The Beginning of the Journey
Four years ago, when I was searching for a new place to work, I was looking for something connected to my previous experience — a job in moderation. I had interviews for a few projects, but decided to stick with Mayflower. The people who interviewed me seemed like the kind of people I’d like to work with: highly skilled in their fields and respectful in communication. I really liked that. That was the beginning of my journey at the company — as a Moderation Specialist.
I certainly didn’t imagine growing into a product-related role, but I also didn’t expect all the promotions that happened before I transitioned to my current position as Junior Business Analyst. So — you never know what will happen next.
The Potential to Grow
I think the support for my growth was there almost from the very beginning. After the first few months of onboarding and getting familiar with all the nuances of the project, it started to become a bit boring. So, I decided to take on more responsibilities by doing various side tasks in addition to moderation activities. At that time, I started writing documentation for the team, conducting training for newcomers, participating in policy changes, and more.
Shortly after, I decided to apply for a Supervisor position and was promoted to lead one of the Moderation Teams.
It was a great experience being a supervisor. I learned a lot — mostly from my Team Lead, to whom I’m still grateful for all the experience and knowledge he shared with me. He supported me not only in improving my hard skills but also in developing my soft skills. And of course, I had the chance to tackle more interesting challenges than before.
After about 10 months, I came to the conclusion that managing people doesn’t suit me very well — I’m more of an independent performer than a team lead.
I discussed this with my Team Lead, and shortly after, I was promoted to the position of Solution Implementation Specialist — a relatively new role in the company. It served as a bridge between product users (stakeholders) and developers. I was helping to "translate" user feedback to developers to better understand their needs and how they interact with the tool.
At that point, I thought I was done with promotions and expected to stay in the Solution Implementation Specialist role for a year or two. But to my surprise, after about 10 months in that position, I received an offer to transition into the role of Junior Business Analyst for our internal tool.
I gladly accepted it, as this position aligns most with what interests me — analyzing weak spots and improving them, staying closely aware of what’s happening with the tool I work with every day, and, most importantly, being able to influence it myself to create something meaningful for its users.
The Confidence to Make the Switch
The last switch — from Solution Implementation Specialist to Junior Business Analyst — was pretty rough. I was completely new to the field of business analysis and had to study relevant courses to improve my expertise.
I think the most confidence I got was from my current (at the time) team lead and my future team lead. They highlighted my strongest skills — the ones they believed would make me a good fit for the Business Analysis team — and that was a big motivation for me. I was told that my new team lead would support me through any challenges and help with anything I didn’t yet know how to deal with.
I had a pretty good, step-by-step introduction to the position: what my responsibilities were, where to find examples of how to do certain tasks, and overall what to expect. I felt prepared for most of what was waiting for me in this role.
But I guess the biggest source of confidence came from my years of experience working with the tool I was about to analyze. At least I knew the product — and that made it all a bit less scary.
Smooth and Meaningful Transition
The transition was pretty smooth — I didn’t feel any discomfort moving between roles. Everything was organized well and without any rush. There was no pressure to onboard ASAP. I had the chance to work on new things at my own pace, which gave me the opportunity to dive deeper into the subject.
What Shaped My Experience the Most
I think the biggest impact on my journey came from the support I received from my team leads in every position I’ve held. These people always found a way to highlight my achievements — even when I myself didn’t see them as anything special.I also really value the sense of responsibility within the company: everyone knows what they’re doing and takes ownership of their domain — which is incredibly inspiring.
And once again, I want to say a huge thanks to all the team leads I’ve had — and have — at the company. They’ve always been a true inspiration, exactly what a professional should be. I’m genuinely grateful to have seen real examples of good management that truly helps people grow.
