My Role at Testbirds is a series of blog posts that gives insights into the daily life at the office. Every so often, one of our employees will introduce you to his or her line of work and share some helpful tips.This week features one of the most internationally experienced Testbirds in our head office. Josephine Whalen is a crowdmanager, helping to expand our international testerbase and assist them with all the testing questions they might have. Origin/Background: I hope you’re sitting down, and here’s why: My dad comes from the United States and mom is Peruvian, but I grew up moving around a lot due to my dad’s job. I was born in Spain and then lived in Peru, Chile, Mexico and finally the United States where I went to university. We were in Mexico City for the longest (10 years) so it has always been a special place for me. Before coming to Munich I was living and working in Seoul, which was an awesome experience! What you do at Testbirds: I’m part of the International Crowd and Community Management Team. We are responsible for taking care of our tester community. Current Computer: MacBook Pro from 2009 – I’ve had it since I finished high school (oh no! now you know my age!) but I take such good care of it, it still looks new and fabulous.Current mobile device: LG G2 Mini. One phrase that best describes how you work: Old-school. I make lists of my tasks (with a pen and paper, remember those?) and cross them off after having successfully completed them. It’s a great feeling! A typical work day consists of: First things first: Eating my müsli while answering inquiries from potential or current testers. Actually, it’s all about the testers: replying to tester emails, recruiting new testers, coming up with ideas to enhance our tester platform, and so much more! What apps/software/tools can’t you live without? My Kindle… I can read any book in any place and at any time. What’s your work setup like? Very organized. Except for the occasional fruit, hand cream, or cluster of tea mugs that mysteriously start to accumulate on my desk. What’s your best time-saving shortcut? Writing a good idea down as soon as I think of it. Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without (and why)? I’m not sure if this counts as a gadget, but I’d have to say my Dutch-style bike. I just bought it and it’s red and has dragons on it. We go everywhere together. What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret? I can switch between languages like a pro. I’ve been trained after spending years in international schools and switching between English and Spanish with my parents. On a good day, I can even throw in the occasional German word. What do you like to do outside work? Usually exploring new places in Munich and embracing every occasion that requires “Trachten”, which is when I get to wear my dirndl. I like to spend my weekends traveling around, usually in Italy or Austria because they’re so close. What’s the best advice/life motto you’ve ever heard?“Life is boring for boring people”. My dad always repeated it to me when I was a kid and complained about being bored, but now I must admit it… he was right! If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? I’d like to travel back in time and meet my parents when they were my age. I wonder if we would’ve been friends. Anything else to add that might be interesting to others? I speak German with a Spanish accent, involuntarily. I often get compliments because I sound “exotic”. Sehrrrr gut!
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Bree loves a good story and often gets inspired by the ways they are told. For Testbirds, he tells the story of crowdtesting in the Benelux region.
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Testbirds specialises in the testing of software such as apps, websites and Internet of Things applications by using innovative technologies and solutions. Under the slogan, “Testing Reality”, the company offers various testing methods to its clients looking to optimise the user-friendliness and functionality of their digital products. With over 250,000 registered testers located in 193 countries, Testbirds is one of the world’s leading crowdtesting providers. In addition, the IT service provider utilises cloud based technologies to support customers in the optimisation of their digital products. The combination of the two testing methods delivers a unique and extensive portfolio that takes the quality of software to the next level. Testbirds was founded in 2011 by Philipp Benkler, Georg Hansbauer and Markus Steinhauser. Today, the company has over 100 employees. Other than its headquarters in Munich, there are now offices in Amsterdam, London and Stockholm, franchises in Hungary and Russia and sales partners in Italy.
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