The challenges of working at a fintech company.

Half of the college grads around the world are struggling to find work. The lack of experience and uncertainty about what career to pursue often result in an overwhelming and discouraging experience. So here’s a trick: your first job doesn’t necessarily have to be the one ‘for life’, but choosing a company that will endorse your personal and professional growth will surely make a difference.

Anakhita Knyazkova, the first office manager at Mercuryo’s Moscow office, has joined the team shortly after her college graduation. Guided by the HR department, she undertook all the administrative matters of the company at the stage of its explosive growth.

We’ve talked to Anakhita about the challenges of an office manager in the fintech firm and what it takes to organise landmark industry events.

Expectations vs Reality

Depending on the size of the office, there can be one or two office managers that closely work with the HR department. The basic responsibilities of office managers are pretty much the same, regardless of the company’s profile. And one would think that taking care of the space and teammates’ needs is everything an office manager does, but in reality, it all comes down to your ambitions.

«The routine is a part of any job»; it is an open mind that helps find your true passion. Coincidentally, due to the unexpected leave of a teammate, Anakhita took on the temporary role of the event coordinator. Eventually, once the Covid restrictions lightened up a little and the fintech community started getting back together, Anakhita took on event organization for the employees and local meetups.

Event Management

If you’re working in fintech, the chances are that you’ve been on at least one event yourself. A lot of fruitful partnerships have started with a handshake at one of the annual conferences. Ask any sales or business development manager, and they will confirm that one face-to-face meeting can replace dozens of emails.

Since the fintech and crypto communities rekindled their regular meetups, the event workload multiplied. In 2021 the Mercuryo team took part in several major events, including official sponsorship of the largest fintech event Money 2020 and the most influential crypto conferences in CIS – Blockchain Life.

“Helping organize an event takes a lot of assertiveness, resourcefulness, and steady nerves”, – says Anakhita. “Take, for example, preparation of promo materials. You’ll have to synchronise the work of designers, find a printing studio, negotiate deadlines and other conditions, make sure the end product comes out as good as you imagined it, and have a backup plan ready. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that everyone is happy, well-fed, and eager to join the next meetup.”

In September, over 30 teams from Russia and other countries joined the Moscow hackathon. To get the prize, participants that signed up for Mercuryo’s track had to solve a problem designed by our developers. One of Anakhita’s toughest challenges was getting the engineers together to develop the competition task. She also helped with participants’ logistics and living arrangements and planned out the entire event’s agenda.

“Preparing for the event makes you feel a whole spectrum of emotions. You’re constantly nervous, frustrated, and excited at the same time. But it all pays off once you’re there, looking at how great everything turned out. The best reward is seeing all those enthusiastic people networking and having a great time.”

Challenges and Rewards

Getting on the right side of people is an integral part of an office manager’s job, but working in the fintech industry often makes it easier. People who work in tech are often driven by a shared sense of purpose, take a genuine interest in what they do, and are always open for a dialogue.

A fintech background is not a mandatory requirement for an office manager, but it is something that one will eventually have to comprehend. Mercuryo aims to educate every single team member about the current company goals and achievements. Apart from regular Friday meetups dedicated to the company’s issues of interest, anyone can easily approach a more knowledgeable colleague and consult on anything they don’t understand.

“I couldn’t get what widget was for a while,” – recalls Anakhita. “Then I made up my mind to crack it once and for all and went straight to the sales team. After a few AMA sessions, I finally got it, and I am still amazed about how patient and helpful my teammates are. There’s no doubt I matured so much in just a year.”

Final Thoughts

Striving to create a positive, motivating environment, Mercuryo welcomes young professionals with diverse backgrounds. We are confident that a company’s success is in direct ratio to the growth of its employees – that’s why we try to help our team members find their niche while accumulating up-to-date industry knowledge.

Want to build a career in fintech? Drop us a line to hr@mercuryo.io – we’re hiring!