WIT: Hello, Justyna, please introduce yourself briefly.
Justyna: Hi, my name is Justyna and I come from Poland. I currently live in Vienna with my partner, and before that I lived in England for 6 years. I enjoy traveling and learning about new cultures, people and the local cuisine. Living abroad taught me how to push myself outside of the comfort zone, make new connections and be resilient. On a personal level I am a ski and pilates enthusiast. I have a great passion for bettering patients’ lives through research and technology, with special interest in growing companies, advancing healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. What I enjoy the most about my work in startups is how you can co-shape the company and be connected with people as part of a smaller team.
WIT: What do you do for a living?
Justyna: Currently I work as Medical Science Liaison for a medical device company. I have started the department from scratch in 2021. I’m also responsible for approving all the medical related content and preparation of the commercial team for product launch. I rolled out of three highly successful cross-functional launch workshops. I’m also the person who is responsible for creation, execution and maintenance of the medical blog. To sum up, this experience gives me a wide range of skills.
WIT: How did you find your way into a technical profession?
Justyna: I have started going into technical professional when I started studying biomedical science. Throughout my studies not only I learned all the subjects needed in healthcare setting, but also exposed myself to a variety of internships, volunteering experience and hospital work. I also wanted to have as much experience in healthcare environment as possible. I think not only educational, but also work experience is an invaluable way to learn.
WIT: Have you always been interested in technology?
Justyna: I always had interest in technology to some extent. I remember as child I got my first, kid’s microscope. I remember being so amazed by it. I also carried out simple experiments with chemist kit as a child.
WIT: What do you like most about your job?
Justyna: What I like the most about my job is how it combines soft skills like presentation, communication and collaboration with the technical knowledge I acquired during my studies. I also love educating people on health topics, and building content around it.
WIT: What do you do in your spare time?
Justyna: In my spare time I enjoy cooking for my friends, family and partner. I have a special interest in making italian pasta. Apart from that, I like spending time hiking, skiing, surfing, doing pilates. I also recently developed an interest in gardening.
WIT: What message would you like to convey to women or girls who are interested in technology?
Justyna: I would like to tell them to not give up, even though its not always easy. Sometimes you fail but that is the best way to learn, so don’t stop trying, even if means failing. Find your support system, that will support you to keep going. Like friends, family, partner or a mentor.
WIT: Which advice do you still follow today?
Justyna: Treat others like you would like to be treated. I think it’s essential to treat each other with kindness and respect.
WIT: What challenges do you encounter as a woman in your job?
Justyna: I am always keen to try new things, even though to some it may seem like a challenge. I have moved to a different country twice, I have lived in England for around 5 years and recently, a year ago I moved to Austria. The experience taught me how to find myself in a new environment, how to collaborate with people from different cultures, backgrounds and style of work. I think it is important to see challenges as opportunities to learn.
WIT: Do you have any tips regarding interviews for technical positions?
Justyna: I would say to be super prepared for an interview. Find out as much as you can about the company, their product, the technical details applicable to the job advertisement Go through the description and see what are the requirements, write down how you fit those with your experience. Think about why you want this job, be able to explain that during an interview.
WIT: What professional and personal skills would you like to develop even further?
Justyna: I would like to become better at public speaking. I always stress out whenever I need to present things, but I always try to push myself to do so. Hopefully I will become better and better at it.
Thank you for the interview, Justyna!
