Have you ever wondered what people in the product team are doing at our integrated experience management platform zenloop and what it means to work remotely?
Job interview: our Product Manager Alexey shows us the many sides of his profession and explains what his work really is about.
1. Please briefly introduce yourself
My name is Alex, I am from Moscow, Russia. I have been with zenloop since June 2019. I am working full-time remotely as a Product Manager.
2. Can you briefly explain what your job at zenloop involves?
I am responsible for developing new features for our product, the zenloop app. This involves a lot of internal communication with various zenloop teams, such as Design, Development, and Customer Success, as well as external communication with our clients — with the aim of finding out about their problems and test ideas and prototypes. A big part of the job is writing user stories and technical specifications, reviewing user interface designs, and generally managing the feature development process. In short, Product Management is at the intersection of technology, business, and user experience.
3. What does your (typical) working day look like?
It hugely depends on what I am currently working on. Usually, there is a feature or two currently being developed and I need to constantly monitor what is happening, what are the roadblocks and problems the developers are facing, answer their questions about the feature and test the work-in-progress as a potential user. In addition to that, I am also working on a number of upcoming features that (before they go into development) need to be deeply thought through, have functional requirements and user interface designs in place, and a go-to-market plan. Occasionally, I do competitor and market research to understand where the industry is heading, what are the main trends, and what we can potentially build next.
4. Which other roles did you have on the way to your current position?
I have worked in many different fields, which in my opinion is a huge advantage for a product manager. I started out in technology and strategy consulting, before moving to the telecom industry as an analyst and then a project manager. After that, I switched to customer experience and worked as a product owner of a customer experience management platform. This sparked my interest in product management, so I decided to build my career in this direction.
5. What do you particularly like about working at zenloop?
I love the startup atmosphere, the approachable management, and most of all (coming from a corporate world) that at zenloop you feel like you are making an impact and your work can really make a difference.
6. What do you think is the biggest challenge in working in the product team?
The biggest challenge is probably staying on top of things and building trustful relationships within your team and other teams, too. As a Product Manager, you are really not an expert in anything but you have to deeply understand what is happening around you and where the process is going. 🙂
7. What characteristics do applicants have to bring along in order to be successful in the Product Team?
I think honesty and openness are very important. Also, the ability to talk to people from different backgrounds and explain things clearly is also quite important. Finally, this is not a must, but it would be very useful to have either a technical background or a general understanding of the SaaS world both in terms of user experience and technologies used.
8. You work remotely, what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The biggest advantage is that after I wake up, I can just go to my laptop and start working right away! No commuting, no traffic jams, and the like. Also, my day can be a bit more flexible and I can plan my time more efficiently. But this requires discipline and good time management skills. Also, it can get lonely sometimes. Although we have regular video calls and constant communication in messengers, you still sometimes feel a bit “torn off”. But that might actually be an advantage for introverts and people who don’t like being distracted.
9. Which characteristics have you developed at zenloop that help you personally and professionally?
I would say that working in a startup environment is a great and very fruitful experience, which can give a big boost to your skillset. I have learned to become more proactive and independent, and my project and time management skills have also improved a lot since I joined zenloop. Besides, I learned a lot about the “insides” of a SaaS platform, which I personally find very interesting.
10. What do you like to do when you are not working?
I mostly like reading and watching movies. I also make music and write short stories. I am not really into sports, but I enjoy tennis and yoga.
Would you also like to become a part of the zenloop team? Here you can find our current job offers:
Are you still looking for the right career path for you, or do you simply want to know more about the everyday tasks at our customer experience management platform zenloop? On our blog, you will find additional interviews in other areas, for example with our Head of Sales Felix or with our Sales Executive Pascal.
Tags: People & Culture
