In our Readdle Professionals series, we explore the career journeys of our team members, highlighting their achievements. In this interview, we delve into the work life of Anastasiia Gryshchuk, who has been with Readdle for over nine years. Anastasiia has had five different roles within Readdle, succeeding at each one of them and going above and beyond her responsibilities. Let’s learn her story and the lessons she has to share with us.
How did you join Readdle?
I started working at Readdle totally by chance. I was in my final year at university studying International Economic Relations when one of my professors approached me and two other students about a job opportunity. There were few details about what the company does, but she spoke highly of the three of us and was willing to recommend us to the prospective employer. At that time, I was between jobs and was keen to get work experience. Later, I was surprised that the interview would be conducted by the CEO himself. The second interview was a meeting with the Customer Support Team, with whom I spent the full day working on writing emails. This helped me make a good impression on the Team Lead. That’s how I began working in Customer Support. Nine years later, I am still working at Readdle, having tried different roles and projects. I am continuously learning from my colleagues, customers, and the tech industry.
Could you tell us more about the evolution of your role inside Readdle? What roles have you had over the years and how have they shaped your career?
At Readdle, even in a specific role, you have opportunities to go beyond the job description and learn new things, which I absolutely adore. My manager in particular and the company supported my professional growth and eagerness to learn and take on more responsibility. So there were opportunities and new challenges available. Having learned how to provide excellent customer service, investigate customer issues, and collaborate with team members and other stakeholders daily, I wanted to dive deeper into customer insights. So after the Customer Support Representative role, Customer Advocate was the next step for me. The responsibilities included analyzing customer feedback, and prioritizing product ideas, also known as feature requests, gathering information on issues reported, and monitoring the type of questions raised by customers. Then I would share and present findings with the Product Team, Quality Assurance, or Product Team depending on the feedback to discuss possible solutions.
I also built strong relationships with the Support Team. When the Customer Support Team was divided into three product teams, my manager noticed my leadership qualities and offered me a position as Team Lead for the Spark Customer Support Team. These were the most interesting times in my career, where I would learn how to be a new manager and how to share my knowledge with the team and learn from each team member at the same time. We also experienced new exciting releases of Spark and an unprecedented number of requests, and all at the same time learned how to be productive, help each other, and have fun as a team.
I stepped down from the Team Lead position when I went on maternity leave. Once I was ready to return, the company and I discussed where my set of skills would be the most valuable to the company. I started working part-time as a Project Manager, completing several projects for the Customer Support Team.
And finally, my current position, and for the first time, one not relating to the Customer Support Team, is Product Content Specialist. There was an opening that provided interaction with lots of stakeholders from different teams, working on copy for our apps and using my knowledge of Readdle apps. I work within the Content Team inside the Marketing department and learn about an entirely new field for me.
How did your previous experience and roles impact what you do now?
My previous roles allowed me to strengthen a wide range of skills and apply my expertise to copy which will be seen by thousands or millions of users. This is a great responsibility and opportunity to make a difference, build on value for our users, and create a great user experience in our products.
Did you face any challenges during your transitions? How did you overcome them?
The most challenging part was finding the strength to transition from Customer Service to Marketing. Most of my career was built in Customer Service, something I love and learned how to do well, and of course, being ready to depart from the team I adore was difficult. However, the prospect of gaining new knowledge and experience from other people reassured me that it was the right next step for me. I also think that when we step out of our comfort zone, growth opportunities are unveiled.
What do you find most fulfilling about your role as a Product Content Specialist?
I get excited to see the copy I worked on in our products and discover that millions of users will learn about new features thanks to the efforts of different teams.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting their journey in tech?
When people think about a tech career, in most cases they mainly focus on STEM professions or think that you need to write code to become successful. While this is true for many, the tech industry is much larger than that. There are opportunities for millions of people with a variety of skills and ideas. You can make a difference and build your unique career by being open-minded, eager to learn, diligent, and always asking yourself: ‘What’s a great next challenge for me?’
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