Biggest Challenges Faced By a Senior Product Manager at Amazon
Hema's biggest challenge as a Senior Product Manager at Amazon working on a payment risk management product was a lack of "technical knowledge in the payment industry," specifically regarding differences in financial behaviors across demographics. This required significant effort to gain confidence and expertise in a field where, for example, "the financial behavior of a US citizen versus Indian citizen is very different."
Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges, Career Development, Technical Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Hema Chalamalasetty
Senior Product Manager
Amazon
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Engineering - Chemical
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
International Student, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Lack of initial technical knowledge in the payments industry was a significant challenge.
2. Understanding user behavior across different demographics (e.g., comparing US and Indian financial behaviors) is crucial.
3. Building technical knowledge and confidence required dedicated effort, research, and skill development.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your role?
My biggest challenge has been not having enough technical knowledge in the payment industry. The product I was working on was very much related to payments risk management.
I had to understand user behavior across demographics. For example, I come from India, and I think the financial behavior of a US citizen versus an Indian citizen is very different.
Bringing that functional knowledge, as well as understanding financial products technically, was a challenge. I didn't have that technical knowledge when I started my role.
To gain confidence, I had to put in a lot of effort and do a lot of research. Having that skill set would have positioned me in a much more confident and advantageous place, which was challenging for me.