Building Things Because They’re Useful: A Hootsuite Product Manager Story
Learn how Emir Aydin navigated his career from software developer to product manager where he now manages mobile products, oversees Android, iOS, and mobile web.
How would you describe yourself?
“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ’crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.” — Thomas J. Watson
This is a quote I would use to describe myself. It comes straight from a description in a personality test known as Myers-Briggs, where I qualify as an ENTP (extraverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving) aka “the Debater.” My drive to challenge assumptions and debate ideas as an ENTP stems from my infinite curiosity. I read a lot and try to base my important decisions on the best possible information.
As much as I love entertaining my curiosity by exploring ideas, where I diverge a little bit from the ENTP stereotype is my desire to see an idea through its execution. I’m an optimist entrepreneurial thinker who finds joy through driving goals in a world of ambiguity.
Growing up in a Mediterranean town in the southern coast of Turkey, where the east meets the west, I’ve been exposed to the ideals and rules of the Western World and the emotions of the Eastern World. My curiosity was further triggered by that kind of environment as I would often find myself in cultural debates as to which side we belong to and what we should do. Knowledge was the best ammunition in these debates, so I learned to read — a lot. I still do. And when I don’t, you can find me in a basketball court throwing my ideas through a hoop to unwind after a busy day.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a product manager.
After teaching myself how to code in elementary school and loving it, it was no surprise I ended up studying computer science in university. Coupling that with my interest in putting knowledge into practice, I led the entrepreneurial society at my university, McGill, and did a minor in entrepreneurship. That positioned me well for starting a bioinformatics venture with a professor during university, which I continued working on for a bit after university.
After that experience, I decided no matter where my career brings me, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Product management was one area where I could work for a company and still be an entrepreneur — or an intrapreneur if you will. However, no one wanted to hire a product manager without experience, and you can’t get any experience without filling a role, so go figure! I continued to work for several years in what I was already skilled in — software engineering — deciding the best way to move into product management was through an internal move. I improved my engineering skill set working for a San Francisco-based company until the moment of opportunity came.
That moment finally came for me at Hootsuite. I started as a software developer in our Labs team, which was a startup within the company building new and innovative products. Having had the opportunity to be a software engineer with a lot of product ownership and where my first manager, director of Labs, would later become the VP of Product was amazing.
I jumped at the opportunity to do a stretch project and worked with a product manager for mobile. This stretch project ended up being very successful. When my stretch mentor said he would be soon leaving the company, that was my window of opportunity. A month after his departure and after an in-depth interview process, I would move on to become the next product manager for mobile at Hootsuite. This is a role I am still happily pursuing! Today, I’m managing mobile products at Hootsuite, overseeing Android, iOS, and mobile web. I do this while helping define and drive the overall mobile strategy for the company.
What has been the greatest learning moment in your career?
While pursuing my bioinformatics venture, I decided to conduct usability testing for software we spent six months building. We saw our users using the software in completely different ways than we had imagined or wanted them to. My mind was blown, and I realized there is incredible value in getting to know your customer well early on and involving them in every step of the process.
That was a defining moment which would lead me to develop an interest in not just building things because they’re cool (as an engineer would be intrigued to think), but because it is useful to people and they love them. I started to read a lot about product management and set goals which led me to where I am today.
“Hootsuite has changed the way I think about my career while constantly helping me grow at whatever it is I want to do. Coming to work every day, seeing people care a lot about each other and the mission they’re set out to accomplish is a testament to that.”
How did you prepare yourself for the role of a product manager?
I believe in the power of a growth mindset. Despite the fact that we spend a third of our day in the office, learning and personal growth doesn’t have office hours if you’re passionate about the subject. Leading up to my current role, I didn’t only do things at work, but I was proactive outside too. I had been running a side business for a couple of years where I launched a successful software product with tens of thousands of users.
That experience was brought up during the interview process at Hootsuite and my learnings there set me up for success. On top of that, I was always reading about entrepreneurship and product management outside of work, which contributed to my learning on a daily basis. Lastly, in my previous role as an engineer, I found it very helpful to be engaging with product managers on a daily basis sharing ideas or things I’ve learned throughout this process.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how have you overcome them?
Moving into product management has been the biggest challenge so far. Having the software engineer title after studying computer science was easy. On the other hand, there is no school for product managers and it is a high responsibility role with very little clarity on how to get there. People come to this role from all walks of life. Deciding that an internal move would be my best chance, I have pursued that every step of the way (even during my job interview at Hootsuite) and made my goals/intentions clear.
Hootsuite provides plenty of opportunities if you are proactive, and so I was. Stretch project is a great example of that. It’s where for 20 percent of your time, employees get to experience a different role through a project.
Describe a way you have evolved as a result of working at Hootsuite.
Having spent some time in the tech industry, I have seen many companies center their culture around parties, food, and drinks. But especially in my time here, I find culture is so much more than that. It’s about coming together around a goal to deliver value to the world around you while making sure you get the care and growth you need as a person.
There are very few companies around that are able to accomplish that and I’m proud to work for one that does. Hootsuite has changed the way I think about my career while constantly helping me grow at whatever it is I want to do. Coming to work every day, seeing people care a lot about each other and the mission they’re set out to accomplish is a testament to that.
Share with us the most notable thing you’ve learned from a mentor.
“Pick your battles.”
Being very driven, I’m constantly evaluating new ideas and debating them sometimes by myself and sometimes with others. This can result in debate fatigue, where you find yourself trying to drive change about everything around you. It can tire you and the people around you, and lower the weight of your opinion in a crowd where there is already too much noise. I was told that by picking a few battles and fighting them with a consistent message yields the best results. I couldn’t agree more. It’s probably the most important thing I’ve learned from my mentors. Not only has it made me more efficient, but it also has made me a happier person.
What advice would you give to people who are early in their careers or new to Hootsuite?
Make your goals and motivations clear, and don’t be afraid to share them. More often than not, people are afraid to share their career goals or where they want to be in several years, especially with their managers. I find that clearly communicating this has allowed me to drive my career. It has aligned other people in my search to find what is best for me, as well as opening doors for opportunities I would not otherwise have.
Oh, and for those new to Hootsuite, join the basketball team :)
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