When Slack was launched in 2009, it showed us that an office doesn’t need a physical location to facilitate employee communication. Through its unique apprenticeship initiative, Slack reminded several companies in the United States that everyone deserves a second chance and that a person is more than their past. And because of that, we’re reminded that Slack is more than just a real-time messaging app. This company celebrates the individuality of its members and makes genuine efforts to build deeper connections with its stakeholders.
Slack's Next Chapter project thinks differently if you’ve always felt like your career opportunities were limited because of your past actions. This nonprofit organization was launched to give formerly incarcerated members of society a place in the tech and business community. It has enlisted a network of partners to help it achieve this goal. If you’re ready to find out how Slack launched its apprenticeship program, the apprenticeship tracks available, Slack’s apprenticeship salary and benefits, Slack’s apprenticeship hiring process, and its apprenticeship reviews, read on.
Slack is a real-time office messaging app that facilitates business operations. You can also refer to slack as your virtual office or digital headquarters because it provides an active space for organizational members to interact and collaborate on work tasks. The Slack app is made up of organized spaces called channels. Each channel can be organized to reflect a department or unit. In 2019, MIO listed Slack as the most used workplace messaging app, ahead of Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and Webex.
Statista revealed that Slack had 12 million active daily users in the same year. As of 2023, Slack has over 200,000 paying customers from 150 countries, 77 of which are Fortune 100 companies.
Before Slack was acquired in 2021 by Salesforce, it had 2,527 employees, 44.5 percent of whom were women and 46.9 percent of whom were from minority groups. Slack’s corporate headquarters is in San Francisco, California, and its five corporate offices are in Denver, Vancouver, Pune, Melbourne, and Tokyo. Slack has over thirty technology, security & compliance, and services partners. Some include Asana, Zendesk, Zoom, AWS, Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft.
Slack's origin story dates back to 2009 when Stewart Butterfield launched Glitch, a desktop multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) through its gaming company, Tiny Speck. However, the revenue and profits from Glitch were unimpressive. While the company was working on Glitch, it used an internet-powered messaging system that could be organized into channels.
Stewart and his co-founders, Cal Henderson, Eric Costello, and Sergio Mourachov, saw the potential of this messaging system. Hence, he and his team created a Slack beta version, using their gaming expertise to accelerate user experience. Tiny Speck launched the software product in 2013 after shutting down Glitch in 2012. Within 24 hours of launching, 8,000 companies had requested an invitation to try Slack. Within two weeks, the number doubled to 15,000 users.
The slack fund was launched in 2013 to fund its product developments. In 2014 when it launched publicly, Slack had over 1.7 million users, 480,000 of whom were paid users. The same year, the company name was changed to Slack Technologies. By December 2015, Slack, an acronym for Searchable Log of All Communication and Knowledge, had raised $322.8 million from venture capitalists between Series C and E.
The same year, it was valued at $2.8 billion, making it one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in history. This internal communication tool could do more than chat; it could share files, call via audio and video, send an email, and manage large volumes of messages in real time. Stewart noted that one of the company's biggest challenges was trying to convince a team to use Slack, and no two teams were alike. The company noted that 20%-30% of its users formerly used tools like HipChat and Campfire. The others used no prior tool.
On June 20, 2019, Slack Technologies Inc. started trading on New York Stock Exchange in a direct listing under the symbol “WORK” at $38.59 without issuing a traditional IPO. This amount was 26% above the $26 reference price issued by NYSE. The company was valued at $19.5 billion at the end of that trading day. On the 1st of December, Slack was acquired by Salesforce at $27.7 billion through cash and stock.
Between 2014 and 2021, Slack made the right acquisitions, including Spaces, Stride, HipChat, Rimeto, and Woven. In the first quarter of 2022, Slack generated $273.4 million in revenue, recording a 36% increase year-on-year. Besides creating an award of its own, Slack Spotlight Award, to celebrate impressive customers, Slack was named market leader in collaboration and community applications by IDC MarketScape in October 2021.
Slack's vision is to make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.
Slack's mission is, “to create a better future of work that's more connected, inclusive, and flexible.”
As a human-centered company, its operations are guided by these core values:
Unlike most of its competitors, Slack has a single focus–to improve the flow of information in the workplace. It leveraged the communication gap among organizational members due to the difference in geographical locations and the need by firms to take advantage of the benefits of DEI. Slack has monetized this model by grouping its value offering, based on features, into three four price categories: free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise Grid. Each of these categories has been optimized for specific client groups.
Slack is more than just a messaging app, it offers key features such as direct messaging, channels for grouping teams, Huddles which allow you to chat over audio instantly, over 2,500 integrations, Clips for creating and sharing audios and video recordings, automated workflow, and a potent API, multi-level security, and Slack Connect to collaborate with partners, vendors, or people outside your organization. It launched GovSlack in 2022 to facilitate secure government work.
According to Stackshare, Slack uses 35 applications and data tools, 11 utilities, 11 DevOps, and five business tools. Some examples of Slack’s application and data tools include JavaScript, JQuery, Node.js, React, Java, PHP, NGINX, MySQL, Ubuntu, TypeScript, Kotlin, Swift, and GoLang. Examples of Slack’s utilities include Google Analytics, Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Optimizely, HackerOne, and Lucene. Its DevOps tools include Consul, Terraform, Prometheus, Kubernetes, and AWS CloudTrail. Slack’s business tools include Slack, Zendesk, AdRoll, Respondly, and Delighted.
In 2018, Slack launched an apprenticeship alongside The W.K Kellogg Foundation, John Legend's FREEAMERICA, and The Last Mile to help formerly incarcerated community members rebuild their lives through tech education, job resources, and employment opportunities. This new workforce development initiative was named “Next Chapter.” Slack's mission was to shift the perspective on the potential of ex-convicts and ease their transition into society by helping them find long-term employment in tech and business. A core belief in the Next Chapter program is that talent is equally distributed.
In the words of Deepti Rohatgi, “it takes a C-suite leader to prioritize a program like Next Chapter. As planned, The Last Mile, a non-profit tech education provider, served as the community partner, providing the participants with coding training modified to meet Slack’s standards. Kellogg Foundation served as the investor, contributing funds and expertise in racial equity. And FREEAMERICA worked to influence society's perspectives about the realities of America's criminal justice system. Currently, Next Chapter is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center. In December 2022, Salesforce invested $2.5 million into the Next Chapter project.
Slack decided to launch an apprenticeship like Next Chapter after Stewart Butterfield conversed with the author of “Just Mercy,” Bryan Stevenson. He was moved to action that, along with his decision to launch an apprenticeship program for the formerly incarcerated, shared copies of the book with all Slack members and made the executives visit The Last Mile at San Quentin, a non-profit that teaches prisoners coding without internet access. In 2015, Slack for Good was established to cater to the underrepresented individuals in tech, particularly victims of the U.S Justice System.
In the first year, the program was scheduled to last for eight months; at the end, apprentices transitioned to full-time roles at various companies. The program's first three months will be spent at Hack Reactor, building your digital skill before starting on-the-job training at a partner company in the fall or summer.
The pilot engineering apprentices were assigned to the Quality Assurance unit to avoid attracting legal and compliance issues, so they didn't have to deal with customer data and other confidential information. The apprentices spend most of their training reviewing and improving codes written by the cross-functional engineering teams, testing software products, and providing feedback. They work on real projects using advanced technologies such as Java, Linux Apache, PHP, MySQL, C++, Objective-C, and Go
In the 2019 Next Chapter Proposed Blueprint, all three apprentices in the first cohort became full-time Slack employees at the end of the program. As of June 2022, Next Chapter had four annual apprenticeships. All 30 apprentices that have gone through the Next Chapter program have transitioned to full-time positions at Slack and other partner companies. Some of these apprentices have also been promoted for good performance. One of these apprentices is Jess Bonanno, who has been promoted twice since she began her journey at Slack in 2021.
Slack apprentices are paid commendable stipends during their three-month immersive training and an industry-standard wage during the apprenticeship proper. While there is no data on the actual wages for Next Chapter apprentices, Glassdoor reveals that the average annual salary of a full-time Quality Assurance Engineer is $145,635. This covers a $113,449 base pay and a $32,189 additional pay.
Slack apprentices have access to a robust support network, including a technical mentor, a work culture mentor, a career coach, and Kenyatta Leal, the reentry director. The support network may also help apprentices with advice and recommend them to their parole officers. Slack apprentices also enjoy a remote-friendly, connected, inclusive, and flexible work environment.
As an apprentice, you'd have access to ample rest time, volunteer opportunities, health care coverage, wellness, and family planning resources, among other perks and discounts.
Slack Apprenticeship Selection: How Are Cohorts Chosen?
The Next Chapter program welcomes candidates who were formerly in prison but have expressed a commitment to improving their lives and careers. Ideal candidates are self-taught coders or graduates of coding bootcamps. Typically, Next Chapter apprentices bring more than their coding skills to the program. They are often more dedicated and willing to help others with their tasks.
Slack Apprenticeship Program Interview: Is the Slack Interview Hard?
No, the interview process at Slack is easy. Next Chapter apprentices usually come through non-profits, community partners, and programs like The Last Mile, Emergent Works, and Underdog Dev. Candidates don't have to be graduates of The Last Mile to participate in Slack’s six-step application and interview process.
To apply for the program, visit the Next Chapter website, where you'll be redirected to a Google Survey form where you'll submit your details and resume. As per the standard recruitment process for Slack engineers, your application will be reviewed, and if accepted, you'll be contacted for a 30-minute phone screening with a technical recruiter. Those who move on to your next stage will be invited to complete a four-hour coding exercise to assess their skill level.
Candidates may participate in a 30-minute virtual interview with the hiring manager and a one-hour onsite interview with an engineering team panel. This may include another 15-minute interview with the hiring manager to review your cultural fitness. If selected, you'll be invited to complete an immersive three-coding bootcamp at Hack Reactor to boost your skills. Successful candidates are interviewed and hired by any of the 14 Next Chapter partners.
The first apprenticeship cohort at Slack was three. In 2020 when Zoom and Dropbox became part of the Next Chapter program, the cohort size increased to eight. In 2021, eleven more hiring partners joined the program, and the cohort size increased to 21. Currently, the program has welcomed 14 companies that are top members of the Software-as-a-Service industry, and the cohort size per year has increased to xxx. Some companies include Checkr, American Family Insurance, Asana, Stash, PayPal, Lob, Affirm, GoodRx, and Square.
Slack Apprenticeship Cohort Frequency: How Often is a Cohort Hired?
Slack apprenticeship cohorts are recruited annually to the engineering apprenticeship track within the various partner companies. As of June 2022, over 30 apprentices have been trained in four years through four cohorts. For 2023, Next Chapter is not yet accepting applications.
Yes, Slack is a good company to work for within and outside the United States if you care about redefining the future of work through Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Slack employees are passionate about making a positive difference in how people work and those who work.
According to employee reviews from Glassdoor, Slack has a 4.4 out of five-star rating for having supportive colleagues, great culture, a positive work environment, user-centered products, good compensations, and employee benefits. Eighty-six percent of reviewers agree to recommend Slack to a friend, and 95% approve of the CEO.
You can get a job at Slack through three channels: the university internship program, Next Chapter apprenticeship, and full-time employment opportunities. Each channel targets specific candidates based on their job experience, education, and skill set. Regardless, if you're ready get a job at Slack, you should visit Slack's Careers page to view available jobs or read this article for an in-depth understanding of Slack's Next Chapter project.
No, interviews at Slack are not difficult. According to the participant reviews on Glassdoor, candidates who have gone through Slack's interview process rate their difficulty experience as 3.0 out of a five-star rating. Most agree that hiring managers and recruiters were somewhat pleasant to work with. However, many agreed that they passed through several application phases, including three interviews comprising a technical assessment, behavioral assessment, and mock presentation.
According to Glassdoor, the hiring period at Slack spans an average of three to four weeks, starting when you submit your online application and ending when Slack extends you an offer letter. The three interviews may last between one and two weeks, with a technical panel and the hiring manager.
To learn more about Slack as a software application and Company, you should visit the Slack Blog. This page also details Slack and Salesforce's partnership, Slack events, product features, and employee collaboration and productivity tips.
You visit the Slack Engineering Blog to learn about Slack engineers' technical duties and experience, including technical mentorship scope for interns and apprentices.
Slack Newsroom provides in-depth details of the apprenticeship history, scope, partners, and achievements.
If you or your company want to participate in the program, visit nextchapterproject.org or reworkreentry.org. You can also email the apprenticeship program team at slackforgood@slack.com or info@nextchapterproject.org
You can get news about Slack employment benefits and programs from the Slack Careers page.
If you don’t want to track and monitor the Slack apprenticeship program for yourself or are looking for support in an apprenticeship application, you can join apprenticeship.io to learn more and get support to land an apprenticeship program.
Learn more and sign up today.
