7 years with Purple: Evelyn's journey from career changer to Head of QA

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What prompted you to start working at Purple and what surprised you the most?

I studied humanities and already back then gained experience in the area of software quality assurance through student jobs and also wrote technical manuals. It quickly became clear that the technical world that opened up to me there and its way of tackling problems fascinated me much more than the humanities — and was also more in line with my personal characteristics. There is a problem and you are trying to solve it — this clarity appealed to me. This was followed by an MBA in business administration, but the desire to work in IT continued to accompany me. Purple then gave me the opportunity to comprehensively familiarise myself with this area with a position as a full-time tester. I've been with Purple for over seven years now and I'm very happy to still be here.

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How has your role at Purple developed since you started?

After around one and a half years with Purple, I already knew our product very well. My manager then left the company, giving me the opportunity to take on quality assurance. That was a big step, because I suddenly saw everything from a whole new perspective. I also completed a boot camp for web programming — it was exhausting and educational at the same time. What particularly challenged me was how to build a team, set the focus correctly and overcome capacity bottlenecks in a dynamic environment. But the exciting thing is that my bosses give me a lot of freedom and micro-management simply doesn't exist here.

What is the most exciting project or challenge you've worked on here?

As the company grew and our product became more complex, it became clear that we couldn't hire as many new people as we wanted, because that doesn't scale either. Instead, we needed an efficient solution to maintain our high quality standards — and that was automated testing. Completely rebuilding this topic and integrating it in such a way that it really makes sense was an enormous challenge. We have achieved a great deal by now, although maintaining our test suites is an ongoing process. It takes time and attention, and sometimes I need to remind my colleagues how important this process is.

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Which moments or experiences made you particularly proud?

Definitely the moment when I was able to build my own team. It makes me proud when I see how everyone works together and faces challenges together. I've never been a fan of strong hierarchies and my team shows that a more relaxed, trust-based management style can work excellently. I am also proud of my personal learning path: What made me stumble a year ago — or even a month ago — is much easier for me today or has even become instinctive. You can take something for yourself from every day.

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What do you particularly appreciate about corporate culture — and what makes it different from other companies?

I find the balance of professionalism and a genuine sense of community remarkable. That may sound cheesy, but I've never seen such collegial cooperation before. Once a month, we have breakfast together with all colleagues, during which company information is discussed completely transparently. Our weekly Purple Office Day with free lunch also provides a good opportunity to exchange ideas. And fun and strategy come together at joint summer and winter events. Of course, there are always challenges, but we approach them openly and try to constantly improve. Continuous questioning and improvement makes the difference for me.

If you had to give a new colleague a tip to get started, what would it be?

I know that you want to get into daily business quickly. But take the time to get to know our processes and, above all, our product — that's what helps us the most.

Would you like to advance your career with us? Then take a look at our career page.

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