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Listen to my little audiobook -just for fun- or just skip it and read theResume
https://soundcloud.com/mariapapadopoulou/spotify/s-kNTAKHSqelL?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&si=859819f39b834a31b20f3910969b0e89
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[x] You have significant experience in building and shipping consumer-facing software products together with teams of designers, engineers and data scientists. You deeply understand the nuances of both consumer- and creator-facing product management
10+ years in tech
Worked on both consumer-facing products and creator-facing products. I am very familiar with the fine balances at play in marketplace products between the needs of creators/providers, consumers and of course the marketplace itself.
[x] You have deep experience in making hard data-informed decisions (A/B experimentation, user testing, data analysis, competitors and market analysis, defining metrics)
[x] You are excited about working in a new, fast-paced and innovative space and are passionate about the opportunity to help authors and publishers grow their audience and make a living off of their audiobooks
You can guess from my entrepreneurial background that even though I have worked on mature products, the phases i love the most are the early days and the growth phase. Audiobooks might not be brand new but it is something that is in the process of being mass adopted.
This opportunity would be one of the few that would make me pause of my own ventures because of the chance to work as part of a fast-paced talented team and due to the innovative nature of this relatively new vertical for Spotify.
Let’s not ignore the fact that I am an avid reader as well with a lot of opinions about book summaries, audiobooks etc. See What I would love to build
[x] You’re a compelling storyteller who can communicate in succinct and inspiring ways to a variety of audience types
Being part of tech orgs such as Notion and GRAB as well as trying to get my own projects to take off has taught me that persuasion requires much more than a good spec, solid data or a well written email. It takes relationship building, incentive alignment, repetition, storytelling, clarity and a combo of emotion + reason. Influence is an art. A fascinating one.
[x] You have a team-first approach and have developed techniques to ensure your teams are happy, motivated and productive
One of the best parts of being the PM is being the leader without being the manager. Being part of a team is the aspect I have missed the most while being an entrepreneur and the part that was the most rewarding by far in my previous gigs.
I have taught myself to ‘speak the language’ of engineers and designers by learning and extensively applying their craft myself which allows me to connect and collaborate with them much better.
[x] You are comfortable working with distributed teams across multiple offices and timezones
Worked with everything from work squads of of 30+ people (engineers, pre-sales, designers, copywriters etc) to working 1:1 with freelancers.
I have learned to appreciate cultural differences by having worked with teams in the US, UK, Germany, Israel, China, Singapore and Vietnam.
[x] You are a highly creative problem solver; you always provide new ideas on how to do things better
I am programmed to continuously think of how to do things better which is evident in my entrepreneurial tendencies. The reason why I have started so many side-projects and businesses myself is the desire to solve complex problems in a creative, beautiful and soulful way.
All that being said, I believe that spotting and picking the right problems is more important -and less fancy- than finding creative solutions to them.
[x] You apply systems thinking and analytical expertise to develop product strategies
A whiteboard and flowcharts on are my best friends as a PM.
You can bet I will draw one if we have an interview.
Engineering has trained me to crisply define problems, break them down and come up with solutions systematically. I believe handling complexity is one of my strongest features and one of the aspects of product I find most fun! See: Product superpowers.
Personal Site
https://x.com/productnerd/status/1669429316592058368
https://x.com/productnerd/status/1666711824513875974
https://x.com/productnerd/status/1608758928988602373