We caught up with Peter Bowman, a Deal Operations Analyst at Grafana, to hear more about his time with Bandalier and how the experience he gained has set him up for his current role. 

What was your educational and work background prior to joining Bandalier?
I first joined Bandalier in February of 2020, while I was studying at Binghamton University. This initial experience didn’t last long when the pandemic first hit. I was let go shortly after, due to the impact of COVID-19. Fast forward a year later and they extended an offer to me in April of 2021. They never closed the door on me! 

What was the job search process like for you?
While in school, I came across Bandalier while overhearing classmates talk about it as well as one of my roommates having applied. At the time, I was a ticket-sales associate at our Event Center and I wanted a job that would give me some more relevant experience. Bandalier seemed perfect for that.

What made you decide to pursue full time work at Bandalier after graduating college?
​Once I graduated in 2020, it was very difficult for me to land an opening career. I was sending out dozens of applications, week after week. Nothing seemed to land. After receiving a message about my prior year’s W-2 form being available, I took that opportunity to reply back to Matt Scanlon. I had asked about potential full-time work and then things moved quickly as I was back in at Bandalier within a month or two. 

What was it like onboarding at a fully remote company?
Luckily for me, I had received essentially all my onboarding training in the short time I was with Bandalier, pre-pandemic. That initial time was spent in the office with all the great people. The onboarding process couldn’t have been more fluid.

How did you grow during your time at Bandalier?
I developed better communication skills while talking to a variety of clients and employees within Bandalier. My time management skills got refined as I had to juggle multiple clients’ needs all within the same time frame.

Given that you worked more on the operational side of the business, what did a typical day at Bandalier look like for you? 
A typical day consisted of generating leads for clients, then polishing off that data as well as listening to the clients’ other needs as they arose. I would communicate frequently with the client who used most of my time. Internal and external projects would arise quite a bit, so each day felt new. 

Who do you think Bandalier would be a good fit for?
Bandalier would be a great fit for someone who is looking to meet a variety of people and experience different businesses all while working under one roof. This person would have to be flexible and want to learn all the time.

So the account you were placed on at Bandalier was Grafana, in a few sentences what is Grafana? 
Grafana is an open-source software company that specializes in data observability and monitoring. They provide custom dashboards to fit each customer’s needs.

You moved in-house with Grafana a few months ago as a Deal Operations Analyst, tell us how that process unfolded?
I first realized that I wanted to work for Grafana when I learned more about their company while helping with data projects. A few months into working with them, a new member of their team needed my help. The work that I helped them with was something I had never done before. I really enjoyed working with all the people there and learned so much from them in such a short time. My hours steadily increased until I transitioned all my hours over to them. It only made sense to work for them internally.

How did your experience at Bandalier prepare you for the work you’ve done once you moved in-house with Grafana? 
The major areas that Bandalier helped me with in preparation for Grafana were, how to deal with adversity and an ever changing environment as well as how to work on problems that I have yet to deal with. 

What have been the highlights of your time at Grafana?
I have been blown away by the culture here at Grafana. Being remote from inception, they have people from all over the world. Being able to work with someone, thousands of miles away is very interesting. I’ve got to meet so many people and learn things about different cultures.

Tell us about your current role and what you’re working on right now!
I am currently a Deal Operations Analyst and my main priority is to help the sales reps close out their deals. Without me and my manager, the company would not be closing deals and generating profit! It is a great opportunity for me as I have been learning a lot on the fly. My manager has helped me so much along the way. I am finally free of the training wheels and have really grown a lot in these first few months. 

If you could give one piece of advice to somebody who just graduated and is either struggling to find a job or unsure of what they want their first full time job to be, what would it be?
Do not give up! Thanks to Bandalier, I was able to land my job at Grafana. I knew my worth and was given the opportunity to show my talents to a company that I would not have otherwise known much about. You have to rely on knowing that you are capable of achieving your goals. If you weren’t selected for a job, then it was not meant to be. I was rejected by many other companies before getting my job with Grafana and even Bandalier! If I had been selected for another job before this, then things would have been completely different for me and for my future.