Jen Hartshorne

Job:

Product Manager

Company:

Awaze

I work in Awaze's Search team, on the functionality used by Awaze's core brands across the UK and Europe including Cottages.com, Hoseasons and Novasol. I liaise between business stakeholders and the product team to shape iterative changes that meet business objectives and provide the best experiences possible for our users.

I am...

Analytical

Motivated

Approachable

The skills I use most in my job...

Stakeholder management

Requirement shaping

Workshop facilitation

Data and user analysis

Roadmap and objective planning

The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...

I've worked on educational campaigns at the BBC. One was Terrific Scientific; the purpose of which was to encourage 9 - 11 year olds to peruse STEM related education. It was composed of 10 hands-on science investigations, the results of which were plotted onto maps to represent each participating class.

What inspired me into digital and tech...

It's such an exciting industry as it influences nearly every part of our lives and it’s constantly evolving. There are things in existence now that our ancestors would never have believed possible, and things not yet in existence that will develop the lives of future generations in ways unimaginable.

My educational background is...

I studied Media Production at University but the industry was hard to get into, so I started working for a company building used car locators, in an operational role. There I took an interest in Project Management and Business Analysis, gaining skills enabling me to Product Manage at the BBC.

What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...

For digital and tech solutions to work for the masses and not just the few, it needs contributions from people of all backgrounds and genders. We’re all just people, don’t be intimidated but explore options, ask questions, build relationships, push yourself. You can, and will, make a difference!