I interned at ShopBack. Here’s how it went!
How it all began
I had aimed to work in a tech company that I was familiar with when I was looking for an internship. For me, ShopBack is a trustworthy company since I had been a loyal user of ShopBack for a long time before I even started working, and I was clear what this app does and how their business works.
Moreover, I wished to learn more about the working environment in companies with an international presence. Hence, ShopBack easily became my first choice when I was looking for an internship.
My Core Focus during the Internship
I worked in the Taiwan Tech Group Quality Assurance (TTG QA) team during my internship. In addition to daily manual testing, I also assisted in writing technical documentation, and developing automated testing programs.
Before starting the development of automated tests, we had to first understand the structure of the existing code of each project. Since we did not follow the project from the beginning and each project has a different framework, the process from familiarising ourselves with the architecture to beginning to write code is quite complex and challenging. This was the biggest difficulty I encountered in my work.
How I overcame this issue :
- First of all, documentation in ShopBack is incredibly comprehensive. When encountering problems, my initial step is to seek out helpful documents in Confluence and read them thoroughly. In most instances, this proves to be adequate in resolving my issues.
- Furthermore, my supervisors and colleagues were supportive and readily available to address any queries the interns may have, hence when I can’t find a solution, I turn to them for assistance.
- Last but not least, once I have gained a basic understanding, I start practising right away. By actively working on the project, I find it more efficient to understand the overall framework and operation of the program than just reading the code.
Understanding the Importance of a Good Manager
A big part of my internship was also realising how important it was to have a good supervisor, who genuinely wants the best for you and your career.
My supervisor provided me invaluable assistance during my internship. What I found especially helpful was that whenever I encountered problems and sought her help, she never gave me the final answer directly. Instead, she guided me on how to find the answer myself, or shared her thought process, allowing me the space to find the solution through my own efforts. This approach helped me develop my problem-solving skills and become more independent in my work, reducing my reliance on constantly asking my supervisor and fellow team members for help whenever I faced a roadblock.
Beyond work-related assistance, my supervisor also showed genuine concern about our future career plans. She made an effort to arrange tasks that aligned with our career interests, and willingly shared valuable career advice based on her past work experiences.
I deeply feel that she genuinely hopes we can learn valuable skills at ShopBack, and have a successful career in the future.
Driving Real Impact
I believe that the responsibilities I undertook contributed to enhancing the efficiency of testing at the company, reducing the time spent on manual testing, and accelerating the testing process.
Additionally, writing technical documentation helps ShopBackers — both current and future — to quickly and comprehensively understand the company’s operational procedures through clear explanations in the articles, thus improving everyone’s efficiency in adapting to new tasks.
Culture at ShopBack : A Quick Summary
During my 5 months here, I was able to understand more about ShopBack’s culture and people. While it’s hard to explain fully through this quick reflection, let me summarize my thoughts below :
Your Voice Matters
I feel that ShopBack is a company that respects its employees. Here, everyone’s opinions are heard, and efforts are made to fulfil employees’ needs. During the monthly Group Town Hall meetings, ShopBackers from every market come together, and the Management and Leadership team is willing to listen to and address every ShopBacker’s questions. It is evident that the Management values all employees, whether they are full-time staff or interns, equally.
The goal is always to ensure everyone gains clarity, such that they are able to continue pushing for progress in their respective areas.
Striving for Excellence
In addition, I feel that while the work atmosphere in ShopBack is a pleasant one, everyone takes their responsibilities seriously and completes their tasks with dedication. I find it great that our supervisors do not constantly monitor our progress or pressure us, making us feel that they trust us to complete our work by stated deadlines.
It also seems natural for all interns to be influenced by the work atmosphere here. I can genuinely feel that everyone puts in a lot of effort to complete their tasks and genuinely hopes to deliver excellent results.
Before joining ShopBack, I generally already had the notion that working in a foreign company would offer more freedom, but I never expected ShopBack to provide employees with so much flexibility and benefits.
Work-From-Anywhere
Not only can full-time ShopBackers work from home two days a week, but they also have a certain number of days per year to Work-From-Anywhere. This allows ShopBackers to work in a relaxed atmosphere, and I feel that such a work arrangement actually enhances everyone’s productivity.
Non-hierarchical and Impact-Driven
Additionally, I assumed that in a slightly larger company, there would be evident hierarchies between superiors and subordinates. However, all employees are treated equally here at ShopBack, and there is no sense of hierarchy. This creates a comfortable and respectful working environment for everyone to do their work effectively and efficiently, and work towards a common goal of creating a bigger impact, together.
Making the Most out of your time at ShopBack
I will share two things as advice for future ShopBack interns :
- Seize opportunities, whenever offered.
During your internship at ShopBack, you may encounter tasks that you have not dealt with before. However, instead of being afraid to face them, I believe that you should instead take this opportunity to learn and understand deeply as these experiences will all be invaluable for your future career. Make sure to seize any chance to explore unfamiliar areas of work. This will greatly benefit you in your professional development.
While still an intern, take advantage of :
(a) the environment which isn’t too pressurising just yet, and
(b) the ample time you have to absorb as much knowledge as possible.
My thoughts : When working as a full-time employee in the future, you may no longer have the luxury of learning at your own pace. Therefore, I think this opportunity is rare and precious. - Always ask questions.
Additionally, do not hesitate to ask questions. ShopBack fosters a collaborative culture where everyone is willing to help. If you encounter any challenges, do not keep them to yourself. Just ask, and you will receive the support you need.
This is how I experienced significant growth during my internship here.
Signing off from ShopBack,
Vivi Cheng
❗️ Interested in what else we work on?
Follow us (ShopBack Tech blog | ShopBack LinkedIn page) now to get further insights on what our tech teams do!
❗❗️ Or… interested in us? (definitely, we hope 😂)
Check out here how you might be able to fit into ShopBack — we’re excited to start our journey together!
