#houzzerprofile

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Houzzer Profile: Danielle Clennar, Brand Manager

A member of our Industry Solutions team, Danielle helps companies in the home design industry to connect with homeowners. She hails from our Asia Pacific headquarters in Sydney, Australia, and enjoys traveling, hitting the beach and planning where she’ll find a delicious bowl of pasta!

What brought you to Houzz? I was looking for a new and exciting challenge and a friend who was working for Houzz at the time, spoke very highly of his experience. He made an introduction to another member of the team so that I could learn more about the role, and the rest (as they say) is history!

What do you do at Houzz? I work with companies in the home design industry to identify which audiences they are trying to reach. That way, we can create digital marketing solutions that expand the recognition of their company and connect them with homeowners in a meaningful way.

What do you like most about your role? I’ve always been a people person. I thrive off of good conversations and relationship building and that’s what initially drew me to the Industry Solutions team. Houzz created a great foundation for me to develop fundamental professional skills in that role. Now that I have transitioned from working with home professionals to working with brands, I love that I have the opportunity to strengthen these skills further as I’m exposed to national and international businesses. I’m extremely grateful for the growth opportunities I’ve had.

What is your favorite Houzz feature? The Color Picker Tool where users can identify similar paint colors from any item seen in photos on Houzz. This is an amazing product for both consumers and brands, and just a sample of our innovative technology!

What’s something that has surprised you about working here? You hear everyone say it, but it really is the people that surprise you the most. I’ve worked at other organizations which felt like a tight-knit family at the time, but this is on another level! It’s a really supportive working environment.

What advice do you have for others looking to start their careers? Find your niche, develop your style and be creative in your pitch. If you can find a way to relate, be authentic and work hard, it’ll pay off!

What is your most productive time of day? Mid-morning, once my morning coffee takes full effect!

How have you used Houzz at home? I moved to a new apartment when I first started at Houzz, so the timing was uncanny. I found great inspiration for my home on Houzz!

What is your favorite decor style? I live at Bondi Beach, so my style is best described as coastal.

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Houzzer Profile: Giorgia Trascinelli, Training Manager

After working with the Industry Solutions team in London to help home professionals build their brands and connect with homeowners, Giorgia recently returned to our Berlin office, where she’s helping to train the next generation of Industry Solutions team members. When she isn’t traveling the world, you might find her indulging her passion for food or playing sports, especially running, trekking and snowboarding.

You’ve worked at two of our international offices, tell us about how your career has progressed with Houzz. Initially, I was drawn to working at a young, fast-growing, international tech company in Berlin. I had the opportunity to relocate to our London office to assist with the launch of Industry Solutions in Italy. It was an exciting challenge and an amazing opportunity to bring a great product to a new market.

I recently moved back to Berlin, where I will have the opportunity to train new team members. I feel pretty lucky to work with teams across our international offices and support their growth.

What is your favorite Industry Solutions feature? The photo localization is my favorite tool. It’s extremely powerful for professionals to be able to showcase their work to geographically targeted audiences.

What do you like most about your job? I like the fact that we’re helping professionals grow their businesses through our platform. It’s so important. Beyond that, I enjoy the office environment. Working with motivated, smart and ambitious colleagues inspires me to commit to high standards of achievement every day. Being able to speak different languages throughout the day is also a unique and enriching part of the job.

What’s something that has surprised you about working at Houzz? Despite being an international company, distances seem very small. We communicate and share ideas daily with colleagues in offices around the world. I also appreciate the fact that Houzz has a very flat organization and that leadership is very approachable. It makes every process lean and fast.

What advice do you have for others looking to start their career? Be driven, patient and motivated. If you believe in yourself and in what you’re selling, you’ll see the outcome of your work sooner than you expect!

What is your most productive time of day? I’m an early bird so I tend to be much more focused and productive in the morning than at any other time of the day. My energy level is high and I feel very positive and relaxed, especially if I exercise before work.

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Houzzer Profile: Karthik Roop Kumar, Software Engineer

As a software engineer, Karthik is focused on building the visual and interactive experience you see on our website. Outside of work, he is an outdoor adventurer, enjoying everything from skiing and snowboarding, to hiking, running and cycling.

Why did you decide to become a software engineer? Growing up in Bangalore, which many consider to be the Silicon Valley of India, it was motivating to see others achieving great success in the field of computer science. I was inspired to follow a similar path and really honed my skills in computer science while studying for my masters degree. My love for front-end engineering developed through courses in the field of human-computer interaction.

What brought you to Houzz? Houzz is a very visual site by nature and holds the mantel for web design. I realized that the wide range of problems that Houzz is solving for its community presented opportunities for me to be creative and make an impact on a large scale, so I wanted to join the team.

How did your previous experience prepare you for working here? My graduate studies and previous work experience equipped me with the skill set to learn quickly while managing multiple challenges at once. At Houzz, I have had the opportunity to work on web infrastructure, which has been a new experience, so I’m learning and contributing at the same time.

What project are you most proud of? I’m most proud of launching the front-end stack of the Node.js framework, that enables us to build a faster, and richer, app-like user experience. As a team, we rebuilt the entire web infrastructure from scratch and migrated one of the largest pages on Houzz. The most challenging part of the project was replicating the many years of development effort and quality without affecting any of the user engagement that the existing page was driving. It was a major cross-functional collaboration involving an array of teams both locally and internationally.

Do you have any productivity hacks that you use when you’re faced with a challenge? They say necessity is the mother of all inventions. When I’m struggling to find a specific solution, I put myself in a scenario where I have limited resources, which forces me to think outside of the box.

When do you write your best code? I’m a night person and write my best code after 4pm.

What do you like most about working at Houzz? We really are true to our core values. We are a family, we build the future and we make things happen. Because of the flat structure of our organization, everyone is treated equally and given a lot of responsibility. I feel empowered in my role and am surrounded by smart, yet approachable and supportive teammates who will go the extra mile to get things done.

This type of culture stems directly from our leadership. One evening, the engineering team was working late on a major migration and our cofounder not only ordered pizzas, he plated them to make sure everyone got enough food. I haven’t met another founder who is as humble and motivating.

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Houzzer Profile: Kia Salehi, Full Stack Engineer

You may have spotted Kia in our April Fools’ Day spoof, but she isn’t really creating our cryptocurrency. As a full stack engineer on our growth team, Kia builds features that help new users engage with Houzz. When she’s not at work, Kia can be found at her improv comedy class, rock climbing or filling out the latest New York Times crossword puzzle.

What project are you most proud of at Houzz? I’m most proud of my contributions to the new room-centered landing experience for our community. It helps our users to find all of the resources Houzz offers by room, from inspirational photos to home professionals to editorial ideabooks, in one place. I worked on the front-end code, which impacts what the user sees. It’s been very successful helping people to discover new home pros in their area and Houzz Shop products.

Do you typically work on front-end code? As a full stack engineer, my work touches both front-end and back-end code. In some instances, I’ll handle the whole project from the data sets to the UI, but sometimes I’ll work with the team and focus on the front-end. I like that I get to mix it up.

Did you always want to become an engineer? Actually, I originally went to school to become a neuroscientist. Working as a lab manager, I learned how to write code in MatLab to help with analyzing data. I realized I enjoyed that part of the job more than other aspects of my research and decided to make a change. I enrolled in a coding bootcamp and the rest is history.

What attracted you to a career in STEM? My parents were very supportive of my interests in math and science. I went to a women’s college, so it was both powerful and inspiring for me to see every position, across subjects and at every level of prominence, occupied by female leaders.

Do you have any advice for young women considering the STEM field? You don’t have to see something to know that it can be possible. Just because young women may not see as many females in STEM positions, doesn’t mean they can’t be in that role.

What was your first impression of Houzz? When I first visited the office to interview, I was completely taken in by the feel of it. You can tell a company is “all in” on home design when you sit in a conference room decorated like rooms in a home. That level of dedication was really appealing. I was also struck by the fact that most of the people interviewing me had been with Houzz for years. I hadn’t seen that at other companies and I was really impressed.

What do you like most about working here? I work with many teams in my role; it’s very interdisciplinary in that way. For example, I’ll work solo writing code, then I’ll run it through an AB test with a colleague to see how the new feature performs and then meet with the front-end engineers to build a pop-up into the flow. I also like that the work environment is transparent and educational. I’ve benefited from our weekly deep dive into what’s under the hood of our front-end framework.

What is your most productive time of day to write code? Do you have any productivity tips? I’m most productive right before dinner. When I sit on the couch in the lobby, I can really get in the zone. If I ever get in a slump, I remind myself to think about how cool it’ll look when the feature is done.

How do you use Houzz at home? I recently changed rooms in my home and the new space has a different vibe, so I purchased a camomile and lavender wreath from the Houzz Shop. It’s the perfect addition.

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Houzzer Profile: Kyoko Hasegawa, Industry Solutions

As a member of our Industry Solutions team in Japan, Kyoko helps home professionals to build their brands and reach homeowners. Outside of work, Kyoko enjoys traveling to new places.

How would you describe your role? I think of myself as a bridge between home professionals and their customers by working closely with the pros to help them establish their brands on Houzz and reach homeowners. By learning about their goals and what challenges they face, I’m able to provide them with tailored programs that offer the best solutions. I’m delighted when they tell me that my assistance helped them reach their goals and incredibly proud to make a difference to their business.

What brought you to Houzz? Many of my close friends are home pros, all trying to find a way to grow their businesses and share their passion for home design with others. I decided to join Houzz to help home professionals like them to achieve their goals.

How do you think Houzz best supports home professionals? Many home professionals are so busy serving their current clients that they have limited time available to attract and develop new relationships with future customers. When they upload photos of their work to Houzz, it’s like distributing virtual business cards. The photos visually entice future customers and share information about the pros’ areas of expertise. It is a revolutionary and efficient way to expand their business.

What’s something that has surprised you about working here? Houzz is a global company full of inspirational people. Decision making, the implementation of change, growth and internal communications are much faster at Houzz than in other companies I have worked for in Japan. If I send a request or question to the international team in the evening Japan time, I will receive a response by the next morning. It’s a testament to Houzz’s international teamwork!

What do you do for fun when you’re not working? After work, I enjoy swimming, playing the ukulele and going out for fancy noodles with my partner. Beyond that, I love to experience culture through film, travel and food. Each year, I travel to a country or city that I have never visited, preferably a place where no one speaks Japanese. This kind of travel is stimulating and helps me to appreciate diversity in the world. Countries on my radar include, Cuba, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Croatia, Sri Lanka and India. I cannot wait to visit them!

How have you used Houzz at home? My family is planning to remodel their home, so we’re getting inspiration from all of the photos on Houzz and saving them to our ideabooks. I’ve also taken advantage of the power of the Houzz community by posting a design dilemma about a chair I wanted to reupholster (you can see my discussion post here). Houzz users replied to my question and I followed their advice (as best as I could)! It was a lot of fun to choose my favorite color and textile and update my old chair with a fresh new look using their tips.

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Houzzer Profile: Jichi Guo, Back-end Engineer

In his role, Jichi focuses on ensuring that the Houzz search functionality delivers the most relevant results to our community. Forever a student of the world, when he’s not at work, you’ll find Jichi out exploring new places and learning how to play new sports or musical instruments.

How did you hear about Houzz? I was looking to join a company where my work could help to shape the foundation of their technology from an early stage and was drawn to Houzz after reading an article about the company.

What does your work entail? My work helps to scale our search functionality to encompass a growing database of information as well as improve search results for our community. More specifically, I build the infrastructure for photo search, product search, user search, and many other key functionalities.

Why did you become a back-end engineer? As a back-end engineer, I have more direct control over the large scale software stacks that I build. That’s one of the reasons I like working at a startup, like Houzz. Additionally, I enjoy creating solutions at the back-end which serve the business, and are mathematically and scientifically challenging to solve.

What’s your favorite part of working at Houzz? It’s very self-directed, so the work is controlled by your own hand. You personally have ownership over projects that will make a big impact for the company. I’m also impressed by the culture. Coworkers are more like family than colleagues.

What project are you most proud of? I’m most proud of the search middle layer called ‘the search mixer’. We created it from scratch and it has become a key component for all verticals of Houzz search, from products to users to photos. This gives us the ability to solve both business-level consumer challenges and low-level mathematical problems in a way that is elegant and beautiful.

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Houzzer Profile: Clare Ainsworth, Account Manager

Clare is a member of the Industry Solutions team in the United Kingdom, helping home professionals to build their brands and connect with homeowners. Outside of work (and when she’s not busy visiting family in Liverpool), Clare enjoys yoga, walking her dog in the park and exploring local museums.

What’s a typical workday like for you? The account management role is relationship-based. Day-to-day, I participate in a mixture of activities that involve looking after my clients -- many of whom I’ve developed warm relationships with over the years -- and looking after my team. We're a close knit and collaborative group which makes our work days productive and fun.

What brought you to Houzz? I've always loved home design. The feelings of 'home' and the sentiment that home is a sanctuary have always resonated for me. I found Houzz through a natural interest for the industry and the timing was right -- they were hiring!

How has your role evolved at Houzz? I started as an account coordinator, helping home professionals create their profiles on Houzz. At first, my client communication focused on that initial onboarding assistance, but I found that pros came back to me time and again seeking assistance and advice. When Houzz launched Industry Solutions in the UK and opened an account manager position, I knew that was the role for me!

What is your favorite Industry Solutions feature? My favorite feature is the ability to see which photos performed well over the past month. It offers incredibly useful insight into the community’s tastes, and empowers the pro to provide informed guidance about what is popular and trending in the community during conversations with their clients.

What do you like most about your job? I really enjoy the relationships I’ve built with my clients, and watching their businesses grow and develop. One pro was originally part of a two-person team and in the two years since they’ve been on Houzz, their team has grown to 16 people! Houzz, and the features provided through Industry Solutions, helped them to expand their business.

What’s something that has surprised you about working at Houzz? I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine passion my team has for Houzz. Everyone cares and constantly looks for ways to improve -- whether individually, as a team or as a company.

What qualities best reflect the Industry Solutions account team? Persistence, resilience and resourcefulness. We're a very consultative team and we look for ways go above and beyond for our clients to make their lives easier. You also have to genuinely like and care about people so that you can build real relationships with your clients. Come holiday time, it’s not unusual for our team to receive cards and gifts from the happy pros we have helped!

How have you used Houzz at home? My flatmates and I have a shared ideabook where we constantly collaborate on design ideas for our house. When working on home projects with other people, a shared ideabook is the easiest way to communicate with each other. I also have my dream home fully planned out - now to buy my own place!

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Houzzer Profile: Tom Karni, Android Software Engineer

Based in our Tel Aviv office, Tom works to ensure our Android community has the best possible mobile experience. When he’s not busy exercising his mind at work, you’ll likely find him building furniture in his workshop or outside growing hot peppers to flavor his favorite spicy dishes.

Did you always know you wanted to become a software engineer? Yes, but I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. Growing up, I always tinkered with mobile devices, questioning why things worked in a certain way, and coming up with ideas to make them better. I went to school to become a communications system engineer, which put me in the right direction, but I’ve grown away from the communications aspect of my degree. About four years ago I realized I had always wanted to be a software engineer. I’m pretty lucky that the path I took led me to my dream job (even if I didn’t know this was what I wanted when I started out).

How did you hear about Houzz? I used Houzz as a great source of inspiration for home and furniture design long before I knew there was an office in Tel Aviv. When I found out that not only was there an office here, but that it housed the mobile division, it felt serendipitous!

How would you describe what you do at Houzz? I work with the Android team to provide our community of homeowners and home professionals with the best mobile technology and tools for Android devices. We connect with the iOS team to ensure there is consistency across platforms and use the latest APIs and frameworks to keep the app up-to-date with cutting edge technical features. We were humbled to hear that Google named the Houzz Android app as the overall best Android app of the year at the inaugural Google Play Awards last year.

What Houzz project are you most proud of? When I started at Houzz, bringing videos to the mobile platform was a major focus for me. We had seen how popular our videos were on the website and wanted to offer them in the app. It was challenging to create a video component that supports both old and new devices and is flexible enough to be used in a variety of displays like lists, popups and full screen. Our video component now uses the latest frameworks, plays smoothly across the app and can be easily integrated into new features.

What is it like working with people in varying time zones? It’s incredibly collaborative, so you’re brainstorming and getting feedback from teams all over the world. It makes for a very dynamic day, where everyone makes an effort to be responsive to teams in other time zones when something is needed urgently. And it does take a little patience in those moments when you’re really excited and want a response right away, but know that the person you’re emailing might be sleeping.

What do you like about working at Houzz? I think it’s amazing that Houzz has managed to hire such talented people, who are not only good at what they do professionally, but are also driven by personal passions and talents. We’re all really good friends, so it’s a very social office atmosphere, yet we also know how and when to be professional. There is a place for everyone at Houzz to have their ideas heard by their team. No one is left behind.