Games for Business

Expert portrait with Laura Kecskés and Réka Dobó, members of the Games for Business marketing team31.08.2023

You are both currently part of the Games for Business marketing team. What motivations led you to work in marketing and why did you choose this profession?

Réka:

I have always loved helping others. I think marketing is a great tool to make talented people and businesses visible in the market. And the answer to the question, why marketing? I do it because I love it. I do it because it's what I learned to do, it's what I know how to do. And I do it because it's good for me. I like solving problems, I like talking to interesting people and I like understanding why people do what they do.

Laura:

For me, it was a difficult question to choose a profession because I am interested in so many things. The biggest dilemma was choosing between arts and social sciences. But I soon realized that creativity should not be left out of my everyday life, so with marketing I ended up with both, it was a lucky choice.

In what area do you specialise in marketing and how are the tasks divided between you?

Réka:

I think the basis of good marketing is if you have a deep understanding of the products/services you are dealing with. This means researching the product, the customers in your market, and the usual routines and factors. Marketing is actually very much data analysis and forecasting.

I'm interested in the way of data analysis, so my job is actually to analyze the sources and the data and then produce content based on that. In addition, what I specialize in is social media management.

Laura:

In my career so far, I've always worked for smaller companies with a maximum of 1 or 2 people in marketing, so I've had to have a little bit of everything within the industry. Although many people don't think marketing is terribly multi-faceted, the biggest challenge is to always have an eye on the whole picture. There have been times when I have briefly dabbled in programming when we were building a website, but there have also been times when I have had to brush up heavily on my math skills.

Of course, I have my preferred areas, as I mentioned before I like tasks where I have to be really creative.

You both work remotely for the company at the moment. What are your experiences? Which part of working remotely do you enjoy the most?

Réka:

I mostly like the fact that it requires a lot of autonomy, but it also comes with the flexibility to schedule my hours and work from anywhere. All you need is a phone, a laptop, and internet access and you're ready to go.

Laura:

I've been working from home for 3 years now, first "thanks" to COVID and now working from home with a baby. My working life has changed a lot during those times. In the beginning, I had long working days. It was difficult to get up from the computer without something being completely ready that day. My working hours got mixed up, some of us started work in the evening, so it was easy to end up in meetings with colleagues - almost any time. I had to learn to work properly, and my little daughter helped me a lot. When she's asleep, there can be nothing else to be done, besides work: no daydreaming or chatting. At one point I noticed that in 2 hours I was beating my previous 4-6 hour performance, I was more focused and efficient.

I guess working hours are now a mandatory measure, but there is much more focus on projects and deadlines at home.

What benefits do you see in telecommuting and what challenges have you encountered so far?

Réka:

I think the advantages are the same as the disadvantages. Because you can set up an office anywhere, I have had times when I worked 10-12 hours because I just couldn't put the work down.

Laura:

I miss the personal connections the most, I think there is a great opportunity to have lunch or coffee together. In the office, you just have to look at the other person and you know if they need silence or if they could use some support. I haven't been able to make up for this over the years, although I try to be fully present at face-to-face events, there is no substitute for everything.

How do you organize your working hours and deadlines when telecommuting? What strategies do you use to manage tasks efficiently?

Réka:

I write down important deadlines in my Google calendar and also in my diary ( I'm a bit of a boomer). I like to outline at the end of each week what I will be facing the following week. I work on multiple projects so I use Trello as a task manager, Toggl for timekeeping. I usually work for 2 hours at a time and then like to break this up with short 15-20 minute breaks. I either have coffee, do yoga, or meditate to refresh myself.

Work sharing strategy is mostly based on whose speciality is what and we also try to divide the tasks based on that.

Laura:

I usually prioritize tasks and try to vary the types of tasks. After a large-scale task (like writing a professional article for me), I choose something more relaxed or administrative. As I'm currently working reduced hours and sometimes this takes place late at night, I make

sure that I do the tasks first, that someone else has to go on with after me, so I don't keep the project in a halt.

+What advice would you give to people who are just starting to telecommute or are considering it?

Réka:

It helped me a lot, in the beginning, to have a dedicated location in the apartment which was "the office". So if I sat down there I knew I had work to do, but if I closed the laptop and stood up it meant the office was closed for the day. Which also made it a lot easier, especially at the beginning when I started using the Pomodoro app. This app is useful if you have problems with time management.

Laura:

Less is often more, don't measure performance in time. Take part in as many team-building activities as possible, and make time for that special chat. Start the day as if you have to leave the house or step outside. It's depressing to start to work hungry and in your pyjamas. It's much harder to leave the house after a day's work without having gone out, so it takes more planning to fit in a workout or even do the groceries.