Working on a global, multilingual team at Twitter

Meeting the NY and SF teams in the US.

One of the best things about working at Twitter is interacting with people all around the world. To be honest, I work more closely with some of my coworkers in Australia and the UK, than those in the Toronto office. The Curation team spans across the world, including Japan, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, UK, US and Canada. We operate 24-7, and when we sign off then Australia signs on.

In summer 2018, the New York, San Fransisco and Toronto teams all met for the first time at a weeklong reunion in NYC. Meeting in person definitely added a new layer to our working relationship and helped each of us understand how to communicate with each other online.

A few months later, the entire global Curation team met for the first time in San Fransisco at Twitter’s One Team event. I knew when we captured this photo, it was special.

The biggest challenges of working on a bustling global team includes timezones and ensuring that all messages are projected equally and efficiently to each team. On top of that, I’ve learned that communication styles vary from team to team and while some of my coworkers are high contact, others prefer low contact. Being overly communicative in the style and method that each team prefers has helped me do my job effectively.

I’ve also learned spending time with my coworkers both on the job and off the job through team activities has really helped me grow as a person and as a teammate.