Meet Karinna Briseno, a Technical Advocate at Buffer who redefines success by balancing private progress, psychological well being, and profession accomplishments.
With a four-day workweek, she proves you may have thrilling roles, a digital nomad way of life, and even time for off-the-grid hobbies. Dive into Karinna’s distinctive journey at Buffer.
Thanks for becoming a member of me for Buffer Diaries, Karinna. For those who may please introduce your self together with your title, what you do at Buffer, and the place you’re presently situated.
Aloha! My title is Karinna Briseno and I work throughout the Buyer Expertise Workforce on the Buyer Advocacy crew. I work intently with product, engineering, and advocacy groups to assist enhance the general expertise for patrons utilizing our platform. I presently reside in California, and I‘m from Hawaii.
When and the way did you get began working at Buffer?
I have been at Buffer for seven years, and it began again in 2016 after I was in school working part-time as a social media supervisor. I used Buffer to handle my shoppers’ social media, and at some point, I stumbled upon the hiring web page whereas searching the weblog.
Intrigued by their work tradition, I utilized for a Buyer Advocate function simply after graduating. The interview course of was pleasant, and I had conversations with a number of beautiful Buffer teammates. Quick-forward seven years later, I am nonetheless fortunately working right here!
What did you examine in school, and what has saved you at Buffer for seven years?
I studied enterprise and advertising in school. I’ve stayed with Buffer for a number of causes over time, certainly one of which is the chance to develop and evolve with the corporate.
I began exploring coding and engineering about three years in the past, and Buffer has been extremely supportive. They even paid for my engineering boot camps. Having the ability to apply these expertise straight in my function and positively impression our prospects has been actually rewarding. The assist I’ve acquired, particularly as a girl getting into the engineering area, has made my expertise at Buffer actually distinctive.
How has your function at Buffer developed over time? Have you ever moved between departments like a few of your colleagues?
My function has developed over time. Initially, I used to be employed as a Happiness Hero, however the title modified to Buyer Advocate about three or 4 years in the past. I’ve additionally been a part of varied sub-teams throughout the Advocacy division, together with reside chat and social.
Extra just lately, I shifted to the Escalations crew, which grew to become a proper sub-team about two years in the past, and my function title modified to Technical Advocate. We work on tickets within the inbox, prioritizing software program bugs, coordinating with product and engineering, and mentoring different buyer advocates.
About six months in the past, my crew developed into the Buyer Expertise crew, the place our sole focus is working intently with the Product, Engineering, Design, and Advocacy groups to enhance the general expertise for Buffer’s prospects. It is at all times partaking, and I get to work alongside some good colleagues and advocate for our unbelievable prospects, which is why I adore it.
What particularly made Buffer a gorgeous place to work if you have been making use of, contemplating you used the app to handle your social media?
What actually stood out to me have been Buffer’s values. Through the years, they’ve developed as the corporate and its individuals have grown. The primary attraction was not simply the cool app but in addition the chance to work with a crew making an actual impression and doing one thing particular.
Our price of “Dwelling Smarter, Not Tougher” actually resonated with me because it impressed me to “select to be on the single place on Every the place you’re the happiest, and most efficient, and also you’re not afraid to search out out the place that’s.” Working at Buffer has made me higher by embracing and actively working in direction of these values.
Apart out of your work at Buffer, do you could have any aspect tasks, or how do you spend your days off?
I deliberately keep away from on-line aspect tasks to take care of a wholesome work-life steadiness and honor the 40-hour workweek. I get pleasure from spending time outside, going to the seashore, and hanging out with my household/buddies and canine on my days off.
Having grown up across the ocean, I get pleasure from spending my weekends within the water, paddleboarding, browsing, snorkeling, or scuba diving. I really like partaking in off-the-grid actions that hold me away from my cellphone and permit me to get pleasure from my hobbies. I’ve additionally began coaching to turn into a Pilates teacher as a pastime.
How has working at Buffer, with its four-day workweek, distant work, and versatile hours, contributed to your way of life as a digital nomad or traveler?
Working at Buffer has actually been life-changing. The four-day workweek permits me to relaxation, recharge, and spend extra time with my household and family members. It supplies an even bigger house outdoors of labor to have a satisfying life.
Distant work has given me the pliability to form my life round my core values and what’s vital to me on the time. Primarily based on my priorities, I’ve had the chance to plan strikes to totally different locations, like Portugal, Hawaii, and California. Earlier than COVID-19, I deliberate to maneuver to Portugal within the spring of 2020. However, because the pandemic developed, I felt it was vital to maneuver nearer to my household, so I packed up my canine and me and moved again to Hawaii.
Distant work permits us to choose our places primarily based on our values (household, buddies, or companions) and needs, a privilege I do not take as a right. There are totally different seasons to distant work, nevertheless it basically affords the liberty to journey as a digital nomad or transfer nearer to household, buddies, or a companion. In a phrase, it is life-changing, because it permits us to decide on our location primarily based on what actually issues to us. With distant working, we are able to decide our places primarily based on “this AND that” slightly than “this OR that.”
It is fascinating the way you select places primarily based on values. Are you able to checklist the international locations you have labored from or visited whereas at Buffer?
Certain, some locations I’ve labored from embody Madrid, Spain; Singapore; Portugal; Italy, the place I spent a month working in Rome; Hawaii, the place I lived the previous couple of years; California; and New York.
Final yr, I used to be additionally working from Greece for an advocacy crew meetup, which coincided with my thirtieth birthday. These are the primary ones that come to thoughts, however there could also be extra.
How do you construction your workday and week at Buffer, together with your hours and timezone?
My work schedule has developed over time. Final yr, I had a singular four-day workweek, taking Mondays off and dealing from Tuesday to Friday. This yr, I modified my work schedule, and I work Monday- Thursday, utilizing Friday as an additional “overflow” day. I usually begin at 9 am Pacific time and finish round 6 pm. As a part of a small Escalations crew inside Advocacy, we’ve to be aware of our protection and undertaking time.
I often allocate about 4 hours every week for engineering duties and tasks, principally in direction of the beginning of the week. Tuesdays are meeting-heavy, whereas I concentrate on engineering or inbox time on Wednesdays. Thursdays, I primarily work on inbox duties and protection. It is busy however loads of enjoyable.
As a technical advocate, how has your function modified over time in comparison with if you have been a buyer advocate, and are there any particular concerns on your present place?
As a technical advocate, our focus is two-fold: serving to prospects guarantee they’ve a terrific expertise and likewise offering mentorship and assist for Buyer Advocates on the crew.
We work one-on-one with prospects on trickier technical points, troubleshooting, documenting steps, creating bug stories, and serving to prioritize high-impact bugs for upcoming Engineering cycles. We additionally work one-on-one with Advocates, clarifying any confusion and guaranteeing they’ve the mandatory sources to really feel assured dealing with particular points.
As Tech Advocates, we deal with extra high quality assurance tasks, testing new options previous to launches to make sure a easy expertise for patrons. There is a better sense of accountability, scope, and possession in my present function in comparison with after I was a buyer advocate.
Have you ever encountered any distinctive challenges in your function, notably as a technical advocate working inside a smaller crew and a four-day workweek?
The largest problem I face is maximizing my time. Having nice concepts is one factor, however managing the time and sources to carry them to fruition, particularly inside a four-day workweek and a smaller crew, can generally be difficult. We must be aware of once we step away and concentrate on particular duties.
I am basically pursuing a full-time profession inside a restricted variety of hours every week, which requires dedication and the flexibility to make a big impression inside that point. It is a distinctive problem I’m grateful for, because it permits me to develop and proceed difficult myself.
Having somebody like Mick, an engineer who was initially a buyer advocate and went by means of an analogous course of, serves as a job mannequin and reveals that it’s attainable to realize progress on this method, despite the fact that it may not be the best path.
Trying again on seven years, what was one thing that caught you off guard if you first began at Buffer?
The transparency at Buffer positively caught me off guard to start with. I needed to get used to working for a corporation the place anybody may simply discover details about it, like salaries, for example. It took a while to regulate to being extra open about my wage with my family and friends.
After the primary yr, I grew to become extra snug with this stage of transparency, and now, if somebody asks me about my wage, it isn’t a query that catches me off guard.
What’s your strongest earliest reminiscence of Buffer?
My strongest early reminiscence of Buffer was my first retreat in Madrid. It is contemporary in my thoughts as a result of I just lately discovered a video from that point. There have been round 80 individuals, and we have been working on the Google campus in Madrid. I bear in mind the crew dinner, the camaraderie, and the sensation of being in the identical room with individuals who have been beforehand simply in a bit field on my display screen.
One in all my favourite reminiscences was going to a karaoke bar after the crew dinner. We crowded the small bar, and the entire crew sang karaoke collectively. These are a few of my fondest reminiscences at Buffer – not solely working with superb teammates but in addition sharing experiences and feeling like we have identified one another for a very long time.
On the Madrid retreat, I used to be initially apprehensive about having to be extroverted on a regular basis, as I’m each introverted and extroverted (an ambivert). Nevertheless, I discovered it is okay to step away and recharge my batteries, and the crew understood and welcomed that want.
Some individuals imagine that you must sacrifice one side of your life, similar to your private life, to realize success in one other, similar to your profession. Given that you’ve got a four-day workweek at Buffer and time for actions outdoors of labor, would you say that you have achieved skilled success with out making important sacrifices, despite the fact that some imagine success requires a extra demanding schedule?
I imagine the way in which individuals outline success can change over time. My definition of success has developed over time. After I was youthful, I assumed success was decided by cash, hustling, my profession title, {and professional} accomplishments. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to grasp that true success in life encompasses private progress, relationships, and prioritizing my psychological well being as nicely.
I really feel that I’ve achieved a stage of success in my present scenario, however I do know there’s nonetheless extra room for progress. My notion of success has modified, particularly after taking a seven-week sabbatical earlier this yr. I used to be burnt out and realized I wanted to take a position extra power into different areas of my life.
The four-day workweek has helped me discover a higher steadiness between my private {and professional} lives, and I imagine it is attainable to realize skilled success with out sacrificing one’s private life.
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