Meet Magda, who began her professional journey at Allegro as an Executive Assistant. Today, she successfully develops technological products as a Product Manager and shares with us her first steps in IT, her biggest challenges, her everyday work with the development team, and what makes Allegro a place you want to come back to both as an employee and as a user. She also talks about her favorite daily ritual, best shopping deals, and… eyeglass cleaning wipes.
To celebrate Allegro’s 25th anniversary, Magda Tomczyk, Product Manager in the Delivery Experience area, answers 25 questions.
1. What skills did you gain at Allegro that helped you grow your career?
At Allegro, I learned everything about technology and being a Product Manager. I had never thought I could work in IT, but here I got and took the chance!
2. What was your first day at Allegro like?
I spent the first days onboarding in Poznań, back when the company was much smaller and onboarding was held off-site. I also remember that the Warsaw office was still in its previous location. From my very first day in the capital’s office, the moment that stuck with me most was sitting at a desk on the 13th floor with a beautiful view of the city center… and making my very first purchase on Allegro. I had no idea what to choose, so just to try it out, I ordered eyeglass cleaning wipes. :)
3. If you had to pick one moment at Allegro that you remember the most, what would it be?
Probably the time I gave my first presentation to several dozen people and my heart rate hit 178. I remember being terrified, but I’m very grateful to my manager back then for throwing me in at the deep end so much has changed since then, and now very few things can stress me out that much!
4. What three words best describe Allegro as a workplace?
Dynamic, growth-oriented, friendly.
5. What’s your work ritual, any “must-dos” to start the day?
Yes! I start work at 8:00 a.m., when Slack and Zoom are still quiet, and calmly tackle the most urgent tasks. At 10:00 a.m., I have a daily stand-up with my team, this is a fixed point of the day and probably my favorite. :)
6. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone starting at Allegro?
Start by meeting the people you’ll work most closely with, you’ll quickly see that it’s truly #goodtobehere and that great people work here. And give yourself time to understand the key processes and dependencies, it definitely takes a while.
7. You can send greetings to one person or team in this interview. Who will it be and why?
Greetings to Małgorzata! :))) Gosia and I are Product Managers in the same area and we understand each other without words! We see things similarly on many issues, and a day without our discussions, whether product-related or philosophical, feels like a day wasted. Małgorzata R., if you’re reading this (and I know you are!), know that I’ve learned a lot from you and I’m so glad you’re here!
8. What’s your hidden talent that few people know about?
I can be in several places at once!
9. What’s the best deal you’ve ever snagged on Allegro?
I shop on Allegro so much that I can’t remember… but they’re always great deals!
10. If you could add one new feature to Allegro, what would it be?
I’d add a feature in the Allegro app that lets you search for multiple products from the same seller at once.
11. Do you have a favorite online shopping lifehack?
To this day, I’m not sure if one of the lifehacks I shared during my job interview with Allegro’s then-CEO didn’t help me land the job, haha! But I’ll keep that one to myself. :)
12. What’s your career path at Allegro?
I started at Allegro as an Executive Assistant and basically built the Warsaw Management Board Office from scratch. After two years, I moved to the technology department, where I was responsible for broadly defined product communication. There, I observed the work of Product Managers in the Delivery Experience area for a year and then decided to apply for an internal recruitment for this role. And so, for several years now, I’ve been developing, together with my development team, tools such as Wysyłam z Allegro - a shipping tool for Allegro sellers.
13. The biggest challenge in your career so far…
Building from scratch an entirely new interface for our product, used daily by tens of thousands of users, within just a few months from the first team meeting.
14. If you could invent a new delivery method, what would it be?
I work in Delivery Experience, and taking care of deliveries is our everyday job, you can already see the results on the platform!
15. At work, do you prefer spontaneity and quick decisions, or having everything planned from A to Z?
I prefer having everything planned from A to Z, but working in such a dynamic environment as Allegro long ago cured me of illusions, I think I’ve reached pro level in making quick, spontaneous, yet well-informed and data-driven decisions.
16. How do you explain to friends and family what you actually do at Allegro?
Once, after I gave a long explanation about Allegro and my responsibilities (developers? Do you work in real estate?), a family member summed it up by saying I work “in a shop in Warsaw”, and since then, I haven’t been able to come up with anything better.
17. My typical workday starts with…
…a cup of tea (I don’t drink coffee).
18. What qualities in your teammates do you value most?
A great sense of humor, openness, the ability to ask for help and to give it, plus a strong sense of responsibility for our shared product.
19. I can’t imagine a workday without…
…those first few minutes of the daily stand-up with my team, when I often laugh to tears. Guys, Grzegorz, Jakub, Marcin, Marcin II, Mateusz, Piotr, working with you is a pleasure!!!
20. My favorite way to survive Monday is…
Taking a day off. :)
21. Slack or Zoom meetings?
That’s a tough one! Quick questions - Slack; more complex topics - Zoom.
22. Working in silence or with music?
In silence.
23. Team building: escape room or cooking together?
Cooking together (although the escape room was fun too!).
24. What would you like others to know about your work that isn’t obvious at first glance?
My job means that in a single day I can play many different roles - Product Manager, Product Owner, and sometimes even designer, analyst, or, if needed, developer!
25. What’s your wish for Allegro on its 25th birthday?
That it continues to be the favorite shopping destination for millions of people in Poland and beyond!
🔜 Stay with us - this is just the beginning!
If you’d like to meet more amazing people who built Allegro from the inside, check out the interviews with Marek, Ziemowit, and Joanna, and stay tuned for more conversations in this series. Follow us so you don’t miss the next story, because each one proves that it’s truly #goodtobehere.
