Wix prides itself on being (among other things) a people-centric company. 3 of our People Partners detail the things that make their role unique and reveal what kind of qualities and traits they look for in candidates for the position

Jenny Ingersoll, a Wix People Partner from New York, says one of the things that make the People Partner role at Wix different from similar roles elsewhere is the sheer diversity of it. “As a People Partner at Wix, we get to wear many hats. We’re seen as true business partners with a seat at the table and as someone to lean on when working with leaders. But then we can also be a coach or sometimes a mirror. We need to be able to understand and reflect different viewpoints,” she says.

“Another thing that makes the Wix People Partner role unique, is that we’re open minded and focused on looking at the individual. There’s a set of values we go by, but there's so much flexibility in it, and it allows us to always think about what’s the best thing to do in a given situation. We're always open to try something new, so it's ever evolving and ever changing.”

Osnat Graitzer, a People Partner in Tel Aviv, says that in her eyes, what makes the role special is that “whenever there’s something big going on at Wix, we’re a part of it. We have a strategic status in the organization, and because of it, we always have a seat at the table and have a big impact on business decisions.”

Another aspect of the role that’s unique to Wix is the involvement of the People Partner in hiring the best talents. “At Wix, one of the final interview stages is the HR interview,” says Anna Starodub, one of our People Partners in Ukraine. “This interview allows us to get to know the person better and assess their fit for Wix.”

What’s a typical day in the life of a Wix People Partner?

Jenny: “In terms of the day to day, the role can involve working closely with leaders across Wix. This can mean regularly scheduled check-ins where we just go over things or a meeting on a group-level or a site-level or a team lead-level or even an individual-level if someone wants to come to us and ask questions.

“We also work on many side projects and initiatives. For these, we'll often partner with various teams and come up with a plan. This will include how best to communicate it, or how to get excited about something, what needs to happen and what information is critical to understand. On top of that we also act as a point person to connect employees to other people they might need when they have questions.”

Another part of the role is helping facilitate employee growth across Wix. “We constantly encourage employees to be open with their manager about what their long term interests are and where they see themselves going,” Jenny adds. “Wix doesn’t have a prescribed plan for growth. It’s more like a jungle gym where you might reach out here and reach out there. At Wix, if something interests you, you can raise your hand and you'll most likely be given the resources to do it or at least give it a try. And let's say an employee actually wants to make a move. Since one of our values is transparency, we always encourage them to talk first to their manager, and then we’ll help the employee complete all the necessary steps. And if it doesn’t work out, we'll provide the feedback.”

How does the People team put our employees first?

Jenny: “The people-centric approach is very front and center at Wix. Various times, I’ve seen when we’ve really taken care of our employees. The storm in Texas earlier this year is just one example of that. When we were securing basic necessities like food and water for our employees in Austin who didn’t have any electricity or running water, it was never a question of if we were going to do it - it was how we were going to figure it out. So that's something I think is a classic example of the way we see things and the way we operate.”

"At Wix, if something interests you, you can raise your hand and you'll most likely be given the resources to do it"

So what kind of person is ideal for this role?

Jenny: “There are certain candidate traits we're looking for in any role within Wix. This can include things like flexibility, resilience, and openness and excitement to change. In this role, we're looking for those things and also the ability to look at each individual as a human while still being able to expand and look at the larger picture.”

Anna agrees and says the role’s title is no coincidence. “Of course I could tell you that we expect a person interested in this role to be very adaptive and a great communicator, but I don’t think these two traits really describe the essence of it. Wix is a very people-oriented company, and it’s evident in everything we do. We follow individual approaches when we face a situation and this is what people love at Wix. I’d describe it as a triangle built out of a situation, the person (or people) in it, and the Wix philosophy. The mission of a People Partner at Wix is to help everyone see the full picture, and we do it by listening carefully to our people, asking lots of questions, and giving them the feeling that they can be themselves without any masks and fears to be misunderstood.”

Osnat says that a candidate interested in the role “has to understand that small talk is important, that it’s all about building relationships, and that you should approach everything you do with a philosophy and not a prepared roadmap.”

Jenny: “One of the most critical things when starting this sort of role is to immediately begin to establish relationships and build trust, because then you really are seen as someone who has a seat at the table. In other companies, HR (the People Team) aren’t always seen as the truly consultative business partner, and at Wix we are. We meet with our various managers regularly. We always try to provide a point of view as experts in our field. This helps facilitate communication, the execution of initiatives, and in general, to work with others and making sure we are aligned. We’re there throughout any process or initiative that we're having, so we feel that we have a serious impact.”

Given the depth of our People Partners’ involvement in the way Wix runs, they all have a major impact on the company’s business. “Our People group plays a major role in achieving Wix’s goals. From hiring, to maintaining the place people love and are proud to work at,” says Anna. “At Wix, we’re building the best products in the world, and we believe that the best products are built by the best people. One of the key areas of any HR role is helping our leaders to achieve this goal through building and growing the best teams, but the thing that sets us apart from other companies is that we’re always striving to keep our people happy throughout their journey at Wix.”

Want to join Wix’s People team? See our open roles here.