After joining Wix Kyiv in the middle of the pandemic and finding her true calling, we spoke with Tetiana about Wix’s culture and values and how she was encouraged to grow within the company

Tetiana Pavlenko felt at home from her very first day at Wix. She has a master's degree in molecular genetics and before joining us she worked as a product manager, but something didn’t feel right. “I felt that although I followed the ‘right path’ all my life, it was different from the life I dreamt about”, she recalls.

“When I understood that, I decided to reinvent myself. It took me some time to realize that helping people and making them happy is what made me happy, and in June 2020 I joined Wix as a Customer Care Expert and my new life journey began”.

What did you like about the role?

“I enjoyed helping our users elevate their online business presence with us, and after a few months of helping them through email, I was lucky to join our first Chat group and started to help our users via live chat. I still remember that first day because of the crazy mix of excitement and fear. I was worried that I wouldn't find all the answers to our users’ inquiries, and only after the first couple of chats did I realize that it’s absolutely normal not to know everything. What’s important is knowing where to find the answers. When I understood that, I had a huge eureka moment. I felt relaxed enough to help each and every one of our users no matter what their question or problem was”, she says.

Tetiana remembers that live chatting with our users gave her enormous satisfaction. “I was able to assist them right on the spot and guide them to eliminate all the problems with site performance and design within minutes. It was also incredible to monitor how users really feel about Wix and what they would like to improve. Chats gave me the unique opportunity to ask users about their experience with us and do my best to make their voice heard in our dev teams”.

Apart from helping users, Tetiana enjoyed being a Customer Care Expert because it satisfied her curiosity and enabled her to better understand their needs, but when she felt too comfortable in her role she started to think about new challenges.

“I had no doubt that I wanted to continue with my inner mission to help people through Wix, since our values and the culture we cultivate here are very unique. I liked the idea of taking ownership and allowing failures that eventually help you grow. There was no doubt in my mind that this is the place I see myself in a few years from now”.

Soon after, when a Customer Care Expert position in the Wix Answers team was opened, Tetiana immediately saw it as a perfect fit for her. “My goal was to maintain the communication part of my job while developing myself in the tech field and getting to know our product much better, and this role was exactly that”, she says. “It gave me an outstanding opportunity to learn how to provide a top-notch customer care level in a challenging B2B environment. From helping our users grow their businesses with us online, that was a fantastic chance for me to go one step further and help our business clients provide incredible assistance to their users. Now I was able to explore product development in detail, and make sure all our clients’ wishes and suggestions were considered”.

What are the best parts about it?

“I was blown away by the technical aspects of it and it has already pushed me to elevate my troubleshooting and tech skills as I uncover so many product layers. I also feel true progress in combining teamwork and personal independence. I’m lucky to have incredibly supportive teammates that always share their insights about our product whenever I have questions (and I have many!). At the same time, I adore the fact that my Team Lead encourages me to bring any new ideas and creative solutions to the table”.

How did Wix encourage you to move into the new role?

“I knew that at Wix you can grow as much as you allow yourself to, and I was very deeply encouraged to jump on the new opportunity at Wix Answers. I felt enormous support from my team lead who fully supported me during the interviewing process and always provided the greatest tips and pieces of advice for me to level up professionally and mentally”.

In your opinion, what are the advantages of hiring within Wix?

“The biggest advantage is that you’re already on the same page with them in so many ways. You feel proud to share the values with all the rest of the company, no matter what department or country you’re in, and that enables you to fully focus on the ways to improve the current processes and provide a ‘Wow’ experience for our users. When I spoke with some of my new colleagues at Wix Answers and they told me how - like me - they’ve also moved to new roles within Wix when they were up for new challenges, I realized that the sky’s the limit here. You’re encouraged to express your creativity, and to learn new things all the time while the environment around you is evolving at cosmic speed. Just like with surfing, the most important thing is to keep pushing yourself harder each day and when you feel too comfortable and relaxed, you can hop on the next growth wave and ride it further and higher”.

Any advice for others who might be interested to explore new opportunities within Wix?

“Sure! I think you should first have your finger on the pulse, and the moment you feel ready to explore a new role, say it out loud to yourself, and make it your new professional goal. Secondly, I’d write a list of the skills you’d like to keep from the current role and the ones you’d like to explore in the new position and then consult with your Team Lead about any additional possibilities you can explore in your current role. Maybe there’s no need to move at all! Thirdly - if that doesn’t work out - be on the lookout for any new opportunity that arises and see if it matches your list. If it does, you’re ready for the next step - go for it!”

Explore all available positions at Wix Kyiv.