Tell us your name, your job title at Dwelo, and what your position entails.
I’m Pam Yoon. My title is Principal Product Manager. I’m on the product management team and I’m primarily looking for future product opportunities for Dwelo. My team and I work with other teams to figure out what will be the best products or solutions for us to invest in for the future.
Before you were hired, did Dwelo find you or did you find Dwelo?
Dwelo found me. I was working at a software development agency and one of the recruiters at Dwelo, Amanda, reached out and was instrumental in me wanting to work here because she was responsive, not pushy, and just did a great job introducing me to the company culture. I got to meet her in person at the last off-site for the first time.
Another reason I wanted to work here was because I could see that my future manager, Jake, was sincere about how much he valued my skills.
What is the camaraderie like on your team?
It’s amazing. We meet in person regularly, so that has helped us to get to know each other. I think we all have different skill sets that help us complement each other in our work. And I absolutely trust my teammates to have my back if I need it. It’s also so much fun to hang out with them.
How effectively does your team communicate with each other?
We are very open and honest with each other. Because we get along so well, there’s a high level of trust between us. We communicate regularly through Slack throughout the day if we’re not seeing each other in meetings.
What is Dwelo’s culture like?
It’s very different from a lot of other companies I’ve worked at and I think it’s because people are primarily kind and respectful. They know that you have a life outside of work, and I think that has made my experience here so much better.
What does your team do to socialize and have fun?
We’ve gone to escape rooms that we’ve successfully escaped from. We like eating at great restaurants (Jake, especially!). We went to Top Golf recently. We also had a game night with other teams in the office and so we played board games and video games.
“...because people are primarily kind and respectful and they know that you have a life outside of work...that has made my experience here so much better. ”
How has being part of the Dwelo culture helped you grow as a professional in your field?
This is one thing I really value about the company and has had a big impact on my career: I have the time to focus more on strategy in my current role, which is a luxury for most product managers. Before Dwelo, I was never given the time at work to really think about a roadmap and where we should be going and what we should be focusing on because I was too busy with other, more time-sensitive tasks related to implementation. This is where I’ve always wanted to focus, so it’s really satisfying career-wise. And I also have a lot to learn in this area from my colleagues.
Dwelo has grown a lot in the last couple years. Why do you think that is?
Well, the easy answer is that we merged with Level. We’ve grown a lot in the last year (since I’ve been here) because now we have a lot more resources to do hiring, so that’s a big part. Also, I think we’re going bigger with some of our initiatives, and our roadmap is expanding so we just need more people.
How has Dwelo met your expectations?
It has completely exceeded my expectations. I’ve worked in a lot of places and this is maybe the best job I’ve ever had, which is a big deal for me to say because I’ve had a long career. But I chose to work here because I felt like my skills would be valued and I thought that the industry and the products would be interesting to work on. It has definitely exceeded my expectations.
“I’ve worked in a lot of places and this is maybe the best job I’ve ever had..." ”
What words come to your mind that you feel describe Dwelo?
Fun, respectful, humane, and industry leader.
Which co-worker would you like to sit next to on a 12-hour flight?
I thought long and hard about this one and I picked Christina Lee because I’ve gotten to know her more than some other co-workers since we are both based in L.A. and we’ve gone to several conferences together. I think she’s really amazing at her job, but beyond that, I think she is really calm and level-headed and also knows how to have fun. Our personalities complement each other when we go to these conferences. I always look forward to seeing her. She’s kind of like my conference buddy.
What would you say to someone who is considering applying to Dwelo?
I would say, if you can get in, it may be mind-blowing to you how differently it operates as a company in terms of the culture, because of all the things I talked about before. The people are really generous and, at the core, decent people. Really good people work here. I think it’ll be surprising to some people how that plays out if they start working here, because they’ll see it in action. It’s not just lip service.