Wendy Martinez - Research Officer & User-led Design at ear gym 

Wendy Martinez is a user experience researcher at the eargym start-up. After finishing her Bachelor's in Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham, she pursued a Master's in Human-Computer interaction at the same university. Immediately following her graduation in September 2021, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Nottingham until she started working at eargym in April 2022.

My thesis was about understanding the use of neurotechnology in the workplace . Me and my supervisor got really into it, so we decided to expand the research to collect more data. That is when I became a research assistant for the University of Nottingham for a few months. I was collecting data by conducting qualitative and quantitative research in order to be able to gather enough data to publish the results. We wrote a paper, it got accepted and will be published soon!

It sounds like you were really enjoying your work in academia, what was your motivation for seeking a job in industry?

I decided to apply for jobs in industry, because I wanted to get some work experience in industry as I have always been in academia. Eventually, I want to do a PhD, but I want to get experience in industry first. I mostly applied for jobs as a user experience researcher as this is related to my master's.

What does your job generally detail?

I work in a start-up as a user experience researcher. The start-up tries to develop immersive hearing training games in an app to improve hearing skills. The app serves as a digital hearing fitness platform. I am working on understanding how we can improve the user experience of the app. I conduct qualitative and quantitative research and also try to understand the user's engagement to figure out in what way we can improve the app. I work quite closely with a user experience designer and a product developer so the things I find through my research method can quickly be incorporated in the app by them.

Is the ear gym linked to the university?

No, it's a separate business. I found it through LinkedIn. The University of Nottingham did organize some remote networking events. As a result of this, I had a couple of interviews. So, I do think that the university can help you find a job.

What is your work environment like?

So far, we are working remotely. Sometimes we also do monthly meetings. I really like the monthly meetings as they are good for bonding. We often grab some food afterwards and spend some time getting to know each other more. I think it is essential for companies to create informal moments between colleagues, because working in an environment that is strictly formal would be quite stressful. I like working remotely as it allows for traveling and working simultaneously.

Are there options for growth within the start-up?

There are always options once the company grows.

Did your expectations about the job meet reality?

I am very satisfied with my job. I learn something new every day. I want to gain work experience and I am really enjoying this field. When I was working as a research assistant, I was very satisfied as well.

What aspects of your previous job were stressful?

The kind of stress that I am having now is caused by having to do certain things in a limited amount of time. An example of this is that you have to finish something by 5PM. This kind of stress is good because it motivates me. While working at the university, things were very slow for a couple of weeks and then really stressful for a couple of weeks and so on. There was no in between. The stress lasted for a couple of weeks which is very long. When it’s really stressful, I spend a lot of time working which is tricky because it could lead to a burnout. I think stress is good in moderation but if it’s chronic and you have a lot of pressure for a long period of time, it can be quite bad.

What was the application process like for this job?

I got really lucky. I applied and was invited for an interview. At the end of the interview, they told me I had the job.

What did you do to prepare for your applications?

If I was really interested, I prepared more about my own background information such as details of the modules that I did or projects I worked on. Then I read more about the company itself and their values to understand their mission and purpose. Sometimes I read about the employee experiences of the company to understand how the company values their employees. Finally, I try to understand more about the job itself before an interview.

Did you also prepare for the tests you had to do?

No, they will send you a link for the test so it is quite hard to prepare for that.

Did you have to select references for these jobs?

I always asked previous internship supervisors to be my reference.

How did you deal with rejection?

Don’t take anything personal! Rejection is painful as you get excited about a job when you are applying, but it is important to keep moving forward.

What is your motivation for wanting to do a PhD in the future?

I am interested in specialising in a certain subject. I think it would be good for my career. They offer part-time PhD positions which will allow you to work at the same time as studying. I think work experience in the field can be good, but a PhD will give you more theoretical knowledge.

Do you have any tips or recommendations?

An interview should be like a conversation. Remember that they are interviewing you, but you are also interviewing them. It should be a two-way conversation. I think it is very important that you are able to ask questions during interviews as it shows that you are interested and motivated.

Send as many applications as possible to start-ups and companies in your field of interest, but only apply to jobs that you really want to do. Otherwise, there is no point in applying for a job.