How building authentic relationships catalyzes career growth

Senior Product Designer Şeyda Ülgen chats to Product Design Intern Efemena Udezi about how their mentor-mentee relationship has influenced their career growth.

Zalando Product Design
Zalando Design
8 min readDec 13, 2022

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“To move up, you have to get in.” As Allie Bangura, founder and board member of the Afro-German Academic Network (ADAN) points out, how far we grow in our careers is not only down to skill and hard work but the opportunities we can access. Zalando’s partnership with ADAN is one way we are strengthening our connection to underrepresented communities, greatly contributing to our goal to make our company as diverse as our customers.

Selected ADAN candidates participate in a six-month internship at Zalando, including a mentorship pairing with an experienced employee. One of those interns, Efemena Udezi, is nearing the end of her placement in our product design community. Over the past few months, she has worked in two teams, Zalando Plus and Zalando Design System (ZDS), experiencing two different faces of product design. Her mentorship with Senior Product Designer Şeyda Ülgen has been instrumental to her development, providing her with the additional support and direction she needed to excel in her Zalando journey.

As every experienced mentor knows, mentorship is a mutually nourishing experience. What have Efemena and Şeyda learned from each other during their time together? And how has it contributed to their career growth? Join them as they reflect on the high points of their journey and the relationship they have cultivated along the way.

Senior Product Designer Şeyda Ülgen chats to Product Design Intern Efemena Udezi | Zalando Design

Şeyda: How did you get involved with the ADAN program?

Efemena: A friend recommended the program when I was job searching. I attended some ADAN events and kept an eye out for opportunities. I eventually found the internship at Zalando via LinkedIn. How about you?

Şeyda: It was through an internal announcement. I resonated with ADAN because it creates opportunities for people who might be disadvantaged at the beginning of their careers. I wanted to give back to the community. I have mentored for a while outside of Zalando. However, mentorship within a company brings different opportunities. I discussed it with my lead and it aligned with my career goals. I realized that this was not the first year of Zalando’s partnership with ADAN. Some interns successfully joined Zalando as employees after participating. There was evidence it was working. Had you experienced mentorship before ADAN?

Efemena: Yes, twice! The first time was when I wanted to transition into UX design. I received a lot of influential life lessons. My second mentor was assigned to me at a boot camp. He helped me bring my presentation skills to the next level. Zalando has provided the opportunity to explore a structured mentorship format.

“Discussing our motivations, hopes, and fears was a beautiful way to create this vulnerability and get to know each other. The trust we established was so important.”

Şeyda: Definitely. To those curious about the format, Efemena and I were matched through an official process, joining my skills with her interests. There was also a planned timeline and a suggested frequency for our sessions. However, we had the flexibility to make it our own. Sometimes life got in the way and we couldn’t meet, but we maintained our communication. I wanted to build openness from our very first one-on-one. Discussing our motivations, hopes, and fears was a beautiful way to create this vulnerability and get to know each other. The trust we established was so important. Though we are almost at the end of the mentorship, it doesn’t feel like the end for us.

Efemena: Honestly, in the beginning, I wasn’t sure what I would receive from this mentorship. The first question Şeyda asked me was, “What do you want to get out of this program?” It touched that inhibition directly. Her direct approach warmed me up to the experience. We just talked. I didn’t have to rehearse what to say. She was like, “We can do this. You can do this.” The mentorship switched from an obligation to something I really wanted to do. Whenever I needed support, Şeyda always had my back. Whenever my team has given me a task, I have picked her brain first. She’s been an amazing anchor point for feedback and guidance. For example, when I was learning the design vocabulary used at Zalando, she sent me glossaries! It has not just been a mentor-mentee relationship from my side. I feel like we can continue our friendship outside Zalando.

Şeyda: Efemena can always reach out to me. I had a few mentors throughout my career that I reached out to whenever I was about to make a career change. Like any relationship, the mentor-mentee relationship grows over time. Step by step, you build the trust to be open to each other. I have been reflecting on my early career and sharing my mistakes. I have also been looking at her unique challenges and sharing my perspective. Sometimes we focus on career steps. It can be tricky to decide which direction to go. I genuinely want to be there for her. One of the successes of this mentorship has been creating a lasting connection.

Efemena: I have grown a lot. As an introvert, I sometimes find it difficult to communicate. Şeyda has taught me that I can be as open as I feel comfortable. My lead once asked me if I am comfortable asking for help. I am, but sometimes I don’t know how to do it. Sharing my work has always been challenging, but my relationship with Şeyda has made me so mellow. I don’t mind criticism. If it comes from her, I know I can build on it.

“As Product Designers, we are skilled at building empathy. That also carries over to human relationships in the workplace: building empathy toward others’ lives.”

Şeyda: People feel more comfortable sharing when they know they have our full attention. Active listening is crucial: being a sounding board and listening without judgment. As Product Designers, we are skilled at building empathy. That also carries over to human relationships in the workplace: building empathy toward others’ lives. I’m so proud of Efemena. As some of our readers may know, the Zalando community is large and complex. It takes time to understand how everything works. At the same time, Efemena was sitting a lot of exams in the summer for school. I recognized it wasn’t easy, but she was brave and confident. I was happy to listen and to adapt our needs and expectations to the reality of day-to-day life. I remember, in the beginning, Efemena wasn’t sure what she wanted to focus on in product design. It’s a journey; we don’t necessarily understand it straight away. But through her internship, she was able to experience different areas. That helped, right?

Efemena: Yes. I have gained a lot from both teams. Immediately after my onboarding to Zalando Plus, my lead Veronica Litmanovich gave me ownership of a project. I had to create a blueprint for the Early Access experience. It involved a lot of desk research and learning from scratch. My team was very open to helping — especially Maya Schwartz, a Senior Product Designer who I call “the blueprinting enthusiast!” About halfway through my internship, I reached out to Şeyda and asked if there was anywhere else at Zalando I could apply myself. She connected me to the Zalando Design System team, who invited me to join them. She was not obliged to do that — she did it because she is invested in my growth. My experience with Plus was focused on learning. ZDS gave me the opportunity to assist in the decision-making process and explore design ideas. I’m very grateful for the opportunities both teams gave me, enabling me to learn and also to apply what I have learned. It’s the same company, but each team approaches product design differently.

“I was so happy to see you happy, knowing that as a Product Design Intern, you could have a tangible end-to-end impact on a product.”

Şeyda: It’s lovely to hear that because a varied portfolio is invaluable in the early stages of your career. I wanted this mentorship to create opportunities and takeaways for your career growth. Mentoring within a multifaceted design community like Zalando’s makes it easier to connect the dots and open doors. The Zalando Design System is very well established, unlike the design systems of many other companies. I was so happy to see you happy, knowing that as a Product Design Intern, you could have a tangible end-to-end impact on a product.

Efemena: Exactly. In fact, I am happy to announce that the icon explorations I did for ZDS were approved today. Some of my icons will be making it to the Fashion Store!

Şeyda: Wow, congratulations!

Efemena: Şeyda’s mentorship has helped me broaden my horizons. For example, when I showed her the blog article I’m writing. She told me it was a great idea. However, framing it around my experience made it a little biased. She suggested researching other people’s experiences to offer a more general perspective. It is a very useful lens to apply throughout my work.

Şeyda: This mentorship has also reinforced my ability to step back and switch perspectives. That skill does not only impact the customer experience but also leadership. Improving my leadership skills was one of my goals coming into this program. You learn it by doing, by practicing, and by helping others. We are still learning from each other. I am grateful we had this opportunity. I am also so pleased that it connects to the overarching goal at Zalando to create a more inclusive workplace. Do you have any advice for others embarking on a mentorship journey, Efemena?

Efemena: Try to map out what you want to achieve on this journey. At least have an idea of the next step you want to take in your career. Communicate this to your mentor. As I mentioned, it was something we covered in our first meeting. You may have big career goals, but for the purpose of the mentorship, try to think of something that’s achievable over the duration of your time together. Then, at the end of the mentorship, you can evaluate what went well and what could have made the experience better.

Şeyda: Exactly. I agree that setting up a foundation of expectations and goals is a valuable first step. Needs can change over time, but it’s helpful to be on the same page to create a structured plan. Very importantly, we are all human. Building trust takes time — not just between mentor and mentee but in any human relationship. We need to be authentic and give space to each other. Trust the journey.

How best can we invest in our mentee’s success? From shaping a fruitful engagement to having an ear for opportunities, nine mentors from Zalando’s product design community share their experience of what makes a career-changing mentor.

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