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    What is something from your "previous life" that makes you great at your role today?

    Grace Hur
    8 replies
    Career paths are almost always non-linear. What's a previous experience that you still leverage today to be successful in your role? For me, I was previously a student engagement coordinator at my alma mater university. Never would I have thought how much that perspective would aid me as a PM and how I approach user onboarding for a SaaS company.

    Replies

    Huy Doan
    Being a part-time waiter in a five-star restaurant makes me always consider how important customer experience is!
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    Grace Hur
    @huy_doan_quang The little details for delightful experiences matter! :)
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    Daniyar Yeskaliyev
    I have experience in Sales and Project Management. Negotiation skills that I've developer through high-level management B2B sales career help me A LOT in any communication both within the companies I've worked for as well as with external partners / customers. And my experience as a translator / writer (I've translated and written over 150 news and articles when I was a student) is a valuable asset at any of my positions. Because every company has a need to write some kind of a material, like blog posts or presentation, my managers always ask me to help with that kind of stuff. So yes, negotiation and writing skills are relevant to any position.
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    Grace Hur
    @dan_yes Whoa! That's a big switch from B2B sales to development. Nonetheless, I can imagine how handy it is to flex those listening and communication skills.
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    Steven Birchall
    Having to work in technical support very early in my career has definitely helped me as a Product Manager when it comes to understanding the value of strong documentation, simple onboarding and ensuring the UX is is clear and functional. Working with Sales teams, customer success and even doing some dev work myself in various 'other lives' all help as well.
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    Grace Hur
    @stevenbirchall Yes! Documentation is key! 🔑 Not only is it helpful for self-organization purposes, but also to make the information accessible and dispersible for relevant parties. Your team is so lucky to have you on top of your game 🧠
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    Kartal Erkoc
    For me it started back at high school when I joined the volleyball team, which I played for more than 10 years. 🏐 After training until late hours, tournaments in different cities, the memories that have been built and shared, I learned the importance of team work and how it brings success to the team when there is harmony. 🔝 🎶 Today, it applies to software engineering as well since we always work in teams, support&rely on each other every day. I'm still reflecting most of my experiences in volleyball team to my colleagues in the engineering team and trying to build healthier and stronger relations day after day. 👨‍💻
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    Grace Hur
    @kartal_erkoc1 Love this! At the end of the day, people don't remember the things you say or do, they remember how you make them feel. And you make us at Collato feel SO special 🌟
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