My Journey to Merchant Support
When I applied for a new job in the middle of the pandemic, things were a little scary. I didn’t know if I was more afraid of starting a new job, or of having to work remotely. Fortunately, I was able to overcome these challenges.
I’m Amari Remi, Merchant Support Senior agent at Printify. I faced my fears and hit the ground running during the busiest time of year. I’d like to share my story.
Overcoming Initial Obstacles
Before I started, my research pointed me in a bad direction. I believed that, during the holiday season, companies focus on temporary, seasonal workers only for the short term. Then, the timing was bad: companies don’t hire in the winter months. I should instead apply in January or March. [1]
Likewise, I worried about how the remote working conditions would affect my chances of starting a new role successfully from my new remote office — behind the desk and computer in my room. It certainly felt like stepping into the unknown.
But here I am, a year later, working at Printify and absolutely loving it. I managed to not only overcome my initial fears but also to learn, grow and succeed.
Remote Work is Your Friend
When I joined Printify, I was surprised by the remote-friendly culture established in the company. I received support from the company through a list of remote communication tools like Slack, Zoom, and Google Meet. For example, Slack is used for easy and accessible communication with my colleagues, managers, and anyone in Printify.
This makes it easy to share the latest news and chat about hobbies and interests. For example, newcomers are invited to share a get-to-know-me message. This and many other activities helped me not only to stay present, but also to feel included.
Work Together as a Team
What made the biggest impact on me was the sharing is caring attitude. This friendly approach helped the most with the anxiety I felt in the beginning. It contradicts the idea that, during the busiest season of all, no one has the time or patience to deal with you, and you have to figure it out yourself or fail.
Here at Printify, teamwork plays a meaningful part in the work culture. After the specialized training, my first team took care of me, as a newcomer. I had buddies (my colleagues) assigned in the first week to reach out for any help needed. Questions, feedback, and suggestions were encouraged and welcomed at all times. Without this help, it would’ve been a lot harder to adjust.
Focus On Improving
Don’t think about failing, but think about how you can help, instead. When it comes to determining how to succeed at anything, your personal attitude is what matters the most. Overcoming the fear and uncertainty in a new role can be the hardest thing, even with all the support and resources. It certainly was for me, but I took the initiative to overcome it.
I decided I will start with one simple personal goal: to help my team as much as possible during the busy holiday season. That was my mantra. It helped motivate me to improve and grow. Furthermore, it helped me continue learning all the necessary skills and knowledge to continue helping my team.
Invest Your Time in Learning
Talking about learning, during the training period, our training coordinator shared the quote “knowledge is power”. Let’s admit that this quote is relatable and motivating in almost every aspect of our lives. Moreover, by working at Printify, I have learned how meaningful it actually is for your personal and team’s success. Little by little, we all gather knowledge that helps us to grow and take up new challenges.
I immediately noticed that the Printify team is aware of the constant learning process and the benefits it gives. Learning and growing opportunities are encouraged here. Besides at Printify, one of our core values is “we don’t know it all, we learn it all”. At Printify, learning is not perceived as a waste of time, rather an investment. Thus, right after joining and even now, I am able to take some time to gain all the needed skills and knowledge and quickly improve my abilities to help the team even better.
Final Thoughts
From my experience, I do believe that great timing for submitting a job application or starting a new role is not what paves the road to success.
Instead, it comes from:
- Personal Initiative
- Company Support
Both are interlinked and needed to give the chance to dream about success even during the Holiday season.
