choose to work at Nintex?
Vasan: I studied at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban and chose to work here because of the talented technical teams working with automation products and the friendly, supportive work culture.
Tapiwa: I graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BSc. in Mechatronics Engineering and Nintex really stood out to me because of its position in the market and its culture. I’d always considered automation as one of the sectors I’d like to work in, and Nintex was clearly a leading entity in that space, with a growing business, impressive acquisitions, and distinguishable customers and business partners.
“During the interview process, it didn’t take long to notice the radiant sense of respect and togetherness from everyone.”
Esmari: I studied at North-West University. I found out about Nintex’s internship program through family and friends who had worked at K2 at the time (which was acquired by Nintex), and through the selection process, learned that Nintex has one of the most unique programs out there.
Tell me about the rotation program.
Vasan: I rotated through six teams – product development, support, professional services, upgrade center, technical content, and am currently a member of the sustained engineering team. I’ve learned to become a successful, contributing member of each team, gaining hands-on experience and understanding how each team performs their roles.
“Within each team, I’ve been exposed to real-life work with our customers. Teams support one another to achieve our goals and guide one another through projects. I’ve been entrusted with tasks from day one.”
Esmari: While I was a graduate, we worked on bugs, development testing, regression testing – we really solved problems. My first stop was software development and quality assurance where I worked directly on the product and features testing. I worked very closely with support, where we’d shadow Tier 2 engineers on client calls and cases to fully understand the context, do the research, and assist in solving the real client issues. Lastly, I worked with professional services, where they guided us through custom solutions and scenarios that they have solved in the past, as well as provided us with an opportunity to showcase our own unique ideas and skills.
“We’re one of the few organizations that accommodates and allows graduates to thrive and be creative, with a unique program that enables a plethora of experiences in the field of technology. It really helps you understand where you want to go and what you want to do with your career.”
Tapiwa: While my direct teams are in South Africa, because of how global Nintex is, we’ve always collaborated with teams and other graduates outside of the country, like Australia and the UK.
“I have learnt how to collaborate with peers from all over the world and to adapt to sudden changes, because I’ve regularly had to shift my way of thinking when solving different problems in this internship.”
Throughout my rotation, I’ve been on many projects that truly made an impact on the value we deliver to our customers. During my software engineering rotation, I worked a lot with connectors and configuring API actions for Nintex Automation Cloud. The DevOps rotation gave me exposure and an understanding of how Nintex delivers its software and the processes we adopt for deployment. Both rotations also gave me great insight into developing automated processes through Nintex’s workflows and smart forms technologies. I’m currently in my final rotation and am learning techniques we can use to test software pre-deployment.
How’ve managers, leaders, and teams supported you through your time as a graduate?
Esmari: From day one, I had a team and a manager. And that one manager was with me throughout the full year, rotation-to-rotation. It gave me a solid pillar to lean on and receive guidance from while rotating throughout teams. My manager and leaders have always stepped up when I needed something. If you are willing to actively learn from others, they will help you in your role and help you in your career.
“The support here is what differentiates us – we are real people who understand and help with what you’re going through, what you’re doing, and what you’re learning.”
Tapiwa: If there’s one thing I’d say helped me get through the program more than anything else, it’d be the quality of support I’ve had. Especially in the early days when I still had such a steep learning curve, others made it so easy to approach them and seek out help. Mentorship is another great aspect of the program. Having a ‘buddy’ really gives you insight into the organization and a good support structure for when you need to just chat things through.
Vasan: Within each team I was exposed to, I always had opportunities for growth. I worked with talented professionals, sharing their wealth of knowledge, and they always welcomed questions and gave me guidance. Within my current team, sustained engineering, I have teammates and mentors who constantly guide me on questions I have and help me be successful.
How would you describe Nintex’s culture?
Tapiwa: If I had to describe the culture at Nintex with one word, I’d choose the word ‘wholesome’. There’s a lot of respect for values and everyone contributes. I love that the organization does its best to ensure a balance between work and life.
Personally, I value respect and I think it’s important to respect other people for who they are, their work, and their beliefs. Nintex is a perfect balance of that, from inherent diversity in the organization to the support I’ve experienced in all my time here.
“It feels easy to settle into the Nintex community because everyone here, from all over the world, is so quick to make you feel like you belong.”
Vasan: Nintex’s culture is truly phenomenal. From the many cultural events promoting inclusivity and education, to quarterly global recharge days where we take the day off and do what we love, it’s unique. My team always makes time to help me with any guidance I need to complete my goals, and Nintex promotes self-development and helps you achieve your professional career goals.
“Each person is eager to help you achieve your goals and support your development and as a graduate, the teams respect and value your input. I always feel valued, supported, and appreciated.”
Esmari: The core of Nintex is always having the customers’ interests at heart. We make them succeed and ensure they have all they need to have a successful business. As colleagues, we are friendly, helpful – everyone steps up to help and talks to you as a person to understand what you need and how they can help.
I really value continued growth and development and believe that without it, achievement and success have no meaning. Here, it’s constantly changing and we’re always learning. We wear a lot of hats, learn a lot of fields, and regularly have cross-developmental opportunities.
Take your first step towards the right career in tech with a supportive team and culture here at Nintex. Apply to be a Nintex graduate.
